Opinion: Unveiling a Husband's Thought-Provoking Tribute to His Late Wife
Blake Butler's provocative book 'Molly' challenges the notion of authorial authority when it comes to writing about the deceased, especially in the case of his wife's tragic suicide Culture critic Patricia Grisafi delves into the transformative ways this controversial work raises profound questions
Editor's Note: Patricia Grisafi, PhD, is a freelance writer whose work has been featured in The Guardian, Salon, NBC, Los Angeles Review of Books, The Mary Sue, The Daily Dot and other publications. The views expressed here are her own. Read more opinions on CNN.
Who has the authority to write about the deceased? This question is often associated with sensational celebrity exposes that delve into the addictions, quirks, and intimate details of famous individuals. However, with the recent release of Blake Butler's genre-defying book "Molly," the focus has shifted to the ethical considerations of revealing personal information, particularly as the subject is Butler's late wife, the writer and baker Molly Brodak, who died by suicide in 2020.
Patricia Grisafi
I devoured "Molly" over a hectic weekend with my kids, often hiding in the bathroom to escape and pondering the ongoing debate sparked by the book. It made me question if anyone can really understand themselves fully.
The way some individuals viewed "Molly" as a severe invasion of privacy, others saw it as a display of grace and courage, a willingness to confess one's faults as Arthur Schopenhauer famously addressed to Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. Butler had revealed Brodak's intricate self, her joys and her indiscretions without the approval of a departed loved one to grant it. Did he disrespect her memory by doing so?
In a seeming deliberate misinterpretation of Butler's portrayal of humanity, social media users criticized the book, with some blatantly doing so without having read it. "Watching everyone celebrate what amounts to literary revenge porn against a mentally unwell woman who took her own life has me sick to my stomach," one writer posted on X.
Then the tabloids got involved, delving straight into the scandalous details. The Daily Mail felt it necessary to highlight Brodak's extramarital affairs: "Famous poet Molly Brodak had a secret life as a serial cheater, having an affair with a student just days after marrying her author husband, and he only found out while preparing a slideshow for her funeral after her suicide," declared the headline.
Writer Blake Butler at the 2023 edition of the Turin International Book Fair, Italy on May 19, 2023.
MLBARIONA/Alamy
Writers typically don't attract tabloid attention, so when "Molly" caused a stir, it was unexpected and upsetting, according to Butler. "I was stunned when the first tabloid article came out. I was angry," he said.
But even though some saw "Molly" as a vicious attack on Brodak, I couldn't find any evidence of that. I only found confusion and sadness.
Both Molly and Blake are portrayed as flawed in the book, with the author not portraying himself as a virtuous figure and the subject as a villain. Butler explains that his real adversary is silence, as he aims to end the generational trauma and abuse that plagued Brodak without sensationalizing her story. He extensively researched works by Annie Ernaux, trauma memoirs, and Holocaust memoirs while writing the book, as Brodak's father, who later became a bank robber, had been conceived in a concentration camp, a detail Brodak later included in her own memoir "Bandit." Brodak also visited the site of the camp while working on a book called "Alone in Poland."
Brodak, a passionate reader and intellectual, immersed himself in Sylvia Plath's work before her passing. I couldn't help but notice the parallels in the way both women were treated by the male figures in their literary lives after their deaths. Following Plath's suicide in February 1963, she left behind a completed poetry manuscript on her desk. "Ariel" would later become a posthumous masterpiece, representing a groundbreaking expression of female anger and breathtaking lyricism.
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However, the initially published collection of Plath's work was not the version she intended. Her husband, Ted Hughes, had edited the arrangement of the book and removed poems that depicted him in a negative light.
It wasn't until the restored version of "Ariel" was published in 2004 that readers were able to fully experience Plath's poetic journey, ending with the line "The bees are flying. They taste the spring" instead of "While/From the bottom of the pool, fixed stars/Govern a life." The original version represented a narrative of rebirth, while Hughes' version leaned towards a bleak vision of suicide, taking away Plath's own literary agency and imposing his own interpretation on her work. On top of this, Hughes claimed to have "destroyed" Plath's last journal so it wouldn't be read.
Butler was adamant about not wanting to manipulate Brodak's legacy. "I would never want to control her legacy," he expressed. "I don't want people to underestimate her as an artist. I honor her as an artist, and it has been my goal from the start to ensure that her work is recognized and valued."
Seeking authenticity, Butler references passages from Brodak's journals to provide an unfiltered glimpse into her thoughts. He extensively quotes Brodak's own poetry and memoir, as well as including her suicide note.
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Butler reflects on the challenge of respecting Brodak's privacy in the book, expressing concern about sharing the darker aspects of her life. Writing about it feels like exposing a secret that was meant to be kept silent. Should Butler have the right to reveal this? The answer she arrived at was yes, and in doing so, Brodak is able to transcend. Through Butler's poignant and philosophical exploration of her life, Brodak comes alive on the page as a complex and enigmatic figure. It is a struggle between being heard and finding truth, embodying the concept of multiplicity and fragmentation. While Butler's portrayal of Brodak's life can be difficult to read at times, it ultimately serves as a powerful protest against the silence and narratives that surround the deceased.
For anyone struggling with suicidal thoughts or mental health issues, please call the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 to speak with a trained counselor, or visit the 988 Lifeline website for support.
