Born Again. Diaries and Notebooks. 1947–1963

The first volume of the diaries of American writer and essayist Susan Sontag (1933–2004), prepared for publication by her son David Rieff, covers her years studying at the University of California, Berkeley, her subsequent enrollment at the University of Chicago, her acquaintance with sociologist Philip Rieff, and the birth of her son. Serving as a testament to both the intellectual and emotional development of one of America's greatest public intellectuals, the diary contains lists of youthful reading, films watched, and numerous notes dedicated to favorite authors — André Gide and Thomas Mann, the latter of whom sixteen-year-old Susan visited in his California mansion, spending the entire day in a meaningful conversation. The diary also includes entries made during the year Sontag spent in Paris.