Biography: writers Books

Book SynopsisSartre''s powerful political passions were united with a memorable literary gift, placing him foremost among the novelists, as well as the philosophers, of our time. Iris Murdoch''s pioneering study analyses and evaluates the different strands of Sartre''s rich and complex oeurve. Combining the objectivity of the scholar with a profound interest in contemporary problems, Iris Murdoch discusses the tradition of philosophical, political and aesthetic thought that gives historical authenticity to Satre''s achievement, while showing the ambiguities and dangers inherent in his position.Trade ReviewA penetrating introduction to the romantic rationalist, novelist and penseur * The Times *Iris Murdoch's concise study... reads as clear and logical as it did in 1953, and remains one of the best friends to anyone who wants to understand what existentialism was all about * Evening Standard *With a cool and luminous introduction...Sartre: Romantic Rationalist is all about the thinker, about his philosophy and his novels... Her fair if unflattering book is the best way in to what finally matters to Sartre * Observer *A remarkably intelligent and penetrating introduction to Sartre * Times Literary Supplement *

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Book SynopsisShort and oddly built, with a head too big for his body, extremely short-sighted, unable to stay still, dressed in colourful clothes, Wilkie Collins looked distinctly strange. But he was none the less a charmer, befriended by the great, loved by children, irresistibly attractive to women and avidly read by generations of readers. Peter Ackroyd follows his hero, the sweetest-tempered of all the Victorian novelists', from his childhood as the son of a well-known artist to his struggling beginnings as a writer, his years of fame and his life-long friendship with the other great London chronicler, Charles Dickens. As well as his enduring masterpieces, The Moonstone often called the first true detective novel and the sensational The Woman in White, he produced an intriguing array of lesser-known works. Told with Ackroyd's inimitable verve, this is a ravishingly entertaining life of a great storyteller, full of surprises, rich in humour and sympathetic undTrade ReviewFour stars, (A) perfect little biography -- Craig Brown * Mail on Sunday *With deft strokes, Peter Ackroyd’s biography portrays his character and sets him in context, weaving critical appraisals seamlessly into the story of his life. The bravura of this biography lies in its brilliantly judged brevity. -- Iain Finlayson * The Times *Unfailingly perceptive -- Andrew Taylor * Independent *This biography is compulsive reading * The Economist *Insightful -- Judith Flanders * Sunday Telegraph *

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Book SynopsisPublished simultaneously in Britain and America to mark the fiftieth anniversary of the death of T. S. Eliot, this major biography traces the life of the twentieth century's most important poet from his childhood in the ragtime city of St Louis right up to the publication of his most famous poem, The Waste Land. Meticulously detailed and incisively written, Young Eliot portrays a brilliant, shy and wounded American who defied his parents' wishes and committed himself to life as an immigrant in England, authoring work astonishing in its scope and hurt. Quoting extensively from poetry and prose as well as drawing on new interviews, archives, and previously undisclosed memoirs, Robert Crawford shows how Eliot's background in Missouri, Massachusetts and Paris made him a lightning conductor for modernity. Most impressively, Young Eliot shows how deeply personal were the experiences underlying masterpieces from The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock' to The WaTrade ReviewYoung Eliot marks both a milestone and a turning point... [It] is judicious, sympathetic, meticulous.... The story it tells of a great poet’s early life is enthralling. -- Robert McCrum * Observer *This is an exemplary book… I look forward to the second volume eagerly. -- Stuart Kelly * Scotsman *A masterful biography of the canonical modernist... Drawing on sources not available to previous biographers, the author fashions an authoritative, nuanced portrait... Although Crawford modestly claims that his biography is neither “official” nor definitive, it is unlikely to be surpassed. * Kirkus *Crawford’s superb biography, of which this is the first of two volumes, must now be regarded as the standard work. It does not diminish or tarnish Eliot’s reputation. On the contrary, it makes one want to return to the poems and read them again and again. -- Alan Taylor * Herald *Crawford’s case is sensitive and compelling, and his account – especially of Eliot’s childhood and student years – is more richly detailed than any previous biographer’s…. A powerful and enlightening book. -- John Carey * Sunday Times *

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Book Synopsis''A brilliant, unlikely book'' SpectatorHow can we celebrate, challenge and change our remarkable world? In 2012, the world arrived in London for the Olympics...and Ann Morgan went out to meet it. She read her way around all the globe''s 196 independent countries (plus one extra), sampling one book from every nation. It wasn''t easy. Many languages have next to nothing translated into English; there are tiny, tucked-away places where very little is written down; some governments don''t like to let works of art escape their borders.Using Morgan''s own quest as a starting point, Reading the World explores the vital questions of our time and how reading across borders might just help us answer them. ''Revelatory... While Morgan''s research has a daunting range...there is a simple message: reading is a social activity, and we ought to share books across boundaries'' Financial TimesTrade ReviewA wonderful book * Red *An enjoyable book that brings a world of literature into our homes * Daily Telegraph *A great way into literature in translation * Red Online *A truly inspiring read * Lady *If you, like me, are a fan of fiction in translation then I would suggest this is a must-read, or at the very least a really-should-read * Me And My Big Mouth (Blog) *

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Book SynopsisAn extraordinary book of real passionate research' Edmund de WaalIn 1945, Ezra Pound was due to stand trial for treason for his broadcasts in Fascist Italy during the Second World War. But before the trial could take place Pound was pronounced insane. Escaping a potential death sentence he was shipped off to St Elizabeths Hospital near Washington, DC, where he was held for over a decade. At the hospital, Pound was at his most contradictory and most controversial: a genius writer The most important living poet in the English language' according to T. S. Eliot but also a traitor and now, seemingly, a madman. But he remained a magnetic figure. Eliot, Elizabeth Bishop, Robert Lowell and John Berryman all went to visit him at what was perhaps the world's most unorthodox literary salon: convened by a fascist and held in a lunatic asylum. Told through the eyes of his illustrious visitors, The Bughouse captures the essence of Pound the artistic flaiTrade ReviewIt is Swift’s considerable achievement sympathetically to examine an extraordinary, often troubling, tale...an enthralling narrative -- Robert McCrum * Observer *An extraordinary book of real passionate research which keeps surprising and illuminating by turns. -- Edmund de WaalLively and searching… He has an engaging authorial presence and his own hesitations and uncertainties about Ezra Pound, both as poet and personality, lend a certain tension and a pleasing piquancy to his narrative -- Eric Ormsby * Times Literary Supplement *Swift is a sensitive and thoughtful reader of both poetry and human psychology... The Bughouse is also a kind of immersive adventure journalism, in which he retraces Pound's steps and tries to unearth new details about his life -- Adam Kirsch * New Statesman *To understand an artist as compromised by circumstances – and by his own many contradictions – as Ezra Pound, we have to trace a complex path through a maze of half-truths, myth, and simplification. The Bughouse does so with supreme care, critical acumen, and humanity, shedding a whole new light not only on Pound the man, but also on the shape and character of The Cantos, one of the most seriously flawed and truly brilliant artworks of the twentieth century -- John BurnsideA wonderful portrait of Ezra Pound in all his moods - mad, bad and blindingly sane. -- A. AlvarezSwift does a fine job of allowing Pound’s many contradictions to stay in place and reminds us, too, that 45 years after his death there are plenty of contradictions left in the people who admire him -- James Walton * Daily Mail *It is a tribute to the brightness of The Bughouse that Swift has revived my interest in the old monster -- Roger Lewis * The Times *Swift’s strength is his refusal to separate Pound’s writings from the issues of Fascism and insanity... Sharp-eyed and pacey...it highlights memorably the tangled relations between lunatic, lover and poet -- Robert Crawford * Literary Review *[A] remarkable study of [Ezra Pound’s] fertile afterlife -- Suzi Feay * Financial Times *At the heart of this books lies a fascinating debate about poets and society -- Craig Brown * Mail on Sunday *A powerful and very talented writer…dashing and arresting…the greatness in his subject shines through every dark corner -- Peter Craven * Sydney Review of Books *Swift admits that he cannot pin his elusive subject down, but there is no need. By following his instinct he has allowed the poet, with his ‘shifting self-narration’, to lead the way in this marvellous evocation. -- Philippa Williams * The Lady *American poet Ezra Pound… proves an elusive but fascinating subject in this non-linear, impressionistic biography -- Juanita Coulson * Lady *

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Book SynopsisThe final volume of the definitive authorised biography of one of the greatest American writers.A moving testament to one of the last century's greatest writers' Sunday TimesAt forty-nine, Saul Bellow was at the pinnacle of American letters he was rich, famous and critically acclaimed, with the best yet to come: Mr Sammler's Planet, Humboldt's Gift, all his best stories. He went on to win two more National Book Awards, a Pulitzer Prize, and the Nobel Prize. However, away from his desk, Bellow''s life was set to become embroiled in controversy: over foreign affairs, race, religion, education, social policy, the state of culture, the fate of the novel. From the women he pursued and his turbulent family relations, to his struggles with cultural relativism and the perceived excesses of civil rights movements, this second and final volume of Zachary Leader''s monumental Life of Saul Bellow charts Bellow''s heroic energy and will throughout his life, right to the end - where his immense achievements and their costs, to himself and others, became ever more apparent.''Brilliant'' Spectator''Compelling'' Times Literary Supplement''Riveting'' New Statesman''Superb'' New York TimesTrade ReviewLeader is our hyper-sensitive ammeter, charting the myriad effects of all this fame on his difficult, brilliant subject. A great feat of scholarship and, at the end, a moving testament to one of the last century’s greatest writers. -- Claire Lowdon * Sunday Times, **Literary Book of the Year** *This will stand as the definitive account. Leader talked to the surviving three wives and drew on the memories of Bellow’s three sons, as well as more than 100 friends (and one or two enemies) and devout literary progeny including Martin Amis and the critic James Wood. -- Tim Adams * Observer *This second volume of biography perfectly captures the spirit of a complex genius… Bellow calls for a sensitive balance between censure and understanding, to avoid overshadowing his genius, and it is hard to imagine anyone doing it better [than Zachary Leader]. -- George Walden * Evening Standard *Book of the Week* *Zachary Leader’s monumental biography of Saul Bellow…[is] minutely researched and clear-eyed… Leader is wholly steeped in Bellow’s oeuvre and able to find all the fictional equivalents of the real people who filled his life. -- John Mullan * Guardian *Leader’s portrait manages to be both subtle and even-handed… Leader’s two-volume biography is an astonishingly detailed and thoughtful record of an important life. -- Benjamin Markovits * Spectator *

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Book SynopsisJackie Wullschlager is Deputy Literary Editor of the FT, and one of their principal reviewers. Her last book was INVENTING WONDERLAND: THE LIVES AND FANTASIES OF LEWIS CARROLL, EDWARD LEAR, JM BARRIE.Table of ContentsIntroduction: life stories. The country, 1805-12; master comedy-player, 1812-19; the city, 1819-22; Aladdin at school, 1822-7; fantasies, 1827-31; my time belongs to the heart, 1831-3; Italy, 1833-5; first fairy tale, 1835; walking on knives, 1836-7; le Poete, c'est moi! 1837-40; I belong to the world, 1840-43; Jenny, 1843-4; Winter's Tales, 1844-6; the princess'poet, 1845-6; the shadow, 1846-7; lion of London, 1847; between the wars, 1848-51; Weimar revisited, 1851-6; Dickens, 1856-7; experiments, 1858-9; kiss of the muse, 1860-65; Aladdin's palace of the present, 1865-9; so great a love of life, 1869-75.

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Book SynopsisIn 1612 Shakespeare gave evidence at the Court of Requests in Westminster it is the only occasion his spoken words are recorded. The case seems routine a dispute over an unpaid marriage-dowry but it opens up an unexpected window into the dramatist's famously obscure life-story. Charles Nicholl applies a powerful biographical magnifying glass to this fascinating episode in Shakespeare's life. Marshalling evidence from a wide variety of sources, including previously unknown documentary material on the Mountjoys, he conjures up a detailed and compelling description of the circumstances in which Shakespeare lived and worked, and in which he wrote such plays as Othello, Measure for Measure and King Lear.

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Book SynopsisThe incredible true story behind the creation of a masterpiece of world literature, Fyodor Dostoevsky''s Crime and Punishment''A dazzling literary detective story'' GuardianIn the summer of 1865, the former exile Dostoevsky found himself trapped in a cheap hotel in Wiesbaden, unable to leave until he''d paid the bill. Having lost the last of his money at the roulette table, his debts hung heavy over his head, his epileptic seizures were worsening, and his wife and beloved brother were dead. Desperate, a story came to him, a way to write himself out of his predicament: the murderer Raskolnikov, the hot, disorienting swirl of St Petersburg, the axe, the terrible crime, and the murderer''s paranoia. The book was Crime and Punishment, and from the moment it was published it was a sensation. But how did this haunting tale of guilt come to be, and why does it still hold such a sway over us all these years later? The SinnTrade ReviewI never imagined anyone could make Dostoevsky richer--deeper--knottier--than he already was. But by revealing the secret background behind Crime and Punishment, Kevin Birmingham reveals a depth of thought and feeling that makes this most shocking of novels even more shocking yet. After all, it's easy enough to say what makes a murderer bad. It's far harder to say what makes him good. -- Benjamin MoserBirmingham's impressive research combined with a flair for characterising the teeming intellectual debates of the day give absorbing insights into the origins of one of the world's great novels. -- Sue PrideauxA page turner about turning pages, The Sinner and the Saint: Dostoevsky and the Gentleman Murderer Who Inspired A Masterpiece not only brings us back into the fevered panic of Raskolnikov as he murders an old woman, his motives a mystery even to his own sputtering mind, but also to real-life characters, most vividly a Parisian dandy (we might now call him 'gay'), whose nihilism and thrill killings set Dostoevsky's imagination ticking. Compulsively readable, tautly drawn, and richly researched, here is the brilliant study Dostoevsky and his staggering Crime and Punishment-filled, we now find, with intimations of him-so deserves -- Brad Gooch, New York Times Bestselling author of Flannery: A Life of Flannery O’ConnorDostoevsky didn't have any choice about misery-the Siberian exile and the epilepsy, the despair and debts and the deaths of those he loved. All that just fell upon him, and none of us would want to be him, not even for the sake of those books. But wanting to know what it was like to be him-well, that's different, and I can't imagine a better guide than Kevin Birmingham. Dostoevsky was both sinner and saint, and this wonderfully pungent book presents his extraordinary life in the most vivid detail imaginable. Birmingham puts you in the room when Raskolnikov brings down the axe; and he puts you there too when the novelist discovers the face of redemptive love. -- Michael Gorra, author of The Saddest Words: William Faulkner’s Civil WarWith The Sinner and the Saint, Kevin Birmingham has scored a hat trick, delivering three biographies in one book-expertly chronicling the lives of the man who wrote Crime and Punishment and the murderer who inspired the tale, and the fascinating evolution of the novel itself. Birmingham's ingenious braided narrative offers an inspired new reading to those who already know and love Dostoevsky's masterpiece, and serves as an indispensable guide for first time readers. -- Megan Marshall, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Margaret Fuller: A New American Life and Elizabeth Bishop: A Miracle for BreakfastThe Sinner and the Saint is a gripping murder mystery - a dazzling literary "howdunnit" that meticulously reconstructs the political ferment that inspired Dostoevsky's most famous novel. At the heart of it all is Raskolnikov's real-life double, a charming gentleman murderer whose trial set Parisian society ablaze. -- Alex Christofi, author of Dostoevsky in LoveAn absorbing, thickly textured biography of Crime and Punishment that develops through fragments and shards... Kevin Birmingham has written a bold and rewarding book that will allow readers, whatever their own predispositions, to return to Dostoevsky's first masterpiece with a renewed and more capacious perspective. -- Oliver Ready * Literary Review *[an] inspired account of the genesis-philosophical and neurological-of Crime and Punishment...Birmingham is superb, in The Sinner and the Saint, on the intellectual environment, the vibrational stew -- James Parker * The Atlantic *[an] excellent biographical study... In pungent, well-researched pages, Birmingham reveals the "secret" background behind Dostoevsky's great murder novel ... a model of luminous exposition and literary detection, The Sinner and the Saint can be recommended to anyone interested in the dark twisted genius of "Dusty", as Nabokov (with a touch of mockery) nicknamed the ill-fated Russian maestro. -- Ian Thomson * The Observer *Birmingham has alchemized scholarship into a magisterially immersive, novelistic account of the author's life... Birmingham's book sometimes improves on even fiction like J. M. Coetzee's Dostoyevsky novel... The Sinner and the Saint is a magnificent and fitting tribute. -- Boris Fishman * The New York Times *Meticulously piecing together the debates that fired Dostoevsky's imagination, The Sinner and the Saint is filled with arresting details that bring the turbulence of the 1860s to life...The Sinner and the Saint is not just a fitting tribute to one of the great works of world literature, but a dazzling literary detective story in its own right. * Guardian, Book of the Day *

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Book SynopsisFINALIST: 2022 PULITZER PRIZE IN BIOGRAPHYA NEW STATESMAN AND SPECTATOR BOOK OF THE YEAR 2021''A revelation. Such a revolutionary literary discovery seems unlikely to be on offer again. It''s that good'' Sunday Times ''A masterpiece of literary biography. Zenith has produced a work in some ways as astonishing as those of Pessoa himself'' John Gray, New StatesmanFor many thousands of readers Fernando Pessoa''s The Book of Disquiet is almost a way of life. Ironic, haunting and melancholy, this completely unclassifiable work is the masterpiece of one of the twentieth century''s most enigmatic writers. Richard Zenith''s Pessoa at last allows us to understand this extraordinary figure. Some eighty-five years after his premature death in Lisbon, where he left over 25,000 manuscript sheets in a wooden trunk, Fernando Pessoa (1888-1935) can now be celebrated as one of the great modTrade ReviewA masterpiece of literary biography ... a tour de force of cultural history. Zenith's achievement is extraordinary. By illuminating this elusive figure Zenith has produced a work in some ways as astonishing as those of Pessoa himself. -- John Gray * New Statesman *Mammoth, definitive and sublime. Zenith has written the only kind of biography truly permissible, an account of a life that plucks at the very borders and burdens of the notion of a self. * New York Times *A completely superb and magisterial life of Fernando Pessoa. Finally, this extraordinary poet gets the great biography he deserves. Unsurpassable. -- William BoydEven now, Fernando Pessoa remains one of the lesser-known of the truly great writers of the 20th century. This immense, magnificent biography is going to change that... here is a revelation: a modern master to rank alongside Joyce, Kafka, Beckett, say. Such a revolutionary literary discovery seems unlikely to be on offer again. It's that good. -- David Sexton * Sunday Times *Monumental ... To do justice to the magnitude and complexities of Pessoa Zenith, a translator and literary critic, spent more than a decade collating material. The result is a tour de force. -- Cláudia Pazos Alonso * Times Literary Supplement *Erudite, sensitive and entertaining, this multi-faceted portrait pays its giant homage to a man who wasn't there. -- Boyd Tonkin * Financial Times *Monumental ... Zenith brought to the task a depth of scholarship gained through more than 30 years of publishing, translating and promoting his subject's work; Pessoa, who had few intimates in life, is lucky to have found this posthumous friend ... Pessoa really did build an entire city. It was a city that needed a guide. Thanks to Zenith, it has one at last. -- Benjamin Moser * New York Times *A portrait with bags of personality ... Richard Zenith's massive biography of the Portuguese writer who constructed numerous identities captures his tragicomic oddity. -- Peter Conrad * Observer *A truly comprehensive representation of any one person is almost impossible. That very impossibility is largely what makes Richard Zenith's biography of the Portuguese poet Fernando Pessoa so remarkable. -- Alberto Manguel * Literary Review *Ingenious ... with flashes of charm and wit. -- Stuart Kelly * The Spectator *A gloriously labyrinthine biography ... Zenith's dynamic prose, deep erudition, and incisive readings of Pessoa's poetry make for a meticulous portrait of one artist's brilliant and bewildering inner world. * Publishers Weekly *Finally! A brilliant biography that places Pessoa where he should have always belonged, with Joyce, Proust, and Musil - true giants, none of whom were Nobel laureates. -- André Aciman, author of CALL ME BY YOUR NAMEPessoa is a triumph of scholarship and verve that one cannot easily put down. -- Antonio Damasio, author of DESCARTES' ERRORRichard Zenith is his genius biographer who has given [Pessoa] fresh life. No one on earth knows more about Pessoa. With its historical sweep and novelistic execution, this biography will never be bested. -- William Giraldi, author of AMERICAN AUDACITYWhen you consider the fantastically vivid details of Fernando Pessoa's curious life contained in this biography, and the energetic and elegant quality of the writing, you might wonder if this book is actually a just discovered autobiography, written by one of Pessoa's heteronyms, 'Richard Zenith.' No one, it seems, could know so much or relate it so marvelously unless they had lived inside Pessoa's head. Zenith's Pessoa is magnificent. -- Forrest Gander, author of BE WITH

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Book SynopsisWoman Much Missed is the first book-length study of the many poems that Thomas Hardy composed in the wake of the death of his first wife Emma. It shows how Emma's writings and experiences were fundamental to Hardy's evolution into both a best-selling novelist and into one of the greatest poets of the twentieth centuryTrade ReviewFord's close reading of Hardy's poetry and his analysis of many of his influences and sources is impressive. There's a wealth of fascinating material in this book. * Harriet, Shiny New Books *[O]utstanding: admirably concise but rich in the meticulous close reading at which Ford excels...Mark Ford sets it all out - the necromantic poet, his much-missed wife, and her "shy, pliant, star-struck" but no less ghost-ridden understudy - without ever passing judgement, except on the poetry. Compassionate, intelligent and supremely tactful, this is the deeply humane book all three deserve. * TLS *Table of ContentsNote on Texts Abbreviations Preface Prologue: She Opened the Door What Poetry Meant to Hardy 1: Votary of the Muse 2: The Other Side of Common Emotions Lyonnesse 3: Emma's Devon and Cornwall 4: Courtship The Rift 5: A Preface Without Any Book 6: Divisions Dire and Wry Afterwards 7: Dear Ghost 8: Two Bright-Souled Women Selected Bibliography Acknowledgements

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Book SynopsisOriginally writing over 600 years ago, Geoffrey Chaucer is today enjoying a global renaissance. Why do poets, translators, and audiences from so many cultures, from the mountains of Iran to the islands of Japan, find Chaucer so inspiring? In part this is down to the character and sheer inventiveness of Chaucer''s work. At the time Chaucer''s writings were not just literary adventures, but also a means of convincing the world that poetry and science, tragedy and astrology, could all be explored through the English language. French was still England''s aristocratic language of choice when Chaucer was born; Latin was used for university education, theological discussion, and for burying the dead. Could a hybrid tongue such as English ever generate great writing to compare with French and Latin? Chaucer, miraculously, believed that it could, through gradual expansion of expressiveness and scientific precision. He was never paid to do this; he was valued, rather, as a capable civil servant, regulating the export of wool and the building of seating for royal tournaments. Such experiences, however, fed his writing, leading him to achieve a range of social registers, from noble tragedy to barnyard farce, unrivalled for centuries. His tale-telling geography is vast, his fascination with varieties of religious belief endless, and his desire to voice female experience especially remarkable. Many Chaucerian poets and performers, today, are women. In this Very Short Introduction David Wallace introduces the life, performance, and poetry of Chaucer, and analyses his astonishing and enduring appeal.Previously published in hardback as Geoffrey Chaucer: A New IntroductionABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.Trade ReviewReview from previous edition Prof. Wallace has produced a superb introduction: an adroit, authoritative, fresh, energetic delight. * The New English Review *This is a book which shows up everything you thought you knew about Chaucer, but didn't, and has a knack of making you want to find out even more. * Sandra Callard, On: Magazine *This smart and attractive little book is a very quick read, and Wallace's conversational style has warm appeal. * Laura Ashe, Times Literary Supplement *Showing a solid command of history, Wallace provides fascinating analyses of Chaucer's personal and literary evolution. He is a master of his subject, insightful and provocative throughout. * Kirkus Review *A thoroughly fresh engagement...which gives us Chaucer as a writer of his moment wide open to the future and the world. * Paul Strohm, author of The Poet's Tale *Along with its other mind-broadening features, this introduction offers a timely reminder that Chaucer benefited from a Europe-wide perspective and continues to evoke creative responses across cultures and borders. * Nicholas Havely, University of York *Table of Contents1: Beginnings 2: Schoolrooms, science, female intuition 3: A life in poetry 4: Poetry at last: Troilus and Criseyde 5: Organizing, disorganizing: The Canterbury Tales 6: Something to believe in 7: Performance and new Chaucers Timeline: a well-documented life Further Reading Index

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Book SynopsisThis is a biography of a book: the first collected edition of Shakespeare''s plays printed in 1623 and known as the First Folio. It begins with the story of its first purchaser in London in December 1623, and goes on to explore the ways people have interacted with this iconic book over the four hundred years of its history. Throughout the stress is on what we can learn from individual copies now spread around the world about their eventful lives. From ink blots to pet paws, from annotations to wineglass rings, First Folios teem with evidence of their place in different contexts with different priorities. This study offers new ways to understand Shakespeare''s reception and the history of the book. Unlike previous scholarly investigations of the First Folio, it is not concerned with the discussions of how the book came into being, the provenance of its texts, or the technicalities of its production. Instead, it reanimates, in narrative style, the histories of this book, paying close attTrade ReviewA fascinating and provocative book. * Daniel Swift, Spectator *Delightful. * Jerry Brotton, The Daily Telegraph *Her diligence in considering every aspect of the Folio's material existence is commendable. * Brian Vickers, Times Literary Supplement *This is a beautifully judged book about books, impeccably researched yet wry and affectionate. * Jerry Brotton, Financial Times *Smith's account of the Folio's distinguished career is very nicely written and consistently entertaining and informative... It is the modern equivalent of a magic book, and Smith's own book does justice to that magic. * Times Higher Education *Emma Smith's book comes as a welcome corrective to the fascination with Shakespeare the man ... as it is the "biography" of something far more interesting: a book. * Stuart Kelly, Independent *I've been looking forward to Emma Smith's Shakespeare's First Folio ever since I heard her give a paper that asked, "can you actually read the First Folio?" It's that sort of arresting question that wouldn't occur to many other people that makes her scholarship so inventive and absorbing. * Jem Bloomfield, Times Higher Education, Summer Reads 2016 *A charming, enlightening account, not so much of the origins, as of the fortunes over the years subsequently, of the great edition. * David Sexton, Evening Standard *Smith is one of the cleverest scholars around, but her academic weight is balanced with an accessible tone and wry humour. * Bristol Magazine *A marvelous bit of scholarship. Detailed without being dry, playful without being silly, it's a well-researched, thoroughly balanced account of this 'iconic book.' * The Oxford Culture Review *The book is well illustrated, and Smith writes with great style. * Ben Higgins, Review of English Studies *... offers a wealth of important information, fascinating episodes, and sophisticated critical insight. It will, therefore, be of great interest to a variety of scholars in different disciplines, with literary critics, cultural historians, and scholars of book history foremost among them. * José María Pérez Fernández, Bulletin of the Comediantes *[A] compassionate biography... a wonderful testimony to the 'worlds most expensive book' and the readers who keep it that way. * Charlotte Scott, Shakespeare Survey *This book is a very good read, a largely anecdotal but always entertaining account of copies of the Shakespeare First Folio from their production in 1623 to the present ... the pleasure and instruction this book will bring to the casual bibliophile or the Shakespeare enthusiast. * Alan H. Nelson, Renaissance Quarterly *Smith's second book, Shakespeare's First Folio: Four Centuries of an Iconic Book, picks up where The Making of Shakespeare's First Folio leaves off, tracing different ways of interacting with the Folio owning, reading, forging, acting, collecting, and studying from the seventeenth century to our own time, and from Europe and America to Africa and Asia. * Kevin Curran, Studies in English Literature 1500-1900 ***** * Dominic Cavendish, The Telegraph *A handsome tome, self-consciously relishing its book-self, while chronicling the fetishising of another. A fascinating read for any Shakespeare nerd. * Katy Hayes, Irish Independent *Impressively learned ... [an] excellent book. * Michael Dirda, Washington Post *[Smith] reanimates, in narrative style, the histories of this book, paying close attention to the details of individual copies now located around the world. * Richard Lofthouse, QUAD *In Shakespeare's First Folio, Emma Smith, a little over-cautiously, comments that "to collect may always be to sacralize". Yet no other literary book is treated with quite the same religiosity as the First Folio. * Peter Holland, TLS *[A] magnificent and thoroughly enjoyable account of the changes in the [First Folio's] fortunes. * Peter Holland, Times Literary Supplement *Smith's study is a trove of such accidents and contingencies, many belonging to the decades-indeed, more than a century-before the First Folio became an importantly old book, when it was simply an aging one. * Catherine Nicholson, New York Review *Table of ContentsIntroduction: Sir Edward Dering goes shopping 1: Owning 2: Reading 3: Decoding 4: Performing 5: Perfecting Conclusion Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisIt is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife. So runs one of the most famous opening lines in English literature. Setting the scene in Pride and Prejudice, it deftly introduces the novel''s core themes of marriage, money, and social convention, themes that continue to resonate with readers over 200 years later.Jane Austen wrote six of the best-loved novels in the English language, as well as a smaller corpus of unpublished works. Her books pioneered new techniques for representing voices, minds, and hearts in narrative prose, and, despite some accusations of a blinkered domestic and romantic focus, they represent the world of their characters with unsparing clarity. Here, Tom Keymer explores the major themes throughout Austen''s novels, setting them in the literary, social, and political backgrounds from which they emerge, and showing how they engage with social tensions in an era dominated by the French Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars. The Jane Austen who emerges is a writer shaped by the literary experiments and socio-political debates of her time, increasingly drawn to a fundamentally conservative vision of social harmony, yet forever complicating this vision through her disruptive ironies and satirical energy.Trade ReviewThe book offers some valuable lessons for those first meeting Austen. It clarifies well how her free indirect discourse grew from her recognizing the limits of epistolary style; how sentimental histrionics can function as indirect social critique; how her overlooked biting wit hearkens back to Fielding and ahead to Waugh... * John Morillo, NC State University, Eighteenth-Century Fiction *The work is an engaging and timely introduction to the ingenious, inexhaustible Jane Austen. * Janet Todd, Times Literary Supplement *To wish this book longer is not to cast any kind of shadow on what it does achieve. Writing with an economy and lucidity of style befitting his subject, Keymer packs in the thought-provoking insights, not just about Austen's writing and the social and political world in which it moved, but also about the way in which has subsequently been received. * Joe Bray, Cercles *A light, sure-footed guide [...] Keymer has insightful things to say about all Austen's fiction, from the pitilessness of the hilarious early sketches to the intensity and passion of Persuasion. It is great fun to follow him as he nails Austen's effects in delightful phrases. * Jane Spencer, The Review of English Studies *Janeites of all stripes should take note of this critically robust account. * Everett Jones, Publishers Weekly *Highly recommended. * Emily Bowles, Library Journal *Tom Keymer reminds us, in timely fashion, of the delights and the unexpected rewards in reading Jane Austen with close attention. He presents a writer whose output is unified and varied, who offers us puzzles and problems and who prefers exploration to polemic and eloquent silences to explanations. She questions all she sees: the novel, society, and politics. Nothing escapes her teasing, critical gaze. This is an assured and witty introduction to a subtle and complex genius and a welcome invitation to look and think again. * Kathryn Sutherland, editor of Jane Austen: Teenage Writings *To illuminate literary greatness in a short book is a tall order. Tom Keymer's Jane Austen: Writing, Society, and Politics delivers precisely that, with admirable clarity and characteristic brilliance, in a captivating style that's worthy of the author herself. * Devoney Looser, author of The Making of Jane Austen *Keymer's introduction to Jane Austen is a delight to read, and every chapter offers something I hadn't known or considered before ... One might even claim that, though deep, its clear; though informed, yet not dull; strong but not kneejerk; without o're-flowing, full. * Cynthia Wall, University of Virginia *Table of ContentsNote on editions Introduction 1: Jane Austen practising 2: The terrors of Northanger Abbey 3: Sense, sensibility, society 4: The voices of Pride and Prejudice 5: The silence at Mansfield Park 6: Emma and Englishness 7: Passion and Persuasion Afterword Timeline References Further reading Index

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Book SynopsisVery Short Introductions: Brilliant, Sharp, Inspiring In 1816, when eighteen-year old Mary Godwin began writing Frankenstein, the idea that a woman could dream up such a tale was as far-fetched as raising a being from the dead. But Mary wasn''t just any woman. The daughter of two notorious radicals, Mary had become an outcast from English society when she was only sixteen. A lifelong advocate for the rights of women, she refused to be governed by social conventions, running away with a married man, having children out of wedlock, and authoring books, stories, and essays that broke literary conventions. This Very Short Introduction explores the context, background, and important themes contained in Shelley''s most famous novel, Frankenstein, as well as demonstrating the importance of her work after Frankenstein. Over the course of her long career, Shelley developed a distinctive voice, and a political and philosophical stance. Exploring key themes throughout Shelley''s work, Charlotte Gordon shows how she devoted herself to the propositions her mother, Mary Wollstonecraft, outlined in A Vindication of the Rights of Woman: that women are equal to men; that all people deserve the same rights; that human reason and the capacity for love can reform the world; and that every person is entitled to justice and freedom. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.Trade ReviewWhether it is the casual reader looking for background information on their favorite mystery, or the dedicated scholar tracking down elusive new angles in the life and literature of Agatha Christie, this comprehensive compendium about her work will provide the most comprehensive and up-to-date information yet available. * Chris Patsilelis, Midwest Book Review *Table of Contents1: Legacies 2: Gothic rebellion 3: Frankenstein 4: Early female narrators in A History of a Six Weeks Tour Through a Part of France, Switzerland, and Holland and Mathilda (1817-1821) 5: Valperga, The Last Man, and Perkin Warbeck 6: The final work, 1835-1844 Further Reading Index

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Book SynopsisA journey through the life and thought of George Orwell, from public school satirist and imperial policeman to Animal Farm and Nineteen Eighty Four.Trade Reviewan honest and at times brilliant essay in biography and intellectual history-writing...the book really does offer a nuanced and fresh view * The Journal of Bertrand Russell Studies *Robert Colls's fine study of Orwell... is sympathetic yet sceptical in tone, crammed with persuasive insights, bracing in its judgments and written in a pleasingly informal and occasionally idiosyncratic style * Dublin Review of Books, Enda O'Doherty *Scholarly and intriguing, it is a lovely semi-biography and a fascinating treatment of an English writer. * Les Gofton, Book of the Year 2014, Times Higher Education *In [Colls'] book, the reader catches echoes of the kind of spirited English conversation in which Orwell fervently believed. * Christopher Hilliard, History Today *No book about Orwell can be perfect; the man was too contradictory and too bloody minded to be an easy study. But Colls really gets it ... puts his finger on it... * Spiked *An eloquent reminder that George Orwell loved his country rebelliously ... both timely and necessary. * Calum Mechie, TLS *Full of learning and insight ... Colls is a lovely writer, who is fearless in a way that academics too often are not. He is happy to subvert clichés, make little speeches and is willing to permit useful generalisations ... There are several ways in which - quite apart from the success or otherwise of Colls' thesis - this book is a kind of Orwellian triumph. * David Aaronovitch, New Statesman *This is an excellent, provocative addition to Orwell ... an exceptionally interesting book ... Colls is now entitled to consider himself a prime ornament ... of Orwell studies. * D J Taylor, The Guardian *Colls is an honest and intelligent writer, interrogating a mind that he very much admires, about issues that he deeply cares about. * Roger Scruton, The Times *Illuminating insights ... [a] thought-provoking study. * Yvonne Sherratt, Times Higher Education Supplement *This is the most sensible and systematic interpretation of George Orwell's books that I have ever read ... This biography's achievement is to give us back Orwell the writer - neither a saint, nor an infallible sage, but a perverse, intelligent commentator on his time, and also, on occasion, a superb critic. * A. N. Wilson, The Spectator *a stunning piece of work, well researched, tautly written and often funny ... It is the best book on Orwell to appear for several years, erudite and original. It catches the extent to which Orwell lived on his wits better than any other account of his life. It's up there with Crick, Gordon Bowker and DJ Taylor. * Paul Anderson, Tribune *A compact intellectual biography with much political and social content ... There are useful critiques of Orwell's early "angry" novels, his gradual appreciation of the working class, and the political contradictions that he never fully resolved ... General readers will benefit from Colls's deft analysis of Orwell's writings and his attempt to pin down the author's politics. * Library Journal *[A] lucid work of intellectual biography Colls's engaging style and frequent bursts of astringent wit make for lively reading suitable for any Orwell enthusiast. * Publishers Weekly *Subtle, probing and refreshingly original study the closest and most intimate portrait of Orwell to date * John Gray, Literary Review *Short, witty and intelligent performing a valuable service by situating Orwell in the context of interwar history. * Robin McGhee, Prospect *There have been many books written about George Orwell but this is surely among the best. Rob Colls has taken on the man's Englishness, his personality, warts and all, and the elusive notion that he was a rebel in his own land. It's full of zesty prose, fine insights and a freshness of interpretation which made it a pleasure to read. It's a major achievement and a major work on George Orwell. * Melvyn Bragg *a lovely semi-biography and a fascinating treatment of an English writer. * Les Gofton, Times Higher Education *Colls's book is innovative and rewarding, despite covering a well-trodden field. * Gal Gerson, The European Legacy *Colls identifies and analyses a strand of Orwell's authorship the importance of which has been consistently underestimated: Orwell's highly problematic relations with his English inheritance By showing how this concern changed its shape over time Colls has changed our view of Orwell's life and work, and offered a fresh perspective on a pivotal period in English intellectual and political history. * John Gray, author of Straw Dogs: Thoughts on Humans and Other Animals *This book should interest both informed general readers and serious students of Orwell's work, for it represents a judicious and all-too-rare example of being an absorbing intellectual biography undergirded by scrupulous literary scholarship. * John Rodden, editor of The Cambridge Companion to George Orwell *Colls has written a highly entertaining book in the good plain jargon-free prose style so valued by its subject it has much for the general reader and student, and will ruffle a few ideological feathers which, as Orwell well knew, is always a good thing. * Spokesman *Thought-provoking and illuminating. * London Magazine *Refreshingly vibrant and all round excellent book ... George Orwell: English Rebel is as much a stimulating read as it is inspiring. Although more importantly, it's acutely informative. * David Marx Book Reviews *Superb. * Spiked *In his book the reader catches echoes of the kind of spirited English conversation in which Orwell fervently believed. * Christopher Hilliard, History Today *Table of ContentsPreface and Acknowledgements ; Introduction ; 1. Angry Old Etonian ; 2. North Road ; 3. Eye Witness in Barcelona, 1937 ; 4. Mr Bowling Sees it Through ; 5. England the Whale ; 6. Not Quite Tory ; 7. Last of England ; 8. Death in the Family ; Life After Death: A Bibliographical Essay ; Notes ; Index

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Book SynopsisFor centuries, human history has been shaped by politics, power, and war - but what about love?Mark Antony''s love for Cleopatra led to war between Rome and Egypt; Emperor Xuanzang of Tang relinquished the Mandate of Heaven for Yang Guifei; and the English Reformation was borne out of Henry VIII''s passion for Anne Boleyn. Over the centuries since, these great loves - and many others - have been celebrated, recorded, and memorialized to stand alongside the annals of war, peace, and politics that have moulded today''s world. Great Loves celebrates history''s most famous romances - the joyful, the tragic, and the epic - in one stunning visual guide, showing that, regardless of age, race, gender, or orientation, love has always been a force to be reckoned with. This boldly illustrated title presents a diverse range of stories from around the world, including many relationships that defied the conventions of their day, and features romantic quotes from per

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Book Synopsis''One of Britain''s most celebrated contemporary novelists'' Sunday TimesIn this probing series of exclusive interviews, Alistair Owen talks to William Boyd about his works and the life which has inspired them. The conversations which emerge are a deep-dive into film, art, theatre, literature and the life of a writer. This is one of Britain''s most beloved authors on what it is to write in a variety of forms.''William Boyd has probably written more classic books than any of his contemporaries'' Daily Telegraph ''Arguably one of Britain''s finest living writers'' Sunday ExpressTrade ReviewWilliam Boyd has probably written more classic books than any of his contemporaries * Daily Telegraph *One of Britain's most celebrated contemporary novelists * Sunday Times *Arguably one of Britain's finest living writers * Sunday Express *Boyd is back on a form few of his contemporaries can match. This fine, touching and clever book is the best thing he's written since [Any Human Heart] and deserves similar adulation * Observer on Love Is Blind *A finely judged performance: a deft and resonant alchemy of fact and fiction, of literary myth and imagination * Guardian on Love Is Blind *Boyd on form is the ultimate in immersive fiction, and Love is Blind is Boyd at the top of his game . . . magnificent * Sunday Times *

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"Canavan is an excellent critic and formidable researcher, and this book, written in accessible, quick-moving prose, is rich with perspectives and ideas. The best sections detail the stories Butler didn’t publish or complete, using those fragments to dive deeper into the texts that she finished. Like all good criticism, the book is both authoritative and invitational. Read it and you’ll marvel at the arguments and feel invited to develop your own." --New York Times "For those of us who cannot make the journey to the archive, Octavia E. Butler serves as a more-than-adequate substitute and entry into this treasure trove of Butler's writings."--Los Angeles Review of Books "A must-read for scholars of [science fiction], Canavan's scholarship is both a work of sharply dedicated research and a loving tribute to one of [science fiction’s] most creative geniuses. Highly recommended."--Library JournalTable of ContentsTitle pageContentsList of IllustrationsAcknowledgmentsChronologyIntroduction: Beginning at the EndChapter 1. Childfinder (1947–1970)Chapter 2. Psychogenesis (1970–1976)Chapter 3. To Keep Thee in All Thy Ways (1976–1980)Chapter 4. Blindsight (1980–1987)Chapter 5. The Training Floor (1987–1989)Chapter 6. God of Clay (1989–2006)Chapter 7. Paraclete (1999–2006)Conclusion: Unexpected StoriesAppendix: “Lost Races of Science Fiction” by Octavia E. Butler (1980)Octavia E. Butler BibliographyNotesBibliography of Secondary SourcesIndex

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Book SynopsisThe first full biography of Joy Davidman brings her out from C. S. Lewis’s shadow to reveal a powerful writer and thinker.Trade ReviewAbigail Santamaria’s Joy is . . . a relentlessly focused and detailed biography of Joy Davidman . . . a serious and substantial work [that] takes the reader far beyond the familiar romance of the film and play Shadowlands, and the brilliance of Lewis’s meditation on Davidman’s death, A Grief Observed . . . This groundbreaking study contributes not just to established Lewis studies, but brings to the foreground the cost of being a talented woman in a patriarchal world. It makes its case for the possibility of Christian faith in a compromised world with elegance and skill. * Church Times *Joy Davidman was manipulative, endearing, brilliant and obsessive - and C. S. Lewis, one of the most influential and beloved spiritual writers of the twentieth century, fell in love with all of it. A complicated woman for our times, Davidman's search for meaning and her final arrival at love will resonate deeply long after the reader has closed Santamaria's masterful biography. -- Kate Burford, author of Native American Son: The Life and Sporting Legend of Jim ThorpeAbigail Santamaria has written a luscious Narnia tale for grown-ups, a literary biography that takes the shape of a quest narrative as the brilliant, idealistic Joy Davidman Gresham, writer and free spirit, adopts one cause after another until finally setting her cap for her spiritual mentor, C. S. "Jack" Lewis. Santamaria’s astonishing detective work reveals the surprising truth behind Lewis’s description of the couple as "a sinful woman married to a sinful man", even as she portrays their late-life love affair as salvational to them both. -- Megan Marshall, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Margaret Fuller: A New American LifeA biography about the brilliant and brash New Yorker who captured C. S. Lewis's heart was long overdue, so I'm thrilled to report that Abigail Santamaria does not disappoint. Her highly readable book should be the definitive biography of Joy Davidman for a long time to come. -- Eric Metaxas, New York Times best-selling author of Miracles and BonhoefferJoy is a delightful and fast-paced romp through a fascinating life. I read most of this book in one sitting, genuinely curious about whether this feisty, brilliant woman was going to get her happy ending. A truly impressive, even enviable, debut for a writer and a historian. -- Debby Applegate, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of the forthcoming Madam: The Notorious Life and Times of Polly AdlerA tour de force. Plumbing the depths of unpublished documents, Santamaria reveals the vision and writing of a young woman whose coming of age in the turbulent 1930s is both distinctive and emblematic of her time. -- Susan Hertog, author of Anne Morrow Lindbergh: Her LifeThis brilliantly researched biography has changed me for good. Until I read this book I could never take Joy Davidman to my heart; she now stands before me as real and believable as anyone I know. Joy offers a wonderful account of an unforgettable woman and her vibrant life; it is no wonder C.S. Lewis loved her so much. -- Walter Hooper, personal secretary to C. S. Lewis and editor of The Collected Letters of C. S. LewisJoy Davidman is best known as the wife of C. S. Lewis and many people are familiar with the depiction of their marriage in the book (and then film) Shadowlands, but we now have this 300 plus page biography that finally does her justice. What impressed this reviewer was Joy’s raw humanity that was redeemed by God. It is plain (and she acknowledged it) that her conversion was utterly of grace. Her unique personality and talents were precious to God and used by God in His service. Every page of this biography shows the value of the original papers, interviews and oral histories that went into its composition. On reading this book, fans of C. S. Lewis, if they are not already, will become fans of Joy Davidman as well. -- Greg Goswell * New Life Christian Magazine *

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Book SynopsisConcise historical introduction to Thomas More and his continuing influence on the world and how we see itTrade ReviewA miniature jewel on Thomas More - what a treat this little book is. -- Diarmaid MacCulloch * The Tablet *A lively and learned little book. * Catholic Herald *John Guy has done more towards the scholarly reappraisal of More’s greatness than most other English historians of the last fifty years. * Eamon Duffy *An excellent starting point for anyone beginning a course of study on the Reformation. * The Reader *

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Book SynopsisRomanian exile Norman Manea's internationally acclaimed memoir/novel, now available to English-language readersTrade Review“An extraordinary book.”—Larissa MacFarquhar, New Yorker“This world of ours, in his view, is a place where the ridiculous reigns supreme over all human life and tortures everyone without respite, and therefore it cannot be ignored because it’s not about to ignore any of us. . . . He has in mind all those, including himself, who were left to pay the fool in one of history’s many traveling circuses.”—Charles Simic, New York Review of Books“The ’sad country, full of humour’ that was, and still is, Romania has had no finer and percipient chronicler of its sorrows and absurdities. . . . He is one of an immensely humane and intelligent stature.”—Paul Bailey, Times Literary Supplement“A distinguished writer whose vision of totalitarianism is closer to Kafka’s cloudy menace, universal, and yet internalized, than to Orwell’s brass tacks. . . . The artistry of the implication, the intensity of what can seem a dream state, draws us imperceptibly through a half-lighted window for lack of the door.”—Richard Eder, New York Times“It is that kaleidoscopic excursion into recent and remote yesterdays that forms the bulk of The Hooligan’s Return, peopled with many touching moments and characters. All is recounted with the caustic dexterity and lyrical power we would expect from the accomplished novelist who gave us Compulsory Happiness and The Black Envelope.”—Ariel Dorfman, New York Times Book Review“Norman Manea’s The Hooligan’s Return, translated by Angela Jianu, is the first British edition of this superb memoir by one of Romania’s greatest writers, now living in the US. Manea manages to be down-to-earth and at the same time magical in summoning up the surreal realities of life under the fascists, first, and then the unspeakable Ceausesucs.”—John Banville, New StatesmanAwarded Prix Médicis Etranger 2006“I am profoundly grateful for this living, flesh-and-blood, yet unearthly memoir.”—Cynthia Ozick“A fascinating, beguiling record of the almost incredible events that can transpire in one life, especially if that life is lived in twentieth-century Eastern Europe. The Hooligan’s Return operates on so many levels that finally it eludes all classifications and reveals itself as art.”—Francine Prose

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Book SynopsisTrade Review“Popoff's summary of Grossman's life in the 1930s is striking. [. . .] clear and well-structured”—Robert Chandler, Spectator“Alexandra Popoff's biography is crisp and comprehensive, deftly interweaving Grossman's personal life with the momentous events he experienced”—John Thornhill, Financial Times “[A] fine biography”—William Boyd, Sunday Times“Gripping . . . As told by Popoff, the stories behind Grossman’s stories, particularly of censors’ efforts to alter and limit them, are fascinating.”—William Taubman, New York Times“[Popoff] tells Grossman’s story with sensitivity and a keen understanding of his world, drawing on little-known archival collections to produce what must be considered the definitive biography.”—Douglas Smith, Wall Street Journal“[Popoff’s] emphasis on what she calls “the connection between totalitarian regimes and political ignorance” not only applies to Soviet Russia but constitutes a warning for the United States” —William Taubman, International New York Times“Excellent biography”—Ian Thomson, Evening Standard“Popoff ’s biography offers useful context to how Grossman contemplated death and his own mortality at an early age [. . .] and how Russia’s future was a central topic as he grew up”—Julian Evans, Daily Telegraph“Alexandra Popoff’s account excels in depicting Vasily Grossman’s battle with oppressive censors” —Philip Ó Ceallaigh, Irish Times“Alexandra Popoff’s biography, Vasily Grossman and the Soviet Century, provides fascinating detail about his publishing travails.” —Louise Adler, The Sydney Morning Herald“For a new study of Grossman's life, readers can turn to Alexandra Popoff's Vasily Grossman and the Soviet Century”—Oldie“[An] engaging contribution to Grossman scholarship likely to appeal to general and expert readers alike”—O. T. Jones, Slavonic & East European Review“The strong point of Vasily Grossman and the Soviet Century is the aggregation and collation of a wealth of biographical and related detail and gossip that has come to light over the last 30 years.”—Leslie Jones, Quarterly ReviewLonglisted for the 2019 Cundill History Prize sponsored by McGill University Winner of the the Canadian Jewish Literary Award in the Biography category, sponsored by the Koschitzky Centre for Jewish StudiesFinalist in the 2019 National Jewish Book Awards, Biography categoryWinner of the Jewish Studies Literary Awards in Biography, sponsored by The Canadian Jewish Literary Awards"Alexandra Popoff has produced a magnificent biography of the great Soviet Jewish writer and journalist Vasily Grossman. Vasily Grossman and the Soviet Century does justice to Grossman’s outspoken eloquence and defiance as one of the twentieth century’s foremost witnesses to the twin evils of Nazism and Stalinism."—Joshua Rubenstein, author of The Last Days of Stalin“A harrowing tale of cruelty and courage, this unflinching study of Vasily Grossman’s life in a totalitarian society is a timely reminder of how all despots thrive on fear and lies. Alexandra Popoff has given us an invaluable autopsy of various Soviet monsters, including the enigmatic Stalin himself, yet in her inspiring account of Grossman’s efforts to resist tyranny, she has also created an unforgettable portrait of one brave soul’s triumph over a soulless state.”—Michael Shelden, author of Orwell: The Authorized Biography

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Book Synopsis‘Fiennes has exceptional gifts, and he has written a small masterpiece, a tribute to the power of place, family and memory’ Sunday Telegraph William Fiennes’ childhood was one of imagination and curiosity, bounded only by the horizon he saw from the roof-tiles of his ancient family home. His older brother Richard, known for his towering presence, his inventiveness, his great passion for Leeds United, and his suffering due to severe epilepsy, was an adored and charismatic figure in his life. Years later, eager to understand his brother’s mind as fully as the ancient trees and secret haunts of his own journey towards adulthood, William Fiennes has written a profoundly moving account of his home, his family’s care, and above all, of Richard. The Music Room is a luminous testament to the miracle of consciousness and to the permanence of love. ‘On putting the book down I felt as if I had been hypnotised. It held me

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Book SynopsisMolly Keane (1904 - 96) was an Irish novelist and playwright (born in County Kildare) most famous for Good Behaviour which was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize. Hailed as the Irish Nancy Mitford in her day; as well as writing books she was the leading playwright of the ''30s, her work directed by John Gielgud. Between 1928 and 1956, she wrote eleven novels, and some of her earlier plays, under the pseudonym M.J. Farrell. In 1981, aged seventy, she published Good Behaviour under her own name. The manuscript, which had languished in a drawer for many years, was lent to a visitor, the actress Peggy Ashcroft, who encouraged Keane to publish it.Molly Keane''s novels reflect the world she inhabited; she was from a ''rather serious hunting and fishing, church-going family''. She was educated, as was the custom in Anglo-Irish households, by a series of governesses and then at boarding school. Distant and awkward relationships between children and thTrade ReviewA vivid and sensitive portrait of Anglo-Irish society . . . finely attuned to the complexities of her mother's character, and captures the mix of "courage, glamour and fantasy" that sustained her class. This biography lays down new critical avenues for reappraising Molly Keane's considerable oeuvre * Irish Times *Sally Phipps has written an intimate, affectionate life . . . a fascinating book that really needed to be written, and it fills a big gap. Not enough is known about the Anglo-Irish in the twentieth century. Let's hope it leads to a Molly Keane revival * Spectator *In this exceptional Life of the Anglo-Irish novelist Molly Keane, written by her own daughter, there are few dates, fewer sources and no dull patches at all. Keane told Phipps to make it "as much like a novel as possible", and worried that she wouldn't be "nasty enough". But Phipps, in recounting her rackety mother's huntin' dancin' drinkin' life, the sparkle of her early novels and the darkness of her late, is better than nasty - she is forgiving and acute * Sunday Telegraph *Her daughter's incisive portrait of her 'enchanting and troubled personality' delivers real understanding * Country Life *Sally Phipps almost pulls off the impossible: she light-footedly brings Molly Keane back to life, and makes one grateful for the illusion of having met her -- Kate Kellaway * Observer *An arrestingly graceful, truthful and compassionate portrait * Times Literary Supplement *Sally Phipps, the novelist's daughter, and herself a born writer, has given us an astonishing glimpse into her mother's lost world in this beautiful biography . . . what Phipps has achieved in this book is uncanny and thrilling. No daughter has ever written about a mother with such pitiful honesty . . . If you are to read only one biography this year, make it Sally Phipps's Molly Keane: A Life. I assure you, this is memoir as work of art * Irish Examiner *Molly Keane, Sally Phipps's life of her mother, is as fresh and true and eccentric as any of Keane's novels, and shows just how good biography can be in the hands of a natural writer -- Frances Wilson * Spectator *A delight and a phenomenon; the literary biography of a novelist . . . by her writer daughter, who manifests herself quite as observant compassionate original and dauntless as her mother -- Candia McWilliam * Herald *Beautifully written . . . this sparking biography serves her memory and achievement fairly, fondly, and as one suspects, truthfully * Irish Sunday Times *

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Book SynopsisThe revealing of the hidden muse - Emily Hale - the Hyacinth Girl of the famous The Waste Land poem - who influenced the life and art of TS Eliot.Among the greatest of poets, T.S. Eliot protected his privacy while publicly associated with three women: two wives, Vivienne and Valerie, and a church-going companion, Mary Trevelyan. This presentation concealed a life-long love for an American: Emily Hale, a drama teacher who was the source of ''memory and desire'' in The Waste Land; she is the Hyacinth Girl. Drawing on the recently unsealed 1,131 letters Eliot wrote to Hale and suppressed in his lifetime, leading biographer Lyndall Gordon reveals both the hidden poet and the muse who was the first and consistently important woman of his life and art. Emily Hale was at the centre of a love drama he conceived and the inspiration for the lines he wrote to last beyond their time. ''Extraordinary... a rare work'' COLM TOIBIN''As Trade ReviewExtraordinary... The Hyacinth Girl is a rare work of sympathy and insight. Lyndall Gordon's passionately intelligent engagement with the letters between T. S. Eliot and Emily Hale is matched by her close reading of Eliot's poems. Her ability to see both complexity and simplicity in the relationship between Eliot and Hale means that their entangled world comes fully alive in this brilliant book * Colm Tóibín *Gordon sifts through the documents with her customary care and delicacy... [her] subtle readings never lose sight of the central mystery -- Frances Wilson * Telegraph *Explores some of the most significant relationships of Eliot's life, and by shifting the focus to these women a less familiar Eliot emerges... in tracing Hale's life to its end, [Gordon] reminds us that she lived her own life * Spectator *T.S. Eliot's oft-forgotten relationship with an American woman takes center stage in this illuminating account from Gordon ... it also treats the women in his life with dignity and goes a long way in reversing the erasure he attempted. Literature lovers, take note * Publishers Weekly *There is no finer guide into the mind of T. S. Eliot than Lyndall Gordon... Thanks to her meticulous research and inspired storytelling we will never read [Eliot's] poems the same way again * Heather Clark, author of Red Comet: The Short Life and Blazing Art of Sylvia Plath *Allows Gordon to find new coherence in Eliot's otherwise apparently fragmented interior life... Equally praiseworthy are Gordon's sensitive assessments of the other women who shaped Eliot's life * Booklist *An astute portrait of Eliot... Gordon illuminates Eliot's writing through the prism of his correspondence with Emily Hale, demonstrating how central she is to a real understanding of the man and his work... A revelatory book' * Erica Wagner, author of Ariel's Gift: Ted Hughes, Sylvia Plath and the story of Birthday Letters *Gordon is the first biographer to uncover the life of T. S. Eliot's hidden muse... [her] fairminded and declarative approach works perfectly for a story that gives the reader a shocked understanding of the way that a literary genius was ready to banish the women he loved when they no longer served his purpose... a work that will change the way Eliot is seen * Miranda Seymour, author of I Used to Live Here Once: The Haunted Life of Jean Rhys *Exquisitely nuanced -- Kathryn Hughes * Sunday Times *In The Hyacinth Girl, which is based on an incendiary cache of letters only recently released from their 14 steel-bound boxes, Gordon writes that when opened in January 2020 'detonated according to plan'... It is a tale of betrayal on a grand scale, and it is very well told... Gordon's account is as exciting as a detective story... She catches the drama brilliantly... Gordon establishes the profound influence [his relationship with Hale] had upon the substance and in particular upon the imagery of his work, lasting from The Waste Land through to Four Quartets -- Margaret Drabble * New Statesman *In 1977, Gordon published Eliot's Early Years, a sharp-eyed book setting his work in the context of his life. The reviews were savage: one male New Statesman critic said it is was full of "gossip and memoirs... the result is a disaster". "I knew instantly that I wanted nothing more than to live to the day when the letters would be opened," says Gordon. She was there on 2 January 2020, aged 78, at Princeton's special collections room . The final line of her new book's introduction speaks volumes: "I was not disappointed." -- Jude Rogers * Observer *One of the most refreshing things about The Hyacinth Girl is that Gordon doesn't glorify or put down Eliot... Gordon somehow manages to keep Eliot's poetry and prose central to the book, while maintaining a quiet but persistent moral authority * UK Time News *[A] sensitive study of Emily Hale, Eliot's childhood sweetheart in America -- Books of the Year * Daily Telegraph *Gordon is a writer of high intelligence and deep sensibility, with an earnest interest in truth and justice... These qualities, coupled with a moral seriousness that is never solemn, are evident throughout The Hyacinth Girl -- Richard Davenport-Hines * Literary Review *Lyndall Gordon has always combined the precision of a literary scholar with the human insight of a biographer... The Hyacinth Girl is a revelation... A brilliant account of how great art has nothing to do with good behaviour -- Books of the Year * Tablet *Gordon's work has two great strengths... She is sympathetic to all the women in Eliot's life [and] she shows the huge influence of Hale on Eliot's poetry * Church Times *The Hyacinth Girl is not only insightful and important, but a moving account of an unfairly obscured life... Gordon's even-handedness allows her book to achieve both a necessary revisionism and a subtler, shrewder psychological portrait * Tablet *The most brilliant and incisive new book on Eliot -- Colm Tóibín * Irish Times, Books of the Year *Vibrant.... In narrating [Eliot's] romantic attachments, [Gordon] captures his manipulations, his selfishness, what she calls his 'cruelty,' without abandoning her mission to understand him and his writing... There is a human richness to Eliot's cerebral poetry that we can appreciate more in the context of his knotted emotional life, and Gordon's art is in drawing this out -- Katie Roiphe * New York Times *A masterpiece... Gordon writes sympathetically about all Eliot's women... a feat of multi-dimensional life-writing... wonderfully illuminating * Daily Maverick *Gordon superbly recounts the life of Emily Hale - TS Eliot's hidden muse, whose love for him was never consummated, but sustained through a decades-long stream of transatlantic letters * Daily Telegraph *

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Book SynopsisThe definitive biography of Vera Brittain, acclaimed author of Testament of Youth. With a new introduction by Mark Bostridge.''Riveting and authoritative'' Kate Figes, Independent on Sunday''Honest, precise and smart'' Natasha Walter, Guardian''They succeed triumphantly... A fascinating portrait'' Fiona MacCarthy, ObserverVera Brittain is most widely known as the woman who immortalized a lost generation in her haunting autobiography of the Great War, Testament of Youth.This biography is the most comprehensive, authoritative life of one of the most remarkable women of her time. Based on unpublished papers and first-hand knowledge, the authors create a candid and sympathetic portrait of the writer, pacifist and feminist. They reveal the truth about Vera Brittain''s ''semi-detached'' marriage, her friendship with Winifred Holtby, and her relationships with her brother Edward and fianTrade ReviewThis thoughtful portrait of a dauntless feminist and pacifist combines the readability of a novel with the authenticity of fact -- Lyndall Gordon * Independent *Riveting and authoritative -- Kate Figes * Independent on Sunday *They are honest, precise and smart ... They give her to us physically ... And they give her to us emotionally -- Natasha Walter * Guardian *They succeed triumphantly... A fascinating portrait -- Fiona MacCarthy * Observer *

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Book SynopsisHurston and Hughes, two giants of the Harlem Renaissance and American literature, were best friendsuntil they weren't.

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Book SynopsisAn incisive biography of E.E. Cummings' early life, including his First World War ambulance service and subsequent imprisonment, inspirations for his inventive poetry.

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Book SynopsisA biography of one of America’s most popular and misunderstood authors, John Steinbeck.Trade Review"[Mad at the World] highlights the staggering amount of work he [Steinbeck] fitted into his overflowing life... highly readable..." -- The Sunday Times"William Souder’s Mad at the World is the first significant biography of Steinbeck since Jackson L. Benson’s... The True Adventures of John Steinbeck, Writer. It is readable, admiring and compact, and provides a narratively energetic look at a man who suffered many of the same weaknesses as his characters — for booze, benzedrine, depression and bad marriages... Souder writes well, and this is a good place to start reading (or rereading) about Steinbeck." -- Scott Bradfield - The Spectator"A comprehensive new biography of America’s best-known novelist of the Great Depression arrives at a timely moment." -- 17 New Books to Watch For in October - The New York Times"Souder’s sympathy for Steinbeck… is most effective and eloquent in his depiction of the California landscape or of the sea, which he describes as swimming with small pelagic crabs “like a crimson carpet spread across an ocean the color of lapis lazuli"." -- Brenda Wineapple - The New York Times Book Review"Painstakingly researched, psychologically nuanced, unshowy, lucid... [Souder] has brought a deeply human Steinbeck forth in all his flawed, melancholy, brilliant complication." -- Alex Kafka - The Washington Post"[An] appreciative yet clear-eyed assessment." -- Wendy Smith - The Boston Globe

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Book SynopsisWinner of the Pulitzer Prize for BiographyTrade Review"Matteson…tells his story so clearly and attractively that no previous acquaintance with the remarkable Alcott clan and their various, equally remarkable friends is needed to relish their world as he re-creates it. Vividly, affectingly, Matteson describes one family’s struggle to live their lives with meaning, without taint or exploitation." -- Philip McFarland - Boston Globe"A double biography is a difficult thing to bring off but Matteson does it beautifully, giving a vivid but delicate account of two complicated characters inextricably entwined." -- Rosemary Hill - The Guardian"A splendid new dual biography…Compassionate and compelling." -- Daniel Dyer - San Diego Union-Tribune"One of the pleasures of the book is to be taken back to a time and place of intellectual and moral grandeur…In producing such a rounded, detailed and compelling portrait of Louisa, [her father] Bronson, their family and their times, Matteson has provided us with a valuable context for appreciating that enduring masterpiece Little Women." -- Martin Rubin - Los Angeles Times"Matteson’s engrossing biography of the Alcotts achieves a rare fusion of intellectual precision and emotional empathy." -- Madeleine B. Stern, author of Louisa May Alcott"Matteson’s portrait of Bronson and Louisa is painted on a large canvas, capturing an era when ideals and practice collided as never before in the history of the American nation." -- Megan Marshall, author of The Peabody Sisters"Matteson tells the odd, fascinating story of the über idealistic Bronson Alcott and the impact of his life decisions on his daughter, beloved children’s book authoress Louisa May Alcott…Particularly for those unfamiliar with the Alcott story, this is a journey of much interest." -- Christian Science Monitor"In Eden’s Outcasts John Matteson represents father and daughter as fallible, fascinating, and lovable people who in the dramatic interplay of their lives came to accept and appreciate themselves and each other. Against the backdrop of Transcendentalism, Abolitionism, and the Civil War, peopled by the leading lights of their times, theirs is a family romance full of incident and surprise, told by Matteson with skill, erudition, and insight." -- Harriett Reisen, author and codirector of The Louisa May Alcott Project

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Book SynopsisThe extraordinary story of the one of the most fruitful friendships in modern arts and letters.Trade Review"Corbett’s narrative is pacy and vivid…" -- Financial Times"...splendid new book...Corbett looks into life as deeply as is possible for answers, but she knows when to stop. This is the hallmark of her moral intelligence." -- The Art Newspaper"... she [Rachel Corbett] evokes the interaction between Rodin's and Rilke's circumstances and mental states in vivid detail... The result of her efforts is a beautiful exercise in compact, interwoven double biography." -- Times Literary Supplement"... the moving story of Rilke and Rodin is worth as much as the best self-help books and manuals, and one could definitely learn a lot from their relationship... Corbett’s original book stands as an urgent invitation to revisit both Rilke’s poems and Rodin’s sculptures." -- World Literature Today"You Must Change Your Life is an enthralling exploration of the complex relationship between two creative giants of art and literature, drawn together in Paris at the birth of a new century... Corbett... sustains the reader’s interest through intellectual rigour, elegance, and above all empathy." -- The London Magazine

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Book SynopsisRediscover the beloved classic Little Women and its lasting power as it celebrates its 150th anniversary.Trade Review"Anne Boyd Rioux's book, published to coincide with Little Women's 150th anniversary, is a compact but rich account of Alcott's life, how she came to write her most famous and enduring work, and its effect on her and American literature... [a] satisfying, balanced but punchy tribute to Alcott's great work..." -- Lucy Mangan - The Spectator"Highly entertaining and eminently sane…[Rioux] paints a compelling portrait of Alcott, giving us fascinating insights into the creation of Little Women." -- Charlotte Gordon - The Washington Post"Rioux gives an enthralling account of how Little Women broke new ground – with realistic girls who spoke in ‘vulgar’ slang, lost their tempers, had career plans and, if they did get married, found it pretty hard work... This delightful read had me leaping to grab Little Women and its two sequels off the bookshelf immediately." -- The Mail on Sunday"...highly companionable and illuminating…" -- Vanity Fair"Lively and informative…Meg, Jo, Beth, Amy does what—ideally—books about books can do: I’ve taken Little Women down from my shelf and put it on top of the books I plan to read." -- Francine Prose - The New York Times Book Review"Thoughtful… An adroit consideration of Alcott and her milieu." -- Meghan Cox Gurdon - The Wall Street Journal"Rioux considers the cultural impact and enduring popularity of Louisa May Alcott’s American Civil War-set novel Little Women, a runaway success since it was first published 150 years ago." -- The top page-turners of 2018: History - Mail on Sunday"... Rioux does a fine job of accessibly summing up the appeal of a popular classic." -- The Herald

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Book SynopsisAs close to an autobiography as London ever wrote, this brutally frank memoir of a lifelong struggle with alcohol also offers insights into the author's life as an adventurer and popular writer.

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Book SynopsisPhilip Larkin met Monica Jones at University College Leicester in autumn 1946, when they were both twenty-four; he was the newly-appointed assistant librarian and she was an English lecturer. In 1950 Larkin moved to Belfast, and thence to Hull, while Monica remained in Leicester, becoming by turns his correspondent, lover and closest confidante, in a relationship which lasted over forty years until the poet''s death in 1985.This remarkable unpublished correspondence only came to light after Monica Jones''s death in 2001, and consists of nearly two thousand letters, postcards and telegrams, which chronicle - day by day, sometimes hour by hour - every aspect of Larkin''s life and the convolutions of their relationship.

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Book SynopsisThe Vivien Eliot Papers is a groundbreaking new biography of Vivien Eliot, comprising two sections: her Life and her Papers. Based on a rich repository of primary evidence, much only recently uncovered, it corrects the accidental inaccuracies and deliberate distortions that have circulated around one of Bloomsbury's most gossiped-about, enigmatic couples, while unveiling fascinating new discoveries that give a more balanced understanding of both partners. For the first time, too, immaculate texts of Vivien's own writing are presented, carefully distinguished from Eliot's input, which demonstrate a fresh and wry talent all of her own.

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Book Synopsis** WINNER OF THE L.A. TIMES BOOK PRIZE FOR BIOGRAPHY **'Exhilarating.' Joyce Carol Oates, Times Literary Supplement Books of the Year'Sharp-eyed and revealing.' The New Yorker'Brilliant . . . Remarkable.' New York Journal of BooksStephen Crane produced an avalanche of sublime literature before he succumbed to tuberculosis at the age of twenty-eight. Yet his short life was an eventful one: from crushing poverty as a newcomer to Manhattan and his near-drowning in a shipwreck, to his stint as a war correspondent in Cuba and international fame at twenty-five, to his final years in England and friendships with Joseph Conrad and Henry James. In Burning Boy, celebrated novelist Paul Auster delves deeply into the story of Crane's tumultuous and dramatic life.

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Book Synopsis''No biography has ever before thrown so much light on the making of a masterpiece. '' Raymond Mortimer. ''Mr Painter has done his work so well that it is hard to speak in moderate terms of his skill and unobtrusive wit. '' Anthony Powell. ''Brilliant and scholarly. . . . Mr Painter''s greatest triumph is in his depiction of place and people, his revelation of the raw material of the novel. '' Angus Wilson. With A LA RECHERCHE DU TEMPS PERDU Marcel Proust achieved a perfect rendering of life in art, of the past created through memory. It is both a portrait of the artist and a discovery of the aesthetic by which the portrait is painted, and it was to have a seminal influence on twentieth-century literature. George Painter''s work has brilliantly captured the life of the great writer in a TOUR DE FORCE of scholarly research and literary craft.

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Book SynopsisCritically acclaimed, this unique and compelling personal biography uncovers the hidden love triangle between novelist Elizabeth Bowen and the author's grandparents.Trade Review‘It’s very epistolary and very beautiful, particularly with Bowen’s letters which are astonishingly beautiful, complex and intense. It’s like reading one of Elizabeth Bowen’s great novels' RSL Christopher Bland Prize'A fascinating and moving portrait of love, loyalty and infidelity’ Sarah Waters'Marvellous, gently elegiac, beautifully written, and fascinating' John Banville, New York Review of Books'Bowen fans will be in her debt' Peter J. Conradi'As literary discoveries go, it’s a big one' Sunday Times'An essay of rare sensitivity and intelligent reflection' Telegraph'Fascinating and poetic' Irish Times‘A judicious moment-by-moment account of these complicated characters' Spectator

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Book SynopsisWith characteristic self-deprecating humour, A.A. Milne recalls the formative events of his life: from a blissfully happy childhood to the writing of Winnie-the-Pooh and Christopher Robin.

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Book SynopsisThis biography takes the reader from Betjeman''s troubled childhood in north London, through his blossoming at Oxford; a gay fling with W. H. Auden; a clandestine marriage to a field marshal''s daughter; pranks as a film critic; wartime service and probable espionage in Ireland, to the glory days of his later years when his Collected Poems became a runaway bestseller. This book is a distillation of Bevis Hillier''s three-volume biography, authorized by Betjeman himself.Trade Review'[Hillier] has unearthed a wealth of detail and anecdote.' * Glasgow Herald *'This user-friendly trade paperback... will be welcomed as a crucial reference work by students and aficionados alike' * Oxford Times *Hillier's enthralling, many-voiced biography is an awesome achievement. But it is no more than Betjeman's due * John Carey, Sunday Times *Fascinating * Humphrey Carpenter, Sunday Times *Sharply perceptive ... compelling ... A biography this good abolishes time in its own way, and triumphantly ensures Betjeman's survival * Peter Conrad, Observer *A mosaic in which the true face of the man and his times is revealed * Mail on Sunday *The chubbiest, juiciest book of the year * Barry Humphries, Daily Telegraph *Strikes just the right note. * Telegraph *An awe-inspiring piece of scholarship ... Betjeman has had the best and most sympathetic biographer he could have wished for * Artemis Cooper, Evening Standard *A triumph * Spectator *Hilarious and very poignant * Duncan Fallowell, Express *A mosaic in which the true face of the man and his time is revealed * Craig Brown, Mail on Sunday *A pleasure to read and use. * Evening Standard *Immensely detailed, intelligent, generous, sympathetic, and often entertaining * Allan Massie, Literary Review *'[Hillier] has unearthed a wealth of detail and anecdote' * Glasgow Herald *'A fine portrait of a vulnerable, acerbic man with a teddy.' * BBC History *'John Betjeman remains extremely popular' * BBC History *'A stupendous work in many ways' * Daily Telegraph *'Bevis Hillier's fine biography joins the jubilations' * The Times/Books *'Where anyone interested in Betjeman will dig happily away' * Sunday Telegraph/Seven *'Hillier's [biography] has a wealth of often-hilarious detail that Wilson never touches on' * Tim Martin, Daily Telegraph *

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Book SynopsisJames Lees-Milne (1908-97) - known to friends as Jim - is remembered for his work for the National Trust, rescuing some of England''s greatest architectural treasures, and for the vivid and entertaining diaries which have earned him a reputation as ''the twentieth-century Pepys''. In this long-awaited biography, Michael Bloch portrays a life rich in contradictions, in which an unassuming youth overtook more dazzling contemporaries to emerge as a leading figure in the fields of conservation and letters. It describes Jim''s bisexual love life, his tempestuous marriage to the exotic Alvilde, and his friendship with other fascinating literary figures including John Betjeman, Robert Byron, Rosamond Lehmann, and the Mitford sisters (whose brother Tom had been Jim''s great love at Eton). It depicts a man who was romantically attached to the England of his childhood and felt out of tune with his own times, but who left an enduring legacy through the preservation of country houses and his eloquTrade Review'His biography is disciplined, compact, elegant and tender, and equally illuminating, suggestive and commodius abouit all the compartmentalized little platoons that Lees-Milne served,' * Richard Davenport-Hines, Time Literary Supplement *'This book is so well-written you can actually imagine what it's like to be duiaryist James Lees-Milne ... a brilliant insight into another world' * News of the World *'Total candour and integrity. This is an absolutely model biography' * Country Life (A.N Wilson) *' Michael Bloch's admirable biography has nothing of déjà vu about it. He has done his old friend proud ' * The Literary Review (Jeremy Lewis) *'His vivid and sparkling biography...an accomplished and confident account...admirable,' * Mathew Dennison, The Herald *'The writer's affection and understanding has resulted in a remarkable study, a striking three-dimensional portrait of a subversive, sensitive and endearing man. Naturally, Block has made good use of the diaries, but he has gone far beyond them, investigating the long periods when nothing was written as well as uncovering an intriguing and recurrent thread of fantasy...James Lees-Milne:The Life is an exceptional biography: lively perceptive and well-written...The diaries will never be superseded, but this book is their essential companion', * Mark Sanderson, Telegraph, Seven *'Admirably crisp and comprehensive life of the Pepys of the twentieth century' * Sunday TIme CUlture, Our Choice *'A frank and sympathetic portrait...9/10', * Anthony Looch, Edinburgh Evening News *Full of sex, scandal and name-dropping, this biography does justice to James Lees-Milne' * Oliver Marre, The Observer *'A frank and sympathetic portrait' * Western Mail/ East Anglian Daily News *'Very funny indeed' * DJ Taylor, Independent on Sunday *'If he does not sweep us up the whole length of the drive with his passionate intensity, he succeeds in dropping us off safely at the gates of a minor, but convincing, national treasure' * Nicholas Shakepeare, Telegraph Review *'Funny, observant and revealing' * David Sexxton, The Scotsman *'Fascinating new biography' * Daily Mail *'Bloch has produced the perfect compliment to Lees-Milne's books and fully justified his mentor's faith' * David Sexton, Evening Standard *'Bloch...is a tactful, sensitive but not an indulgent biographer.' * Rosemary Hill, London Review of Books *'This book presents a frank and sympathetic portrait' * Anthony Looch, Leicester Mercury *"Michael Bloch has served his old friend well...a book every bit as well written and entertaining as the diaries" * Irish Times *"Frank and sympathetic portrait of a complex, cultured and loveable man, whose fame grew as he aged" * Eastern Daily Press *" A rich social history and a warm picture of a man particular to his time" * Country and Townhouse Magazine *'Admirably judged; warm, but not hagiographical; sufficiently candid, and acutely revealing...the subject and the author are here perfectly matched' * The Observer *'A unique insight into the workings of our charity in its early days... and more' * National Trust Magazine *'His biography is disciplined, compact, elegant and tender, and equally illuminating, suggestive and commodius abouit all the compartmentalized little platoons that Lees-Milne served,' * Richard Davenport-Hines, Time Literary Supplement *'This book is so well-written you can actually imagine what it's like to be duiaryist James Lees-Milne ... a brilliant insight into another world' * News of the World *'Total candour and integrity. This is an absolutely model biography' * Country Life (A.N Wilson) *' Michael Bloch's admirable biography has nothing of déjà vu about it. He has done his old friend proud ' * The Literary Review (Jeremy Lewis) *'His vivid and sparkling biography...an accomplished and confident account...admirable,' * Mathew Dennison, The Herald *'The writer's affection and understanding has resulted in a remarkable study, a striking three-dimensional portrait of a subversive, sensitive and endearing man. Naturally, Block has made good use of the diaries, but he has gone far beyond them, investigating the long periods when nothing was written as well as uncovering an intriguing and recurrent thread of fantasy...James Lees-Milne:The Life is an exceptional biography: lively perceptive and well-written...The diaries will never be superseded, but this book is their essential companion', * Mark Sanderson, Telegraph, Seven *'Admirably crisp and comprehensive life of the Pepys of the twentieth century' * Sunday TIme CUlture, Our Choice *'A frank and sympathetic portrait...9/10', * Anthony Looch, Edinburgh Evening News *Full of sex, scandal and name-dropping, this biography does justice to James Lees-Milne' * Oliver Marre, The Observer *'A frank and sympathetic portrait' * Western Mail/ East Anglian Daily News *'Very funny indeed' * DJ Taylor, Independent on Sunday *'If he does not sweep us up the whole length of the drive with his passionate intensity, he succeeds in dropping us off safely at the gates of a minor, but convincing, national treasure' * Nicholas Shakepeare, Telegraph Review *'Funny, observant and revealing' * David Sexxton, The Scotsman *'Fascinating new biography' * Daily Mail *'Bloch has produced the perfect compliment to Lees-Milne's books and fully justified his mentor's faith' * David Sexton, Evening Standard *'Bloch...is a tactful, sensitive but not an indulgent biographer.' * Rosemary Hill, London Review of Books *'This book presents a frank and sympathetic portrait' * Anthony Looch, Leicester Mercury *"Michael Bloch has served his old friend well...a book every bit as well written and entertaining as the diaries" * Irish Times *"Frank and sympathetic portrait of a complex, cultured and loveable man, whose fame grew as he aged" * Eastern Daily Press *" A rich social history and a warm picture of a man particular to his time" * Country and Townhouse Magazine *'Admirably judged; warm, but not hagiographical; sufficiently candid, and acutely revealing...the subject and the author are here perfectly matched' * The Observer *'A unique insight into the workings of our charity in its early days... and more' * National Trust Magazine *

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Book SynopsisGeorge Mackay Brown was one of Scotland''s greatest twentieth-century writers, but in person a bundle of paradoxes. He had a wide international reputation, but hardly left his native Orkney. A prolific poet, admired by such fellow poets as Seamus Heaney, Ted Hughes and Charles Causley, and hailed by the composer Peter Maxwell Davies as ''the most positive and benign influence ever on my own efforts at creation'', he was also an accomplished novelist (shortlisted for the 1994 Booker Prize for Beside the Ocean of Time) and a master of the short story. When he died in 1996, he left behind an autobiography as deft as it is ultimately uninformative. ''The lives of artists are as boring and also as uniquely fascinating as any or every other life,'' he claimed. Never a recluse, he appeared open to his friends, but probably revealed more of himself in his voluminous correspondence with strangers. He never married - indeed he once wrote, ''I have never been in love in myTrade Review'Other biographies to relish include Maggie Fergusson's life of the poet George Mackay Brown...' * Boyd Tonkin, Independent *In Maggie Fergusson, Mackay Brown has had the good fortune to find the kind of biographer with whom every writer should be blessed. She writes lucidly, with restraint and without sentimentality. Her affection and sympathy for her subject shine through but she never shirks from showing his darker side. He was a deeply troubled man cursed with melancholia whose legacy was prose and poetry of luminous virtuosity. If there is a better biography of a 20th century Scottish writer I look forward to reading it * Sunday Herald *'Outstanding... This is an extraordinarily good book; it is sensitive, witty and has an excellent sense of the vitality of the apparently unimportant details that make up lives and characters.' * Lucy Lethbridge, New Statesman *'An affectionate but clear-sighted biography. Read it alongside his Collected Poems and step into the 'small green world' of [the Orkneys]' * The Times *'Unmissable' * Glasgow Herald *'[Fergusson's] biography is infused with love and understanding of the man and his work... she writes with a delicate precision' * Sunday Times, Jeremy Lewis *'Through his letter and conversations with many friends, Maggie Ferguson discovers that George's life was vivid, courageous and surprising' * Scottish Field *'He deserves a good biography but has got a magnificent one; sympathetic, affectionate, but not glossing over his weaknesses' * Allan Massie, Daily Telegraph *'This subtle, sensitive, beautifully-written biography is a superb example of an author wholly in tune with her subject' * Sunday Telegraph *'His world, in all its wondrous ordinariness, has been brought beautifully to life by Maggie Fergusson's painstakingly faithful labour of love . . . Exquisite and constantly illuminating ' - Sean O'Hagan * Observer *George Mackay Brown was the most elegiac and profoundly rooted of twentieth-century Scottish writers. Maggie Fergusson's biography is a deftly written and convincingly craggy portrait of this Orcadian genius * William Dalrymple *'Maggie Fergusson has captured the essence of the man with insight and elegance.' * Sunday Daily Express (Tom Fullerton) *'An excellent and surprising biography' * Kathleen Jamie, Guardian *This is an outstanding biography: deeply researched, sympathetic and full of insight into George Mackay Brown's magical ability to make poetry out of the simple ingredients of landscape, history and faith, it brings this extraordinary man to life on every page * Claire Tomalin *'She has drawn a portrait of this man which is both the perfect companion for a rereading of his works and also a fascinating story in its own right...This is an altogether remarkable book. I know it will be unforgettable, and that it will draw me back to many rereadings...It is that rare thing, a biography which is itself a work of literature, the story not merely of a lonely, weird man in an isolated part of the United Kingdom, but of an inner journey which the reader follows enraptured, every bit as exciting and strange as the life-journeys of men of action.' * Spectator *Clear, detailed, vigilant, droll and beautifully written, this biography achieves what only the best accounts of a life can: the scent and texture of the departed subject's spirit, and, in this case, the spirit of a very particular place, which Maggie Fergusson conveys with the grace of the bornwriter * Candia McWilliam *This is a truly magnificent achievement. One sign of an outstanding biography is when those who knew - or thought they knew - the subject find surprises and fresh illumination on nearly every page. This beautifully written book evokes both Orkney and the spirit of its master story-teller with a delicate yet unostentatious skill which is the literary equivalent of perfect pitch ... Maggie Fergusson may not have said the last word, but she has stylishly delivered the best and most brilliantly satisfying word so far' * Herald *'Unmissable' * Glasgow Herald *'From this unpromising hank of material, Maggie Fergusson has fashioned an affectionate and enlightening life of the poet George Mackay Brown.' * Literary Review (Andro Linklater ) *'A significant monument to an elegiac writer of genuine literary muscle' - Iain Finlayson * The Times *'An outstanding work of research which no-one interested in George Mackay Brown can afford to be without . . . This is a distinguished example of the art of the biography, beautifully produced in every respect . . . at once sympathetic and professional' * Orcadian *'And, behold, a miracle! In one of his many letters (and this book makes me long for a big collected edition of his letters) Brown wrote "There must be a secret wisdom inside us all that directs our lives, often against our wills and desires". Maggie Fergusson seems to have tapped into this secret wisdom. She has drawn a portrait of this man which is both the perfect companion for a rereading of his works and also a fascinating story in its own right...She herself writes with a poet's accuracy. The setting of the Orcadian scene in the opening pages is masterly, but she also has the poet's knowledge of when to produce the telling detail....As well as being a preternaturally acute exponent of what makes Brown's poetry work, Maggie Fergusson is wonderfully wise and deep in her explorations of his emotional and religious life.. 'This is an altogether remarkable book. I know it will be unforgettable, and that it will draw me back to many rereadings. It is that rare thing, a biography whi * Statesman *'After reading this book every reader will feel at home in the harsh, rewarding world of the Orkneys' * Independent *'Remarkable man. Remarkable art. Fine book that illuminates them both' * Scotsman *'Strangely, this is what I would call an inspiriting story...and it is very well told' * Spectator *'Fergusson's biography of Scottish poet George Mackay Brown ignores the modern trend of looking down gleefully from a dunghill height at the subject.' * Irish Times *'A stimulating and elegantly written biography, an excellent companion to Mackay Brown's "Collected Poems", which were co-edited by... Archie Bevan, and appeared last year from the same publisher, John Murray.' * The Economist *'Maggie Fergusson treats Brown's sexuality with delicacy and respect' * Times Literary Supplement *'Loving study' * Jeremy Lewis, The Sunday Times *'One of the best lives of a poet I have ever read is Maggie Fergusson's George Mackay Brown. She creeps up, not only on her subject, but also on her reader, wooing and cunning. Out of his inner life in a remote place, Fergusson has made a great book about a great man. She is brilliant at understanding the things which did not happen, as well as the things which did, in her subject's life (sex, for example). I seldom feel envy when reading modern books, but I wish I wrote as well as she has done' * An Wilson, The Observer *'A real treat: a sensitive record of a neglected modern poet that made a convincing argument for his genius' * Tim Martin, Daily Telegraph *

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Book SynopsisAn accessible biography of C S Lewis, his life and the friendships that shaped him.Trade ReviewOne thing the author did was whet my appetite for more - I will be exploring the writings of Lewis and many of his friends. -- Janet Kinsella * www.amazon.com *Duriez, certainly goes into great detail about Lewis’s search for meaning and longing for joy, his conversation, and his academic career and writing. I would recommend this to any C.S.Lewis fan. -- Lisa Sanderson * Netgalley *I love C S Lewis and think that this book is the perfect addition to any Christian’s collection. -- Amanda Holmes * Netgalley *Honest and true, this is a well written book that reads like a great conversation. The extent with which the author shares the true story of Lewis’s life is amazing. It wasn’t written from the point of adoration that makes the reader question the honesty. Instead it is written with fresh insight into a wonderful friendship. As a fan of C S Lewis I was hoping for an enjoyable read - but Mr Duriez delivered much more than expected. Enjoy! -- Lynda Smock * Netgalley *Formative years are explored in Duriez’s book, C S Lewis: A Biography of Friendship. -- Clive Price * Families First *Table of ContentsContentsPREFACE 71. A NORTHERN IRISH CHILDHOOD 112. SCHOOLDAYS AND ARTHUR GREEVES: WATFORD, BELFAST, AND MALVERN 283. “THE GREAT KNOCK”: BOOKHAM, SURREY 434. OXFORD AND FRANCE: “THIS IS WHAT WAR IS LIKE…” 565. STUDENT DAYS: OXFORD, AND MRS JANIE MOORE 716. THE ASPIRING POET AND SCHOLAR IN HARD TIMES: THE INSPIRATION OF OWEN BARFIELD 837. THE YOUNG DON: MEETING J.R.R. TOLKIEN 1018. THE MOST RELUCTANT CONVERT 1179. THE COMPANY OF FRIENDS 13510. STORYTELLING AND REFLECTIONS: THROUGH THE CHANGING THIRTIES WITH TOLKIEN 15111. THE WARTIME YEARS AND AFTER: ENTER CHARLES WILLIAMS 16812. A NEW ERA AND A CHANGE OF STRATEGY: THE NARNIA FACTOR 18713. THE SURPRISING AMERICAN: MRS JOY DAVIDMAN GRESHAM 20214. LEAVING THE SHADOWLANDS 216A BRIEF CHRONOLOGY 222NOTES 228SELECT BIBLIOGRAPHY 241INDEX 248

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Book SynopsisThis is not a book about Laurie Lee, still less a biography. Taking this as a starting point, poet Adam Horovitz reaches back through myth, memory and literature to explore Laurie Lee’s impact on the Slad Valley and its people.

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Book SynopsisThe complete guide to the inspiration that is Agatha Christie.

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Book SynopsisJeoffry was a real cat who lived 250 years ago, confined to an asylum with Christopher Smart, one of the most visionary poets of the age. In exchange for love and companionship, Smart rewarded Jeoffry with the greatest tribute to a feline ever written. Prize-winning biographer Oliver Soden combines meticulous research with passages of dazzling invention to recount the life of the cat praised as a mixture of gravity and waggery'. The narrative roams from the theatres and bordellos of Covent Garden to the cell where Smart was imprisoned for mania. At once whimsical and profound, witty and deeply moving, Soden's biography plays with the genre like a cat with a toy. It tells the story of a poet and a poem, while setting Jeoffry's life and adventures against the roaring backdrop of eighteenth-century London.Trade ReviewJeoffry is the greatest cat in the English language, and here are his life and times, wittily and deftly imagined, entwined with a memoir of Kit Smart, lunatic and poet, and the London he shared with Samuel Johnson and his cat Hodge. An inspired and original tale -- Hilary Mantel, author of The Mirror and the LightSimply unforgettable ... Oliver Soden has written a little masterpiece ... The life and times of Jeoffry, the cat described in Smart’s famous poem, are imagined here by Soden in one of the most beautiful and haunting books of recent times. This is a book to savour, reflect upon, and give to friends ... It is beautifully written. It is gentle. It is full of historical detail and whimsy, in more or less equal measure. It is a complete treat ... a lovely, enchanting piece of work -- Alexander McCall Smith, author of The No. 1 Ladies' Detective AgencyThis is an intensely poignant portrait of a celebrated cat. Jeoffry’s tale is both simple, in its feline perspective of eighteenth-century life, and complex, in its vivid detail, so expertly and engagingly marshalled. It is told with vibrant pace and energy, embraces shocking violence and exquisite tenderness, and is bejewelled with a rich cast of cultural luminaries. As we follow the irresistible subject towards and through his interaction with the poet who would give him his immortality, we smell the streets and the confined spaces, we suffer the blows, we weep the tears. This beautifully written and highly affecting book is a must-read for lovers of poetry, of the eighteenth century, and of cats -- Jane Glover, author of Handel in LondonA heart-lifting delight; I absolutely loved it. A triumph -- Alexandra Harris, author of WeatherlandJeoffry: The Poet’s Cat is an engrossing recreation of eighteenth-century London at its grittiest, from brothels to insane asylums, as seen through the eyes of a famous cat. The blend of scrupulous scholarship with imaginative invention is wonderfully effective -- Leo Damrosch, author of The ClubA bracing and heartfelt scamper through Georgian London, and the life of a much-loved cat – like Jeoffry himself, this delightful book is an irresistible mixture of 'gravity and waggery'. With its supporting cast of eighteenth-century luminaries such as Handel, Dr Johnson and the bloated brothel-keeper Mother Douglas, this is a carefully researched and beautifully imagined feline biography -- Emily Brand, author of The Fall of the House of ByronAn absolute classic … Oliver Soden combines the originality of wit and concept found in Virginia Woolf’s Flush with an intimate portrayal of the humanity of a cat that T.S. Eliot understood so well. I found myself so gloriously moved and entertained by Jeoffry who has leapt purring and stretching, hunting and curling his way into my heart -- Juliet Nicolson, author of A House Full of DaughtersMr Soden’s delightful, insinuating book curls around your thoughts and tickles you with its whiskers ... Soden jokes that if Jubilate Agno is a magnificat (a song of praise to God), the Jeoffry verses are a magnifi-cat. His own magnifi-cat recreation, bound in cloth-covers and sporting a Gainsborough kitty, would make a fine stocking filler - silk, buckled or gartered * The Economist *Oliver Soden has done for Christopher Smart’s cat Jeoffry what Virginia Woolf did for the Brownings’ dog, Flush. Except he’s made a much better job of it. This is a beautifully written, wise and wonderfully entertaining account of loyalty and the meaning of biography. Smart’s cat was indeed a magical being, and Oliver Soden has plucked a wealth of literary art from the cat’s life and from Smart’s unforgettable vision. I intend to give a copy to everybody I like -- Andrew O'Hagan, author of MayfliesI greatly enjoyed this book ... Oliver Soden has found a really vivid "ground-level" way to capture Georgian London, and as soon as Smart comes on the scene a most moving chemistry develops between the cat who has no words and the poet who is adrift in them -- Ann Wroe, author of Francis

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