"We had not gone far, when we heard an awful squeal - so different from the way pigs squeal when they want their supper. I felt cold all over. Then I did have knowings why the mamma had let me start away to the woods without scolding. And I ran a quick run to save my dear Peter Paul Rubens - but already he was dying . And he died with his head in my lap. I sat there feeling dead, too, until my knees were all wet with blood from the throat of my dear Peter Paul Rubens
After I changed my clothes and put the bloody ones in the rain-barrel, I did go to the woods to look for the soul of Peter Paul Rubens. I didn't find it. But I think when comes the spring, I will find it among the flowers - probably in the blossom of a faon [fawn] lily, or in the top of a fir tree. Today when Brave Horatius and I went through the woods, we did feel its presence near.
When I was come back from the woods, they made me grind sausage. And every time I did turn the handle, I could hear that little pain squeal Peter Paul Rubens always gave when he did want me to come where he was at once."
Opal Whiteley as adapted by Benjamin Hoff in The Singing Creek Where the Willows Grow
Opal Whiteley lived in the logging camps and mill towns of Oregon. She also lived in India as the guest of a maharana and died as a mental patient at Napsbury in St. Albans England.
As a child, Opal lived in a world filled with friends, many of which were animals to whom she gave grand and heroic names. Opal lived in a world of wonder where nature was alive and spoke both amongst itself and to her. She lived in a reality of great natural beauty, but also one of sadness, tragedy and sudden death.
Opal was also a child prodigy who wrote down observations of her life and the world as she saw it. A portion of that dairy, from age of about six to seven, was published in 1920 as The Story of Opal. The book, upon publication, was hailed as an instant classic, but just as quickly became embroiled in a controversy that all but wiped it's existence off the literary map.
Three persons have recently republished Opal's book in diverse formats and from different perspectives (although the authors are more than supportive of Opal herself). They are Jane Boulton, Benjamin Hoff and Nan Gurley.
A good deal of the controversy surrounding Opal had to do with her claims that she was "adopted" by the Whiteleys and that her parents were actually French aristocracy. Boulton would seem to support Opal in these claims while Hoff states that this was a product of Opal's innate Schizophrenia which worsened throughout her life.
Boulton has taken Opal's diary and reworked it into two books, one as free-form verse (Opal: The Journal of an Understanding Heart) and the other a children's book (Only Opal). Her efforts have great merit and are done with both respect and love. Also her personal research and recounting of her interview with Opal at Napsbury (something Hoff was never able to accomplish, not for his lack of trying) are all extremely interesting. However, I personally don't care for the changing of Opal's original wording. Also there is the issue that Boulton's works are only excerpts and not the complete diary.
Hoff's book (The Singing Creek Where the Willows Grow) is basically a re-formatted version of The Story of Opal but to which he has added much biographical information that completes Opal's story. He also offers his own subjective insights into her life and writings.
Of course, the ideal situation would be to read Opal's words unfiltered through any third party - which would be the diary as originally published. If you are not lucky enough to find a copy of The Story of Opal, or at a price that you can afford; there is available a reprint of the 1920 edition titled The Diary of Opal Whiteley which adds only a brief introduction by Nan Gurley. This book may not be as readily available as either of the other books (it is available at Amazon.com and other online book stores), but it is the "purest" and is worth the effort to locate.
I do have a concern with The Singing Creek Where the Willows Grow due to Hoff's assertion that most of Opal's claims, and maybe even her perspectives, were all the result of Schizophrenia.
I am no mental health worker and the doctors at Napsbury seemed to have agreed with Hoff and were treating her for the disease, but that seems all too simple of an explanation of all the questions for my tastes. Just saying that Opal was smart enough to have learned French by the age of six isn't enough. Especially since the library records at Cottage Grove Oregon show she never checked out any books with which she could have taught herself the language and geography of France.
Too much is left unexplained to dismiss Opal's claims just because they seem implausible. It is obvious that from some point in her life Opal suffered from some form of mental disorder; but to try and explain away her whole existence, and especially the diary, within the context of mental illness is more than I can accept.
But the bottom line, is that Opal has died and that while her life story is compelling, mysterious, tragic and sad; it is now, more or less, just a topic for subjective conjecture. What we do have objectively and publicly, is her book, The Story of Opal. Real places, real people, real things. It stands alone and is what it is, self-contained. It needs no justification, it is as stated - The Journal of an Understanding Heart!!! Read it, take a walk with The Man Who wears Gray Neckties and is Kind to Mice, Dear Love and her husband, Sadie Mckibben and Thomas Chatterton Jupiter Zeus....... See where they lead you
The above text was, for the most part, written many years ago. It has had some slight revisions over the years but the bulk of it has reminded static. However, the story of Opal has not.
There have more new books written about Opal on both sides of the Atlantic and the mystery surrounding her just keeps getting deeper and more complex as more of her story is uncovered. Not only have more books been published but also a musical has been written that I personally recommend, it is Opal : A Musical Adventure by Robert Lindsey Nassif and is available on Original Cast records, but I digress. To try and keep pace and continuously updating the evolving "world" of Opal would demand a site dedicated to her alone (several of which are noted on my links page) and a dedication of time to match.
Throughout the years I have come into email contact with many fans of Opal's dairy including at least one direct blood relative. New information has surfaced that support Opal's claim of being adopted. New information has surfaced that refute the same claim. There is evidence to believe that Opal's onset of Schizophrenia may have manifested itself at an earlier age than one would have first supposed. There is reason to disbelieve it. There are records that say Opal had access to French books. There are those that say no or so what. What I am trying to say is that the story of Opal is very, very complex and maybe growing murkier every day if not minute.
So where does this all leave us?
It leaves us where we started, with the dairy.
Allow me to be redundant:
But the bottom line, is that Opal has died and that while her life story is compelling, mysterious, tragic and sad; it is now, more or less, just a topic for subjective conjecture. What we do have objectively and publicly, is her book, The Story of Opal. Real places, real people, real things. It stands alone and is what it is, self-contained. It needs no justification, it is as stated - The Journal of an Understanding Heart!!! Read it, take a walk with The Man Who wears Gray Neckties and is Kind to Mice, Dear Love and her husband, Sadie Mckibben and Thomas Chatterton Jupiter Zeus....... See where they lead you
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