Susan Vreeland

I sat in the second row of the auditorium on March 7, 2014, as a frail yet neatly dressed older lady was introduced to the podium - a writer, a Ms. Susan Vreeland, whose name I was not familiar with and whose books I had never cared to read. I leaned back in my plastic chair and prepared for an oration similar to that of a commencement address filled with overused phrases about bright futures and personal anecdotes. However, as soon as Ms. Vreeland began talking, my low expectations were shattered - she spoke with the eloquence of a lawyer and at the same time possessed a childlike curiosity in her manner. Most of all, as the author stood among a group of young writers still making their way in the world, it seemed like she really cared. Her inspiring words drove me to return home that day, buy one of her bestseller novels, and research. Born in the United States in 1946 and raised in a culturally diverse environment, Vreeland had grown up with an appreciation for art. Imaginative interest and artistic passion allowed the author to succeed in life. In addition, her bravery and natural compassion led Ms. Vreeland to reach back to budding writers and lend them a hand of inspiration. Susan Vreeland has truly touched the world with her heroic original ideas, brave stoicism, and charismatic nature.

Vreeland's originality is made possible by her creative combination of art, history, and fictional characters, allowing the reader to delve into a novel and at the same time learn about the past. As Susan Vreeland describes her bestseller, Girl in Hyacinth Blue, she mentions the way in which the Dutch setting is portrayed in the story: "Landscape is more than flat land covered by floodwater, the seeping of peat bogs, a river of liquid pewter viewed from a sentry tower. It's an influence on what a person values, what she is willing to sacrifice or argue for. The interior landscape of a soul is, in part, a reflection of the exterior landscape." (Vreeland qtd. Girl In Hyacinth Blue). One of Vreeland's achievements with this book is her stunningly accurate depiction of a foreign setting - she explains, with her metaphor of the soul to the landscape, that a vivid description is not necessarily the only thing that can bring land to life. For Vreeland, a landscape is the equivalent of a deity, an embraced spectacle that must be truly appreciated in order for its beauty to come through in words. Susan Vreeland also portrays her independent and creative mind as she describes the feelings she receives from looking at a seemingly-simple pitcher: "I was once drawn to a small Phoenician glass medicine pitcher, luminous pale yellow-green with a rounded belly and a long, curved snout of a spout.People rose in my imagination, as they did for Keats when contemplating the Grecian Urn" (Vreeland qtd. Crescent Blues). Using graceful word choice and vivid adjectives, Vreeland manages to describe a plain pitcher in such an intriguing way the reader does not even need to see it to imagine its captivating aura. Also, her parallel thinking of not only art, but literature as well, can be seen with her comparison of the jar to John Keats' poem about a Grecian storage pot. These unusual reflections are what create the author's original stories - stories that contain the same imaginative vigor as observations, and transfer some of Vreeland's enthusiasm for art to the reader.

Along with originality, Susan Vreeland possesses a care and interest for others, resulting in her admirable charismatic nature. For example, during the two years she spent in the hospital fighting lymphoma, Vreeland remained thoughtful about other hospital-goers: "I gathered uplifting quotes to put on the windowed door of my room, facing outward to benefit family and friends going to visit other seriously ill patients, and so doctors and nurses tending to me would have a positive thought right before they saw me" (Vreeland qtd. "Retrospection"). In essence, charisma can be described as a charm that draws people towards an individual. There is no mention about gathering positive quotes for herself or trying to make people happy for her own benefit. Vreeland, even in the toughest of times, shows heartfelt compassion and interest in other's well-being, making her room an uplifting stop for the nurses and the other patients and visitors - that undying altruistic attitude is what gives the author her charismatic magnetism. In addition, Susan Vreeland's charisma can be seen by the actions of other people towards her; specifically, as the author recounts a trip she takes to the Himalayas: "I imagined Kanshi carrying the eggs as she scaled the sixteen hundred-foot ridge separating Khumjung from Namche Bazaar, half a day's walk, the nearest place they could have been purchased.In the Khumbu, Al told me, if a friend has the flu, you don't bring her flowers. You bring her an egg" (Vreeland qtd. BookBrowse). In the Khumbu, where Vreeland visits, steep slopes and rural areas separate the village from the rest of civilization, making eggs a very rare treat because they come from a market place "half a day's walk" away. Yet already, Susan Vreeland has earned herself two eggs from people she has only recently met - people who now would scale a "sixteen hundred-foot ridge" just for her. Conveyed through meaningful everyday actions, Vreeland's attitude has an effect on people that makes them feel wanted and believed in.

Most importantly, Susan Vreeland's greatest trait is her unwavering bravery in both mentally and physically challenging endeavors. For instance, she described her emotions when she battled lymphoma for two years, and had to continue life with the constant fear of facing it again: "My conviction grew that art was stronger than death" (Vreeland qtd. Crescent Blues). Being able to understand that she must live life day by day, and still appreciating what she has been given is a virtue - Vreeland displays strong motivation to live with a contrast between art and death, depicting a beloved hobby as an unbeatable force. Furthermore, when the writer spends months in the desolate confines of a hospital bed, her life in the hands of doctors and chemotherapy, it takes a strong will to be able to cling onto a passion - art - and use it to outrun a force of nature - death. But, as Vreeland describes the dilemma dealing with the publishing of her book, she shows mental bravery as well: "Then, one must be willing to risk criticism when that story requires departure from fact" (Vreeland qtd. Gale). As previously mentioned, Vreeland's novels are original concoctions of art history melding with fictional characters. Since no author has done something similar before her, Vreeland faces the possibility of having her work scorned and ridiculed each time she publishes a book. Seeing that she has now published eight novels since her first step as a budding author, Susan Vreeland does, in fact, have the bravery to take risks and fight for her life.

Susan Vreeland may not be as well-known as J.K. Rowling or Mark Twain, but her inspiring impact on the world, or at least on an individual, is not limited to fame. The author's originality, charisma, and bravery make her a force to be reckoned with, and a force to be looked up to. Vreeland didn't settle for mainstream when becoming an author. She created a new idea and bravely set forth in a different direction to put it into motion, despite the mental and physical obstacles in her way. But as she carved her future, she never seemed to forget to be humble and care about the people sharing the world with her. Susan Vreeland demonstrates the importance of possessing a free spirit, traveling the unknown, and all the while, looking around and giving back to others. After all, good thoughts only multiply when shared. That day in March after I first heard Vreeland deliver her speech, I remembered a phrase that keeps ringing in my ears to this day, serving as a portrait of the author's essence: "I try to be the kind of person upon whom nothing is lost." (James, Henry) As I left the auditorium that day, I realized that not only had Susan Vreeland touched the world and kept her influence from being lost; in her own way, she had also touched me.

Works Cited:

CATE Ceremony Opening Speech. By Susan Vreeland. Joe Rindone      Regional Technology Center, San Diego. 8 Mar. 2014. Performance.

James, Henry. ""The Art of Fiction" by Henry James." "The Art of Fiction" by Henry James. Longman's Magazine, Sept. 1884. Web. 04 Apr. 2014.

"Susan Vreeland." Contemporary Authors Online. Detroit: Gale, 2010. Biography in Context.Web. 17 Mar. 2014.

Vreeland, Susan. "Crescent Blues | Writer Interview: "Susan Vreeland: Living in the Spirit of Art""Crescent Blues | Writer Interview: "Susan Vreeland: Living in the Spirit of Art" Crescent Blues, n.d. Web. 25 Mar. 2014.

Vreeland, Susan. Girl in Hyacinth Blue. Denver: MacMurray & Beck, 1999. Print.

Vreeland, Susan. "Retrospection: A Narrative Autobiography." Author's Bio. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Mar. 2014.

Vreeland, Susan. "Susan Vreeland Interview, plus Links to        Author Biography, Book Summaries,Excerpts and Reviews."    
BookBrowse.com. Book Browse, n.d. Web. 25 Mar. 2014.