Plugged In On a Stronger Current

February 25, 2020 12:12 PM

Roseboro’—she fiercely defended that apostrophe, reserving her family name, Roseborough, for her life on the stage—was more zealous than many a missionary. She was utterly convinced that books were all that mattered in life. She offered to give one promising young writer her ideas “as you put cloves into an apple you are going to roast.” And yet, though she championed voices who are today seen as canonical and left behind a literary legacy with which few other readers and editors can compete, she died destitute, rarely leaving her rented rooms on Staten Island. From The Strange, Forgotten Life of Viola Roseboro’ by Stephanie Gorton
posted by chavenet (3 comments total)

"Unconventionally, but mainly because she was so unsuited to cooking, she ate mostly raw food. Some of her quirks put her ahead of her time; she was evangelical about yogic breathing and staying hydrated, and she often carried an old gin bottle full of water around the city."

She would have fit right in here at MetaFilter.
posted by a humble nudibranch at 12:35 PM on February 25, 2020 [3 favorites]

Huh! Several of the nearly-forgotten authors she championed have plenty of books on Project Gutenberg, but she doesn't. (Original copies still available, so they could be scanned; and at least one has been reprinted.)
posted by clew at 12:46 PM on February 25, 2020 [1 favorite]

Archive.org has Old Ways and New; Stories by Viola Roseboro', while Google Books has Players and Vagabonds, Storms of Youth, plus more works with her name referenced or included.
posted by filthy light thief at 1:28 PM on February 25, 2020 [1 favorite]