The Poet and The Soldier

Zero

Isadora Heroux's latest and final work is a true masterpiece. Heroux's genius use of language remains unparalleled, but The Poet is radically different from her previous work in terms of subject and tone. In this collection we are shown a depth of emotion that is not present in her earlier work, which while exquisitely crafted, is almost cold in its precise perfection.

All of Heroux's earlier works are focused on particular people or events, often providing controversial insights that had her being hailed by some and crucified by others. Even though in The Poet there are many mentions of Anna Brown (the subject of her penultimate work, The Soldier), at the centre of this work we find Heroux turning this laser focus on herself.

It is unclear what exactly provoked Heroux's change in style, but it is known that these poems were found at the location of her suicide, written on the walls and ceiling. Once her markers ran out of ink, she apparently started using her own blood, and when she ran out of space, she turned on her own body, carving the words into her skin with a paint scraper. Police have confirmed that at the time she had high levels of drugs in her system, and her publicist has confirmed that she did indeed struggle with addiction.

It is amazing what Heroux produced in light of these circumstances, and perhaps it is no surprise that The Poet is so intensely infused with emotion. Reading it makes you feel like you're flying winded: exuberantly joyful as you soar, yet at the same time struggling for breath as the ground hurls ever closer.

Isadora Heroux's death is a true blow to not only literary society, but the world, who have been deprived of all the great works she doubtlessly would have gone on to create.

May she finally have found the peace she sought.

This article was written by Sandra Barnes for The Times Magazine, 2014 December edition.