ABSTRACT
A major crisis occurred in Warner and Ackland’s relationship during the 1950s as a consequence of Ackland’s decision to rejoin the Roman Catholic Church. I attend to Ackland’s new notion of selfhood - that of ‘poet priest’ - and show how she used her diaries to reveal this new persona to Warner. Warner, who was hostile to religion, often used religious themes and language in her writing, and in this chapter I examine this apparent paradox. I also draw together many of my arguments related to genre and narrative and reflect on the ways in which Warner and Ackland’s diary and letter-writing practices have illuminated my understanding of these two life-writing genres. I also include a discussion of Warner’s final novel, The Flint Anchor.
