Biography: writers Books

Book SynopsisThroughout his life James Boswell struggled to fashion a clear account of himself, but try as he might he could not reconcile the truths of his era with those of his religious upbringing. Few periods better crystallize this turmoil than 1763–1765, the years of his Grand Tour and the focus of Robert Zaretsky’s thrilling intellectual adventure.Trade ReviewThe key theme of Robert Zaretsky’s splendid new book on James Boswell is that his life was a roaming drama of self-discovery…Boswell’s Enlightenment is thus about the art of living. Boswell’s interest for the historian lies not with the originality of his thought—there was none—but as an example of someone who struggled, Zaretsky shows, ‘to bend his person to certain philosophical ends.’ Hume, Johnson, Rousseau and Voltaire were asked to help him divine what those ends might be. Zaretsky’s elegantly written book, then, stands alongside a growing literature—including the works of Pierre Hadot (Philosophy as a Way of Life) and Alexander Nehemas (The Art of Living)—that renders the history of philosophy not as an academic pursuit, but as something wrought in pursuit of the common good. -- Gavin Jacobson * Times Literary Supplement *Zaretsky’s buoyant and rigorous ‘intellectual adventure’ is a successful attempt to place the writer within the broad tapestry of the European Enlightenment…In Zaretsky’s book, we see the effect of one great mind upon another, again and again, and thus we see the evolution of Boswell’s dazzling prose style. -- Andrew O’Hagan * New York Review of Books *Enthralling…Boswell’s Enlightenment proves that the world’s greatest biographer makes a fascinating subject in his own right. -- Josh Emmons * Los Angeles Review of Books *During his life, Boswell was known more for his associations than for his accomplishments, but it’s time, historian Robert Zaretsky thinks, to give him his moment in the spotlight…Zaretsky’s telling is as much an intellectual history as it is a coming-of-age tale, though one gets the sense that Boswell never quite came of age…Zaretsky’s account of this conflicted man is a sympathetic, fluid, and very enjoyable read. We see a man in search not so much of wisdom as of seekers of wisdom. As much as he tried, Boswell never became an intellectual equal with the great thinkers of his day, but as an observer of them (and of himself) he had no peer. -- David Nolan * First Things *Entertaining…[Zaretsky] put[s] Boswell forward as, among other things, a harbinger of our own day, a living symbol of a transition from the high-minded ideals of a more pure intellectual world to the self-centered obsessions of day-to-day reality. -- Steven Donoghue * Christian Science Monitor *Engaging…Boswell’s Enlightenment is a readable, smart, accessible introduction to a self-absorbed but likable young man who reminds us the Age of Enlightenment was also the Age of Exuberance. -- Fritz Lanham * Houston Chronicle *James Boswell, best known as Samuel Johnson’s biographer, was a lifelong seeker of truth. He struggled to put together his Calvinist religious heritage with the insights and perspectives of the Enlightenment. From 1763 to 1765 he toured Europe not just to see the historic sites but to encounter some of its greatest living thinkers, among them Rousseau and Voltaire. Zaretsky adroitly chronicles Boswell’s intellectual journey and introduces the reader to the varieties of 18th-century Enlightenment. Boswell’s struggles remain with us—over the relationship between faith and reason, the nature of human liberty and equality, the duties of citizenship, the role and limits of the state, and what constitutes the good life. * Christian Century *Zaretsky believes Boswell was an exceptional talent, notwithstanding his weaknesses, and certainly worthy of our attention. Glossing several periods of Boswell’s life but closely examining his grand tour of the Continent (1763–1765), Zaretsky elevates Boswell’s station, repairs Boswell’s literary reputation, and corrects a longstanding underestimation, calling attention to his complicated and curious relationship to the Enlightenment, a movement or milieu that engulfed him without necessarily defining him…Bristling with the animated, ambulatory prose of the old style of literary and historical criticism, the kind that English professors disdain but educated readers enjoy and appreciate. -- Allen Mendenhall * Liberty Unbound *With the flair of an accomplished novelist, Zaretsky creates a vivid portrait…Drawing on an impressive array of firsthand sources and writing with a keen eye for the dramatic, Zaretsky has done students and scholars alike a timely favor. -- Paul J. deGategno * 1650–1850 *Robert Zaretsky’s excellent book provides a wealth of information about Enlightenment thought, all of it brought to life in the mind and imagination of that irrepressible Scot, James Boswell…Boswell’s Enlightenment is also the reader’s enlightenment. The book surveys the major ideas of this period’s thinkers, from luminaries like Johnson and Hume, Voltaire and Rousseau, to somewhat lesser lights like Adam Smith and Hugh Blair, Montesquieu and Diderot…The book deserves the highest praise. -- D. T. Siebert * The Key Reporter *Zaretsky has written an engrossing study of James Boswell, the renowned biographer of Samuel Johnson and the equally famous diarist…There must have been something irresistible about Boswell’s personality for such a young man to have been able to secure the attentions of these men, not to mention the close friendship of literary titan Samuel Johnson. A fascinating character study, Boswell’s Enlightenment helps readers understand what that something was. It is also the story of Boswell’s struggle to reconcile his strict Calvinist upbringing with the ideas of the Enlightenment and with his tempestuous impulses and literary ambition. -- J. Hoffman * Choice *James Boswell (1740–1795) comes to life in Zaretsky’s recounting of his European grand tour in the mid‐18th‐century…Zaretsky introduces the Enlightenment greats who taught and molded Boswell. The vast store of knowledge our traveler absorbed in so few years makes for truly enlightening reading…This wonderful rendering of Boswell digs deep into his probing, enquiring life and the fast friends he made at every turn. * Kirkus Reviews (starred review) *This sparkling work is a partial biography of one of the 18th century’s most arresting figures—someone often taken to be emblematic of that intellectually critical era. Zaretsky sees James Boswell—known for ‘his oddness, his youth, and his melancholy’—as embodying the Enlightenment’s many conflicting currents and torn by them all. Seeking to escape from conflicts between the flesh and Protestant religiosity, and between the ancient and modern, the young Scot sought and gained the acquaintance and counsel, much of it unsettling to him, of some of the age’s great figures—Samuel Johnson, Voltaire, Rousseau, David Hume, John Wilkes, and Pascal Paoli—in a famous two-year tour of the Continent. Boswell’s earnest search for answers to life’s bewildering puzzles continues to fascinate. Zaretsky brilliantly, sometimes movingly, adds to that fascination…So convincing are Zaretsky’s observations, so sure his touch. * Publishers Weekly *In this beautifully written account, Robert Zaretsky plays Boswell to Boswell, as the young Scot goes in search of Europe’s great thinkers—and in the process discovers his own calling. Part biography, part history of ideas, it makes for a thrilling intellectual journey. -- James Shapiro, Columbia University

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Book SynopsisJerome McGann takes his readers on a spirited tour through a wide range of Poe's verse as well as the critical and theoretical writings in which he laid out his arresting ideas about poetry and poetics. In a bold reassessment, McGann argues that Poe belongs alongside Whitman and Dickinson as a foundational American poet and cultural presence.Trade ReviewMcGann succeeds in forcing us to rethink Poe’s poetry… Poe’s sound experiments, especially his strange variations on meter, deserve, as McGann shows by citing numerous rhythmic anomalies, to be taken seriously… In an age of predominantly, and purposely, flat and prosaic ‘free verse,’ mnemonic patterning is perhaps re-emerging as the emblem of poetic power. In this sense, Poe is once again Our Contemporary… In making the case for the close link between the poetry and the aesthetic theory, [McGann] succeeds admirably: Poe’s reputation as poète maudit belies the fact that here was a poet who knew exactly what he was doing. -- Marjorie Perloff * Times Literary Supplement *McGann [wants] to set the record straight, right an imbalance and show why Poe deserves a place beside Whitman and Emily Dickinson, the venerated father and mother of American poetry. His marvelous short book combines old-fashioned ‘close reading’ with a capacious historical and theoretical sense of Poe’s place in American literature and mid-19th-century American culture… McGann’s basic thesis about Poe’s poems (he calls them ‘Poe-try’) and his remarks about individual gestures, lines, sounds and rhythms are constantly engaging. Readers who believe that God is in the details will find plenty to astonish them… By moving away from poetry’s expository and thematic features to its aesthetic and rhetorical ones, McGann has performed an important cultural and intellectual service. -- Willard Spiegelman * Wall Street Journal *The Poet Edgar Allan Poe: Alien Angel promises to save Poe’s poetry from [a] dire critical fate… [McGann’s] aim is ambitious: to give Poe’s poetry academic significance, to establish both its aesthetic appeal and its political relevance. As Edmund Wilson does in his appreciative essay ‘Poe at Home and Abroad,’ McGann figures Poe’s work as the suspension bridge across the chasm separating romanticism and modernism. He situates Poe’s work alongside and against the romantic poetry of Keats, Byron, Shelley, Wordsworth; evaluates Poe’s sonic influence on the writing of Rimbaud, Mallarmé, Baudelaire; and, expands upon Eliot’s essay ‘From Poe to Valéry’ to trace the influence of Poe’s critique of the romantic ‘I’ through symbolism into high modern elasticism, and then, into language poetry and the latest work of Charles Bernstein. He demonstrates Poe’s unquestionable impact on the way Americans thought about poetry and the way poetry thought about itself. -- Ava Kofman * Los Angeles Review of Books *Elegant… One of McGann’s greatest services is to introduce lay readers to Poe’s critical writings. He excerpts several longish selections from Poe’s correspondence and reviews as well as the Marginalia, sundry magazine pieces he authored between 1845 and 1849. What emerges is an Edgar Allan Poe who thought profoundly about poetry and literature and who was able, mostly, to express his ideas and theories in clear prose. -- John S. Sledge * Virginia Quarterly Review *McGann has set out to address and correct the problem of Poe’s poetry, and the result is a necessary volume not only for those compelled and beguiled by Poe but for anyone who understands the importance of poetic tradition and its umbilical to American imagination. This book is McGann’s deep-seeing riposte to those critics—Emerson, Yvor Winters, D. H. Lawrence, Harold Bloom, et al.—who have dismissed Poe’s aesthetics as by turns decadent and preposterous… Part of the large pleasure of McGann’s book is his contra-academic gift of phrase, his parsed insights into Poe’s ‘legend-laden life’ and the ‘angel of the odd’ suspended over his writing desk. -- William Giraldi * New Republic *In the process of clearing up so much of the critical fog that has enshrouded the poetry of Poe, McGann helps his readers understand how to read poetry more generally… McGann has demonstrated that Poe’s significance as a poet in his own time and as a major influence on the development of poetry for 150 years since makes him one of the two or three greatest American poets. -- Harry Lee Poe * Books & Culture *From a close reading of Poe’s rhetorical tropes and careful reconstructions of context, McGann draws out a much richer understanding of Poe’s perspective on art and life. -- Scott McLemee * Inside Higher Ed *[Shows] Poe as a consummate craftsman who daringly reimagined how poems invent meaning. * Kirkus Reviews *McGann persuasively defends Poe’s poetry against its many detractors, who have criticized the work as all ‘jingle’ (Ralph Waldo Emerson) and lacking in ‘intellectual content’ (Yvor Winters). Through close readings of Poe’s marginalia, reviews, and letters, as well as his essays on poetic composition, notably ‘The Poetic Principle,’ McGann shows how Poe worked out a sophisticated theory of poetics… It will certainly provide readers with a deeper appreciation of the writer’s achievements as a poet. * Publishers Weekly *McGann restores Poe to his foundational role for American, and 19th century, poetics. McGann’s breathtaking scholarship makes Poe’s work thrillingly present and hauntingly prescient. Only this and nothing more. -- Charles Bernstein, University of PennsylvaniaThe Poet Edgar Allan Poe is a landmark intervention that helps to explain why, among his antebellum contemporaries, Poe alone has remained a fixture of popular culture as well as a globally familiar icon of literary art. -- J. Gerald Kennedy, editor of The Portable Edgar Allan Poe

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Book SynopsisUnintimidated by Old World sophistication or travel to undeveloped parts of the globe, Mark Twain spent a surprising amount of time outside the continental United States. Morris focuses on the dozen years he lived overseas and the books he wrote encouraging middle-class Americans to follow him around the world, at the dawn of mass tourism.Trade ReviewMorris is a first-rate tour guide. He knows his subject, cites other authorities with respect and presents a good deal of information with easygoing, professional smoothness. [An] entertaining and—despite its title—eminently civilized book. -- Michael Dirda * Washington Post *American Vandal provides a fresh account of the great satirist’s life and work by arguing that his world view was the product of experience that was unusual for a popular American writer in this period. It offers us an account of the dozen years in total which Twain spent overseas, part of a life of travel that included twenty-nine transatlantic crossings, excursions across India, New Zealand, the Mediterranean and Caribbean… One strength of American Vandal is that Morris places Twain’s travel writings at the heart of his achievement. -- Tom F. Wright * Times Literary Supplement *If you want a guide through [Twain’s] travelogues or through the experiences that produced them, then you could not find a better one than Twain biographer Roy Morris Jr. He is not merely well-informed about his subject, he is truly attuned to the mind and sensibility of the man… American Vandal shows a consistently sure and wise touch. -- Martin Rubin * Washington Times *Morris writes smoothly and engagingly about Mark Twain’s travels, through life as much as through foreign scenes. -- D. E. Sloane * Choice *In this vibrant, fresh look at the venerable writer, historian Morris traces Twain’s journeys and his evolving perspective on world politics and peoples… A brisk narrative and sensitive insights make this book a delight. * Kirkus Reviews *For readers not familiar with Mark Twain’s travel literature, Morris will open up a new facet of his extensive writing career… This lively overview provides an accessible entry point to the lesser‐known works of a great American writer. * Publishers Weekly *Only an accomplished storyteller should dare to take up the life of our most revered raconteur, and Morris measures up. There is no shortage of Twain biographies; one as well researched and as well told as this one deserves to be among them. -- Lawrence Howe, author of Mark Twain and the Novel: The Double Cross of AuthorityMorris effectively evokes both the personal and political realities behind Twain’s fictions and semi-fictions to demonstrate how Twain himself debunked then-prevalent myths of travel and of national character. American Vandal gives readers a fresh view of Mark Twain while casting a revealing light on American identity. -- James Leonard, editor of The Mark Twain Journal

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Book SynopsisBrowning and Haydon never met, but their lively conversation, initiated in 1842, continued unabated until 1845, about a year before the painter's suicide. It was a lopsided correspondence in which 94 letters written by Haydon, most of which have not been published before, received fewer replies from Barrett, 28 of which are included here.

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Book SynopsisMelek Ortabasi reassesses the influence of Yanagita Kunio (18751962), a folk scholar and elite bureaucrat, in shaping modern Japan's cultural identity. Only the second book-length English-language study of Yanagita, this book moves beyond his pioneering work in folk studies to reveal the full range of his contributions as a public intellectual.

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Book SynopsisBecause Thomas Hardy's poetry and fiction are so closely associated with Wessex, it is easy to forget that he was, in his own words, half a Londoner, moving between country and capital throughout his life. This self-division, Mark Ford says, can be traced not only in works explicitly set in London but in his most regionally circumscribed novels.Trade ReviewThomas Hardy: Half a Londoner offers fresh and exciting analysis of Hardy’s novels and poems, when they are viewed from the perspective of Hardy’s London experiences. -- Simon Gatrell, University of GeorgiaMark Ford discusses Hardy with great urbanity and tact, and demonstrates throughout the literary insight of someone who is himself a distinguished poet. Hardy’s many admirers will find a great deal to relish in this astute, original, and highly enjoyable book. -- Seamus Perry, University of Oxford‘Wanted: Good Hardy Critic,’ jested Philip Larkin. Mark Ford fits the bill. Like his subject Thomas Hardy, Ford is an eminent poet and a knowledgeable Londoner. There is much for the lover and student of Hardy to learn, about an area of his life which has not, until now, received the attention it deserves. -- John Sutherland, University College LondonExcellent…Ford is a sensitive biographer who recognizes Hardy’s repression and his fervor—his embrace of London’s feverish energy alongside his horror of it. More than anything, though, Ford reveals the quality of Hardy’s London writing: the 1860s poetry (published years later) and the early novels. -- Ralph Pite * Evening Standard *A well-written account of Hardy’s London experiences and insightful consideration of their transformation into art. * Library Journal *[A] fascinating and strangely poignant book. -- Nicholas Roe * Literary Review *Urbane and absorbing…Necessary and valuable. -- Andrew Motion * Times Literary Supplement *As both a poet and novelist, Hardy is always associated not only with English gloom but also with the English countryside in which he was born. It was in London, however, that he became a writer, and Ford shows just how significant a role the capital played in both Hardy’s life and imagination…Ford’s discussion of [his] urban verses, particularly in a chapter on ‘London's Streets and Interiors,’ is both engrossing and illuminating…Ford provides equally valuable insights into the London of Hardy's fiction…Ford has the true measure of his subject, and his admiration for Hardy does not blind him to occasional dud moments and absurdities, which he treats with a light and witty touch. His discussion of less well-known novels and poems is particularly welcome, and this fine book will encourage readers to return to the work they know with a quickened perception and explore further what is new to them. -- Peter Parker * The Spectator *As Thomas Hardy: Half a Londoner shows in penetrating detail, there was another side to Hardy that grew out of his time in London, far away from the fields of Higher Bockhampton or the rows of his ancestors in Stinsford’s village churchyard, colored his mental landscape and had a profound effect on his work. -- D. J. Taylor * Wall Street Journal *[A] remarkable book. -- Michael Wood * New York Review of Books *Ford argues convincingly here that the Hardy industry in Dorset has obscured the importance of London to both his work and his life. Ford mingles literary criticism, biography and psychogeography to give a portrait both of Hardy’s London and of London’s Hardy. His passages on the novels and poems are dazzling and insightful. -- Lara Feigel * Daily Telegraph *Mark Ford’s absorbing new [book] argues that our wish to see Hardy as a man of Dorset has distracted us from his formative life as a Londoner…Ford, who is both an academic and a distinguished poet, gives full weight to the innovative qualities of thought and language that connect Hardy’s poetry and fiction. What makes his book remarkable is its compelling analysis of Hardy’s sustained difficulty in selling images of the pastoral to urban readers who were wistfully eager for its deep continuities, while reflecting the far-reaching transformations he had experienced in his years as a 'literary man about town.' It was a tension he was never able to resolve, but it was what gave his writing its enduringly uneasy substance. -- Dinah Birch * The Guardian *In this excellent study Ford provides a valuable perspective on the allure of London for Thomas Hardy…Ford’s superb study renders a fresh view of Hardy's ‘divided loyalties’ and complex character. -- S. A. Parker * Choice *I find Hardy’s character and sensibility very appealing, and this book was full of subtle insights into both. -- Gwendoline Riley * The Observer *Illuminating…Ford’s style is at once academic and accessible, erudite and elegant, and he constructs a compelling narrative that traces Hardy from his first sojourn in London as a young man (where he had gone to pursue his architecture ambitions but where he effectively ‘became a writer’) through the extended periods that he spent in the capital in later life. -- Alex Ramon * PopMatters *[A] notable book…Ford justly terms his book ‘the first comprehensive account of Hardy as a “London man,”’ and his claim is richly documented by the variety of ways, in life and letters, where the great city matched the country in enabling the writer’s astonishing career…What is most valuable about Ford's study is the number of poems he selects to illustrate the London narrative. -- William H. Pritchard * Weekly Standard *Probing and original…Ford has an intuitive feel for how best to use his knowledge of the life to shape his insights about the works. -- Keith Wilson * Hardy Review *Ford realigns our sense of Hardy, moving him from Wessex fields to London streets, and offering a transformed writer: less the time-torn pastoral tragedian than a painter of modern life…The biographical contours are familiar, but Ford makes them vibrate in interesting ways…One of the many virtues of Ford’s account is that it slows down the tempo of [the] early, difficult years, and draws our attention to uncanonical or even disdained writings that most criticism, in pursuit of Wessex and success, skips over. Ford provides sparkling readings of dour early poems, and calm analyses of fantastical potboilers…Ford brings out a modern impressionist, who brilliantly sketched urban interiors and exteriors; this writer is more concise, more direct, more imagistic than the writer we know from the Wessex fiction. -- James Wood * London Review of Books *It is rare that a book of literary biography and criticism opens so many divergent paths for new readings, but this is one of those books. What Mark Ford has taught me to look for is how both the idea of London and the actual London whose streets Hardy walked accentuated and solidified his thoughts on work, vocation, love, fame, and the fatefulness of temperament. To my enormous pleasure, Ford spends as much time reading Hardy’s works as he does tracing his steps and cast of mind…Ford’s learning and insight unfold in prose that is expressive as well as analytic. -- Alexandra Mullen * Hudson Review *

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Book SynopsisNicholas Frankel presents a revisionary account of Oscar Wilde’s final years, spent in poverty and exile in Europe following his release from an English prison for the crime of gross indecency between men. Despite repeated setbacks and open hostility, Wilde—unapologetic and even defiant—attempted to rebuild himself as a man, and a man of letters.Trade Review[A] detailed and finely judged account of Wilde’s life after prison. -- Colm Tóibín * The Guardian *[A] fascinating study of the hitherto largely neglected last phase of Wilde’s life…[A] quiet but persuasively revisionist account. -- John Banville * New York Review of Books *[Frankel’s] purpose is to refute the traditional view of Wilde ending as a broken martyr, a victim of hypocritical Victorian morality…While the pages in which Wilde tries to touch for a handout anyone he knew make for painful reading, the rest of Frankel’s history is scintillating enough. The quotes from Wilde’s sayings and writings sparkle, defiantly undimmed. -- John Simon * Weekly Standard *[A] fair, elegant and informed book. -- Douglas Murray * The Times *Dazzling…Presents a Wilde quite different from the despondent has-been, ruined by Lord Alfred ‘Bosie’ Douglas. -- Kate Hext * Times Literary Supplement *Examines in fascinating detail Wilde’s prison years and the short time that remained to him after he completed his sentence…The clarity of [Frankel’s] prose, his sympathetic approach, and his talent for building tension ensures that his book will appeal to anyone with even a passing knowledge of Wilde’s life. -- Eleanor Fitzsimons * Irish Times *Frankel’s Wilde is resilient and defiant—and also wily… Frankel takes issue with Richard Ellmann and other Wilde biographers who suggest prison ended Wilde’s literary career… Wilde did not emerge from his cell a dull man. He spoke as brilliantly as ever, Frankel reports… Taken together, [this book and Laura Lee’s Oscar’s Ghost] are complementary, enriching not only an understanding of Wilde’s life and work, but of how biographies get made and unmade as new evidence comes to light, and different forms of interpretation are brought to bear on contested stories. -- Carl Rollyson * New Criterion *Frankel’s Wilde is human, real, and didactic. The focus on Wilde the prisoner and lover humanizes him… Frankel is an extraordinary textual scholar who gave us the best recent edition of Dorian Gray… Throughout The Unrepentant Years, he cites Wilde’s published letters, draws from global archives, and invokes intertextual references across a matrix of virtually everyone in his post-prison life. Yet this is no dry academic exercise. Frankel weaves the information into a story about a man who remains a hero. Copious notes are useful for readers who want more, but the text is thoroughly accessible… In reclaiming the final years, Frankel has recovered the man and redefined his legacy. -- Frederick S. Roden * Gay and Lesbian Review *Takes the story of Wilde’s demise and turns it on its head…[An] excellent book…If Frankel is right [Wilde] was even more extraordinary than we previously imagined…Frankel’s achievement is in challenging us to rethink a legend we thought we knew so well. -- Alex Dean * Prospect *Frankel offers a scholarly and generally level-headed account of Wilde's civil and criminal trials, his imprisonment, his exile in northern France and Italy, and his final squalid end in Paris…The period Frankel particularly wants to unpack is Wilde's final three years of life following his release. In Richard Ellmann's acclaimed biography of Wilde this period is given rather short shrift, so Frankel’s book will remain the definitive reference on this era for a long time, particularly on where, when and with whom Wilde spent his final 36 months…[A] compelling book. -- Adrian McKinty * The Australian *Frankel has written of Wilde’s last years with an illuminating eye, exploring how his release from prison in 1897 and death in Paris in 1900 was the final act in a startling drama: this is the portrait of a man who, through hardship, finally became himself…Frankel is a gifted writer who has taken the facts of Wilde’s final years and transformed them into a compelling exploration of the figure’s heroism. -- Thomas Filbin * Arts Fuse *[Frankel] faithfully documents the mercurial nature of Wilde’s post-release emotions, from his conflicting attitude toward Constance; to his unconcerned and inevitable decision to reunite with Douglas. What comes through clearly is Wilde's unceasing determination to reach for the world he lost…even if much of it remains always only out of reach. If Frankel sought to demonstrate that the post-prison Wilde was not some sorely broken man, forever debilitated, and slouching toward a premature and lonely death, he has succeeded masterfully. -- Matthew Snider * PopMatters *This biography from Frankel reminds readers that Oscar Wilde was a serious man of ideas, as well as the witty author of The Importance of Being Earnest…Meticulously documented and consistently illuminating, Frankel’s book is also uncommonly accessible. * Publishers Weekly *This is the work of a profoundly knowledgeable scholar who has mined his sources carefully and sensitively in order to provide the most detailed insights yet into Wilde’s experiences in prison, the period he spent at Berneval-sur-Mer, when it seemed that he might revive his literary career, and the subsequent months that involved his reunion with Alfred Douglas, their eventual separation, and Wilde’s slow but sure decline. -- Joseph Bristow, University of California, Los AngelesFew people are as conversant as Nicholas Frankel with the archival and documentary records pertaining to Wilde’s life and career. A graceful writer with a fine eye for the telling detail, Frankel shows that in the final years of his life Wilde was neither the martyr nor the innocent victim he is usually portrayed as being. Instead, after his release from prison Wilde consciously shaped his life and work—just as he had always done—as a provocation and a rebuke to Victorian pieties and cruelties and hypocrisies. -- Stephen Arata, University of VirginiaA welcome reassessment of Wilde’s later years. Oscar Wilde is a major critical biography, standing impressively at the intersection of social and intellectual history, publishing history, and literary studies. -- Xavier Giudicelli, Université de Reims Champagne ArdenneAn excellent examination of the last five years of the author’s life. -- David Weir * Athenaeum Review *A finely crafted and riveting study of Wilde. -- Rory Brennan * Books Ireland *Frankel has produced one of the most nuanced, well-balanced biographical studies of Wilde since the ground-breaking but frustratingly imperfect biography by Ellmann. The Unrepentant Years should be required reading for everyone who wants to gain a fuller understanding of Wilde’s complex and fascinating life. -- Stefano Evangelista * English Literature in Transition, 1880-1920 *

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Book SynopsisMichel Winock situates Flaubert in France’s century of great democratic transition. Wary of the masses, Flaubert rejected universal male suffrage, but above all he hated the vulgar, ignorant bourgeoisie, a class that embodied every vice of the democratic age. His loathing became a fixation—and a source of literary inspiration.Trade ReviewMichel Winock has written a great biography, bringing Flaubert down from his stylistic Olympus, to paint a portrait of a character grounded in history, pulsating with blood and life. -- Grégoire Kauffmann * L’Express *Winock is a first rate historian, with a fine literary sensibility. This is an intelligent book, rich in references to contemporary opinions, containing lively evocations of literary figures, friends, and political events. -- Victor Brombert, Princeton UniversityWell-researched, elegantly written, and particularly good in discussing Flaubert's work as well as his life. -- Roger Pearson, University of OxfordNoted French historian Winock’s biography succeeds in presenting a fresh portrait of a man plagued by paradoxes…Winock provides absorbing background related to the country’s social and political scenes that occurred during his subject’s lifetime. -- Erica Swenson Danowitz * Library Journal *It is stately and plump, like its subject, as well as thought-provoking. To be sure, [others] have in recent decades produced English-language biographies of Flaubert, but Winock has the depth of knowledge and familiarity with Flaubert’s times to add something new. -- Benjamin Ivry * Literary Review *This generous study ingeniously builds a narrative around Flaubert’s own words—from not only the novels but also voluminous correspondence and unpublished work. Adding light background and analysis, Winock allows the mind of the Master to shine. * New Yorker *Winock’s many quotations from Flaubert’s early writings—his Memoirs of a Madman, written at school, his letters, Intimate Notebook, and [November]—will be a revelation to those, like me, who knew only the masterpieces…Winock, a historian by profession, is excellent at building up the political context of Flaubert’s life, particularly the back and forth between liberal revolution and reactionary repression. -- Tim Parks * London Review of Books *The present volume offers a remarkable portrait of ‘the life of a man in his century.’ …[Winock] provide[s] a brilliant, sweeping view of the 19th century that allows for a far better understanding of both the major developments of the period (triumph of the bourgeoisie, industrialization, shift from constitutional monarchy to democratic republic) and the tangled life of the ‘Janus-faced,’ ‘conservative anarchist’ who was Flaubert. -- C. B. Kerr * Choice *Winock’s achievement is to treat [Flaubert’s] works themselves with clarity and insight…This is a compelling account of a writer who, Winock reminds us, has become ‘an unavoidable reference’ in literary history. -- Kate Rees * Times Literary Supplement *What [Winock’s] biography really affirms is that practically all of the life in Flaubert is to be found in his work. This he documents with care, industry and insight. His discussions of the novels and letters are especially valuable and informative, and offer a suggestive sense of the ways in which his subject’s character relates to and informs his work. Flaubert would often ask himself why man’s heart felt so big when life felt so small. This book comes close to supplying an answer. -- Matthew Adams * Irish Times *Others, like myself, will be grateful that it places Flaubert within the fevered history of his time. -- Peter Brooks * New York Review of Books *It is precisely the historical background of Flaubert’s times, both its conscious and its invisible impingements on the writer’s sensibility, on which Winock is especially revelatory…Michel Winock has written a compelling and stylish biography, and Nicholas Elliott has brought it into English with flair and skill. -- Bruce Whiteman * Hudson Review *Winock distinguishes himself as a biographer in his clear-­eyed analysis of the fiction within its politically convulsive historical context…Winock [has a] readable style and talent for the great historical overview. In this way his biography can be welcomed by dedicated Flaubertians and twittering dilettantes alike. -- Gregory Day * The Australian *[An] excellent new biography. -- Leo Robson * New Statesman *

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Book SynopsisThe Cold War was an era of surprising connections between American and Czech literary cultures. Major writers met behind the Iron Curtain, while others smuggled, translated, and adapted works from the other side. Brian K. Goodman explores the artistic and political consequences, arguing that the movement of literature inspired new forms of dissent.Trade ReviewA stimulating book…brilliantly shows that while American literature and music offered Czechs a dream of improvisatory freedom, Czech literature offered Americans an example of what, variously, they might do with it as if it mattered. -- Kathryn Murphy * Times Literary Supplement *Goodman brilliantly reveals how US–Czech literary encounters produced, largely unintentionally, the figure of the ‘dissident writer,’ which eventually became the symbol of the human rights movement that brought down the Iron Curtain. He reminds us that the Cold War was a period of lively, if often tortured, cultural exchange that cannot be reduced to the terms of a Cold War binary. -- Louis Menand, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of The Free WorldEye-opening and unforgettable. Goodman is a wonderful storyteller, and this is a story never told before. Featuring a vibrant continuum of literature, music, and theater linking Czechoslovakia and the United States, this East-West fusion sheds light on Franz Kafka, Václav Havel, and Josef Škvorecký no less than Allen Ginsberg, Philip Roth, and Arthur Miller. -- Wai Chee Dimock, author of Weak PlanetIlluminating and full of insights. With lucid and often elegant prose, Goodman masterfully tackles the continuities between American and Czech literary cultures during the Cold War era. Among its many virtues, The Nonconformists moves us away from a US-centric literary history and toward one that attends carefully to the cross-cultural networks that extended across the Iron Curtain. -- James Dawes, author of The Novel of Human RightsBeautifully written and imaginatively conceived, The Nonconformists brilliantly captures the ambiguities of moral witness in the era of Cold War literary dissent. Goodman takes us on a grand literary tour showing how the transnational encounters between such towering figures as Allen Ginsberg, Philip Roth, Václav Havel, and Milan Kundera were foundational for the emergence of a new global human rights order in the late twentieth century. -- Mark Bradley, author of The World ReimaginedGroundbreaking and highly original. Goodman’s meticulous archival research and his capacious familiarity with the latest research in Czech and American studies is impressive. Even more so is his ability to stitch together what might initially seem to be adjacent case studies into a deep fabric of transnational intellectual history. -- Michelle Woods, author of Kafka Translated

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Book SynopsisIn the first comprehensive study of Guo Moruo in English, Pu Wang explores the dynamics of translation, revolution, and historical imagination in twentieth-century Chinese culture. Guo was a romantic writer, Mao Zedong’s last poetic interlocutor, a Marxist historian, president of China’s Academy of Sciences, and translator of Goethe’s Faust.Trade ReviewThe Translatability of Revolution brings together Guo Moruo’s poetry, dramas, personal essays, and theoretical and polemical writings to present the most sophisticated and far-ranging study in English of this author and his works. Scholars and students of Chinese literature and history, Japanese studies, comparative literature, and translation will all benefit from Pu Wang’s discussion of Guo’s translingual creation of a new poetic subject and from many other insights found in this study. -- Michael Gibbs Hill, College of William & MaryGuo Moruo is arguably one of the most controversial figures in modern Chinese literary history. Because of his highly contested image, Guo has never been a popular scholarly subject. In this groundbreaking book, Pu Wang seeks to assess Guo’s literary and political career in terms of his engagement as a ‘translator.’ He defines translation as a transcultural practice that involves not only linguistic rendition but also ideological brokering as well as psychological invocation. Above all, he finds in Guo’s case a compelling testimony to the relationships between language and revolution, historical fabulation and political engagement. Wang’s book is a most important source for anyone interested in translation studies, Chinese and comparative literature, and cultural politics. -- David Der-wei Wang, Harvard UniversityA towering figure and the Renaissance Man of Chinese New Culture, Guo Moruo holds the key to a critical and historical decoding of its Zeitgeist and its DNA strains—from lyrical poetry to autobiography, from the modern spoken drama to translation, from literary criticism to archeological philology and Marxist historiography. Pu Wang’s work is an inspiring contribution to the untimely, even heroic, effort at addressing this glaring absence in contemporary scholarship and intellectual discussion. -- Xudong Zhang, New York UniversityAn inspiring book that offers new ideas for readers to chew and digest. -- Q. Edward Wang * Chinese Historical Studies *

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Book SynopsisCovers a period of twenty-two months during which Thomas Jefferson spent most of his time at Monticello, where in his short-lived retirement from office he turned in earnest to the renovation of his residence and described himself as a 'monstrous farmer'.Table of ContentsFOREWORD vii GUIDE TO EDITORIAL APPARATUS xi ILLUSTRATIONS xxxvii JEFFERSON CHRONOLOGY 2 [1796] From Benjamin Rush, 1 March 3 To James Monroe, 2 March 4 From Robert Pollard, 3 March 6 To James Madison, 6 March 6 From James Madison, 6 March 9 To Martha Jefferson Randolph, 6 March 11 To Richard Harrison, 8 March 11 Statement on Accounts as Minister Plenipotentiary in France, 8 March 13 To Richard Harrison, 9 March 24 From James Madison, 13 March 25 To Thomas Mann Randolph, 13 March 26 From Thomas Pinckney, 16 March 27 From William Cabell, 17 March 30 To Jean Antoine Gautier, 17 March 30 To Richard Harrison, 17 March 33 To William Blount, 19 March 34 To William Branch Giles, 19 March 35 To Thomas Mann Randolph, 19 March 36 To Robert Brooke, [20 March] 37 From William Branch Giles, 20 March 38 Memorandum to Richard Harrison, [ca. 20 March] 38 To John Pendleton, 20 March 39 To James Madison, 21 March 41 From James Madison, 21 March 41 To James Monroe, 21 March 41 To Benjamin Hawkins, 22 March 42 To John Bowyer, 25 March 44 From Patrick White, 25 March 45 From William Branch Giles, 26 March 45 To John Barnes, 27 March 50 To James Brown, 27 March 50 To James Madison, 27 March 51 To Thomas Mann Randolph, 27 March 52 From Volney, 28 March 53 From William Branch Giles, 31 March 54 From James Madison, 4 April 55 To Archibald Stuart, 5 April 57 From John Adams, 6 April 58 From William Branch Giles, 6 April 60 To Volney, 10 April 61 From James Madison, 11 April 62 To Thomas Mann Randolph, 11 April 63 From John Stuart, 11 April 64 From Van Staphorst & Hubbard, 11 April 65 Agreement with Randolph Jefferson, 17 April 66 To James Madison, enclosing Extract of Madison's Notes on Debates in the Federal Convention and Extracts from Jefferson's Papers, with Comments, 17 April 67 From Thomas Pinckney, 17 April 69 From James Madison, 18 April 70 From Tench Coxe, 22 April 71 From Aaron Burr, 23 April 72 From James Madison, 23 April 72 Jefferson's Letter to Philip Mazzei 73 I. Thomas Jefferson to Philip Mazzei, 24 April 81 II. Extract and Commentary Printed in the Paris Moniteur, [25 January 1797] 84 III. Extract and Commentary Printed in the New York Minerva, [2 May 17971 86 IV Italian Translation of Extract, n.d. 88 To James Madison, 24 April 88 To Van Staphorst & Hubbard, 24 April 90 To Thomas Mann Randolph, [25 April] 90 From Bushrod Washington, 26 April 91 From Edward Rutledge, 30 April 92 To James Lyle, 1 May 93 From James Madison, 1 May 93 From James Madison, 9 May 95 To James Lyle, enclosing Deed of Mortgage of Slaves to Henderson, McCaul & Company, 12 May 96 Deed of Mortgage of Slaves to Van Staphorst & Hubbard, 12 May 98 To Francis Walker, 14 May 99 From Archibald Stuart, 15 May 99 To Mann Page, [16 May] 100 From Alexandre Lerebours, 17 May 101 From Patrick White, 19 May 102 From William Strickland, 20 May 102 From Van Staphorst & Hubbard, 21 May 106 To John Barnes, 2[2] May 107 From James Madison, 22 May 108 From William Thornton, 22 May 110 From Volney, 22 May 111 To James Brown, 23 May 112 To Archibald Stuart, 26 May 113 To John Stuart, 26 May 113 From Sir John Sinclair, 28 May 114 From William Strickland, 28 May 115 From Joseph Marx, 29 May 119 From James Madison, 30 May 119 From Robert Pleasants, 1 June 120 To Joseph Marx, 4 June 121 To Charles Willson Peale, 5 June 121 From Jean Antoine Gautier, 7 June 122 To James Monroe, 12 June 123 To John Barnes, 19 June 125 To George Washington du Motier de Lafayette, [19 June] 126 To George Washington, 19 June 127 From Richard Stith, 20 June 130 From Jonathan Williams, 20 June 130 To John Breckinridge, 21 June 131 To Jean Baptiste Ducoigne, [21 June] 131 To Harry Innes, 21 June 132 To Henri Peyroux de la Coudreniere, 21 June 132 To Isaac Shelby, 21 June 134 To Archibald Stuart, 21 June 134 From Tench Coxe, 22 June 134 From Charles Willson Peale, 22 June 136 To -------- Hite, 29 June 137 To Archibald Stuart, 29 June 138 To David Rittenhouse, 3 July 138 To Jonathan Williams, 3 July 139 To J.P.E. Derieux, [4 July] 141 From George Washington, 6 July 141 To Madame de Chastellux, 10 July 144 To Tench Coxe, 10 July 146 To James Monroe, 10 July 147 From LaRochefoucauld-Liancourt, 11 July 148 From Volney, 12 July 150 From John Stuart, 13 July 152 To Francis Willis, 15 July 153 From John Guillemard, 18 July 154 From Philip Turpin, 18 July 155 From James Martin, [20 July] 156 To William Alexander, 26 July 158 From George Wythe, 27 July 158 From George Washington du Motier de Lafayette, 29 July 159 From James Monroe, 30 July 160 From Benjamin Smith Barton, 1 August 165 To Francis Eppes, 4 August 166 To John Barnes, 7 August 167 To George Wythe, 8 August 168 To Thomas Mann Randolph, 12 August 168 From William Cocke, 17 August 169 To Wilson Cary Nicholas, 19 August 170 To Thomas Mann Randolph, 19 August 170 From Archibald Stuart, 1,9 August 171 From Wakelin Welch, enclosing Account with Robert Cary & Company, 22 August 173 From Volney, 24 August 174 From John Stuart, 25 August 177 To Robert Pleasants, [27 August] 177 From George Washington, 28 August 178 Questions on the Cow Pea, with Answers of Philip Tabb, [after 30 August] 179 From John Carey, 1 September 180 From Benjamin Smith Barton, 5 September 182 From Sir John Sinclair, 10 September 183 To John Barnes, 11 September 183 To Joseph Donath, 11 September 184 From -------- Galvan, 21 September 184 From John Garland Jefferson, 21 September 185 From John Wayles Eppes, 25 September 186 To John Barnes, 2 October 186 To Joseph Donath, 2 October, 187 To William Booker, 4 October 187 From William Booker, 7 October 188 To Bushrod Washington, 9 October 189 From William Frederick Ast, 10 October 190 To Benjamin Smith Barton, 10 October 192 Documents Relating to the 1796 Campaign for Electors in Virginia 193 I. Certificate of William Marshall, 10 October 196 II. Certificate of Joseph Jones Monroe and Thomas Bell, 17 October 198 To William Cocke, 21 October 199 From Van Staphorst & Hubbard, 21 October 199 To James Currie, 22 October 200 From Benjamin Smith Barton, 25 October 200 From James Lyle, enclosing Statement of Interest and Payments on Bonds to Henderson, McCaul & Company, 25 October 202 From William Fleming, 30 October 204 To John Carey, 10 November 205 To John Stuart, 10 November 205 To John Barnes, 13 November 206 From William Booker, 17 November 207 From Jean Armand Tronchin, enclosing Tronchin's Memorandum on Recovering Foreign Debts in America, 17 November 207 Deed of Mortgage of Slaves to Van Staphorst & Hubbard, 21 November 209 To Peter Carr, 28 November 210 To Thomas Mann Randolph, 28 November 211 To John Barnes, 4 December 212 To Joseph Donath, 4 December 212 To Henry Banks, 5 December 213 From James Madison, 5 December 214 To Wilson Cary Nicholas, 5 December 215 From John Wickham, 8 December 217 From James Madison, 10 December 218 To John Barnes, enclosing Power of Attorney to John Barnes for William Short, 11 December 219 To Thomas A. Taylor, 11 December 219 From Volney, 12 December 220 To John Garland Jefferson, 17 December 222 To James Madison, 17 December 223 To Volney, [17 December] 224 From John Wayles Eppes, 19 December 226 From James Madison, 19 December 226 From James Madison, 25 December 227 From Volney, 26 December 229 From Enoch Edwards, 27 December 230 To Edward Rutledge, 27 December 231 Jefferson's Letter to John Adams 234 I. To John Adams, 28 December 235 II. Copy from Memory, 28 December 236 From Volney, 29 December 237 From Archibald Stuart, 31 December 239 Declaration for the Mutual Assurance Society, [1796 or later] 239 Memorandum on Farming Operations, [1796 or later] 244 Notes on a Copying Process, 246 [1796] Jefferson's Letter to James Madison 247 I. To James Madison, 1 January 247 II. Copy from Memory, 1 January 249 From Benjamin Rush, 4 January 251 To Archibald Stuart, 4 January 252 From the American Philosophical Society, 7 January 254 To James Madison, 8 January 255 From James Madison, 8 January 255 To Volney, 8 January 257 To Thomas Mann Randolph, 9 January 260 From James Sullivan, 12 January 262 From James Wood, 14 January 262 From James Madison, 15 January 263 To James Madison, 16 January 266 From John Stuart, 16 January 266 To Henry Tazewell, 16 January 267 To John Wickham, 20 January 268 To Enoch Edwards, 22 January 269 To John Langdon, 22 January 269 To James Madison, 22 January 270 From James Madison, 22 January 272 To Thomas Mann Randolph, 22 January 273 To Benjamin Rush, 22 January 275 To George Wythe, 22 January 275 To the American Philosophical Society, 28 January 276 To John Barnes, 28 January 277 To John Marshall, 28 January 278 To James Wood, 28 January 279 From James Madison, 29 January 280 To James Madison, 30 January 280 From Henry Tazewell, 1 February 281 From George Wythe, 1 February 283 From Benjamin Rush, 4 February 284 From James Madison, 5 February 285 From Charles Willson Peale, 6 February 286 To Thomas Mann Randolph, 6 February 287 From Robert Pleasants, 8 February 287 To James Sullivan, 9 February 289 Memoir on the Megalonyx, [10 February] 291 From James Madison, 11 February 304 From Timothy Pickering, 11 February 305 From Timothy Pickering, 11 February 306 To James Lyle, 12 February 306 From Timothy Pickering, 16 February 307 From Mary Jefferson, 27 February 308 To Martha Jefferson Randolph, 28 February 308 Notes on a Paragraph by John Henry, [after 1 March] 309 From James Wood, 3 March 309 Address to the Senate, [4 March] 310 From Madame de Chastellux, 5 March 312 From Enoch Edwards, [6 March] 313 From Enoch Edwards, 9 March 313 To Mary Jefferson, 11 March 314 To Thomas Mann Randolph, 11 March 315 To William Short, 12 March 316 To Sir John Sinclair, 12 March 318 To William Strickland, 12 March 319 From Volney, 15 March 320 From Samuel Brown, 17 March 321 To Thomas Mann Randolph, 23 March 322 From Peregrine Fitzhugh, 25 March 323 To John Barnes, 26 March 324 From Timothy Pickering, 26 March 325 From John Trumbull, 26 March 325 From Elbridge Gerry, 27 March 326 To William Vans Murray, 27 March 327 To Martha Jefferson Randolph, 27 March 327 To Van Staphorst & Hubbard, enclosing Bond to Van Staphorst & Hubbard, 27 March 329 To Van Staphorst & Hubbard, 28 March 331 From William Short, 30 March 332 From Martha Jefferson Randolph, 31 March 334 From Willink, Van Staphorst & Hubbard, 31 March 334 To James Wood, enclosing Notes on Plan of a Prison, and Table of Estimates, 31 March 335 From Thomas Paine, 1 April 340 To John Brown, 5 April 345 To Peregrine Fitzhugh, 9 April 346 From Alexandre Giroud, 9 April 347 To Martha Jefferson Randolph, 9 April 349 To Thomas Mann Randolph, 9 April 349 To Elizabeth House Trist, 9 April 350 To Volney, 9 April 352 From Mann Page, 19 April 353 From Jean Franocois Paul Grand, 1 May 354 From Pierre Auguste Adet, 4 May 355 From Elbridge Gerry, 4 May 355 From Edward Rutledge, 4 May 356 From William Wirt, with Jefferson's Notes, 4 May 358 From "Monitor," 7 May 359 To Thomas Mann Randolph, 7 May 360 From Antonia Reynon Carmichael, 8 May 360 From Horatio Gates, 9 May 361 To Elbridge Gerry, 13 May 361 From Thomas Paine, 14 May 366 From Thomas Bee, 16 May 367 To Benjamin Smith Barton, 17 May 367 From Stephen Cathalan, Jr., 17 May 368 From Dugnani, 17 May 370 To Thomas Bell, 18 May 370 To James Madison, 18 May 371 Richard O'Brien's Memorandum on Naval Protection, 18 May 375 From John Oliver, 18 May 377 To Martha Jefferson Randolph, 18 May 379 From Peregrine Fitzhugh, 19 May 380 From "A Native American," [19 May] 382 To Thomas Mann Randolph, 19 May 385 From Edward Rutledge,19 May 386 From Ethridge Gerry, 22 May 387 To Alexandre Giroud, 22 May 387 To Allen Jones, 22 May 388 From Charles Louis Clerisseau, 23 May 389 To Louis of Parma, 23 May 389 The Senate to John Adams, [23 May] 392 John Adams to the Senate, [24 May] 396 To Angelica Schuyler Church, 24 May 396 From Hugh Williamson, 24 May 398 To Elbridge Gerry, 25 May 398 To Mary Jefferson, 25 May 399 From William Linn, 25 May 400 To William Wardlaw, 25 May 401 To Thomas Mann Randolph, 26 May 402 From Elbridge Gerry, 28 May 402 From Hugh Williamson, 28 May 403 From Sebastian Bauman, 29 May 403 To Thomas Pinckney, 29 May 404 To Antonia Reynon Carmichael, 30 May 406 To Horatio Gates, 30 May 407 To John Oliver, 30 May 408 To John Gibson, 31 May 408 To James Madison, 1 June 411 To Thomas Mann Randolph, 1 June 413 To Dugald Stewart, [2 June] 415 To Peregrine Fitzhugh, 4 June 415 To Wakelin Welch, 4 June 419 Senate Resolution on Appointment of Charles C. Pinckney, [5 June] 420 From Tench Coxe, 7 June 420 To James Madison, 8 June 421 To Martha Jefferson Randolph, 8 June 424 To French Strother, 8 June 425 To Thomas Mann Randolph, 9 June 426 From Thomas Bell, 12 June 427 From Mary Jefferson, 12 June 428 To John Moody, 13 June 428 To Mary Jefferson, [14 June] 429 To Edward Stevens, 14 June 431 To John Strode, 14 June 432 To James Madison, 15 June 433 From Pierre Malon, 15 June 435 To Thomas Mann Randolph, 15 June 436 To Aaron Burr, 17 June 437 From John Gibson, 17 June 440 To Henry Remson, 17 June 441 From Peregrine Fitzhugh, 20 June 442 Book Dedication from Benjamin Smith Barton, 21 June 445 From Aaron Burr, 21 June 447 To Elbridge Gerry, 21 June 448 From Sir John Sinclair, 21 June 449 To James Madison, 22 June 450 To Thomas Mann Randolph, 22 June 451 To John Gibson, 24 June 451 From Luther Martin, 24 June 452 To Edward Rutledge, 24 June 455 From Van Staphorst & Hubbard, 26 June 457 To Andrew G. Fraunces, 27 June 459 To Edmund Randolph, 27 June 459 To Andrew G. Fraunces, 28 June 460 To James Madison, 29 June 461 To Thomas Mann Randolph, 29 June 462 From La Rochefoucauld-Liancourt, 30 June 462 To William Short, 30 June 463 From Willem H. van Hasselt, 30 June 465 To Thomas Mifflin, 1 July 468 Account with John Francis, 3 July 469 From Arthur Campbell, 4 July 469 From Edmond Charles Genet, 4 July 470 Senate Resolution on William Blount, [4 July] 472 To Volney, 5 July 474 From Volney, 5 July 474 From Elbridge Gerry, 6 July 475 Suit against the Estate of William Ronald: Order and Report, 10 July 476 From James Monroe, 12 July 478 From Sir John Sinclair, 15 July 480 From William Wirt, with Jefferson's Notes, 15 July 481 To John Barnes, [18] July 481 From Volney, 19 July 482 To James Madison, 24 July 483 From John Barnes, 26 July 484 To John Barnes, 31 July 484 From Delamotte, 31 July 485 Note on Diplomatic Appointments, [July] 486 From Thomas Bee, 1 August 487 From James Madison, 2 August 488 From St. George Tucker, 2 August 488 To James Madison, 3 August 489 Petition to Virginia House of Delegates 491 I. Petition to the Virginia House of Delegates, [on or before 3 August] 493 II. Revised Petition to the Virginia House of Delegates, [7 August-7 September] 499 From James Madison, 5 August 505 To Volney, 5 August 507 From Citizens of Vincennes, 7 August 507 From John F. Mercer, 9 August 508 From John Barnes, 10 August 509 To John Stuart, 15 August 509 From William Strickland, 16 August 510 From William Strickland, 18 August 511 From Allen Jones, 20 August 513 From Rufus King, 22 August 514 From St. George Tucker, 22 August 515 From James Madison, 24 August 516 Notes on Alexander Hamilton, 24 August 517 To Willem H. van Hasselt, 27 August 518 To St. George Tucker, 28 August 519 To Robert Lawson, 31 August 520 To Benjamin Vaughan, 31 August 521 To John Vaughan, 31 August 521 To Arthur Campbell, 1 September 522 To John Barnes, 2 September 523 From Volney, 2 September 523 To John E Mercer, 5 September 524 From James Monroe, 5 September 524 To Archibald Stuart, 5 September 525 From John Stuart, 6 September 525 To James Monroe, 7 September 526 To Alexander White, 10 September 527 To John Vaughan, 11 September 529 To Alexander White, 12 September 530 From John Barnes, 14 September 530 To John Barnes, 17 September 531 To Francis Eppes, 24 September 531 To John Barnes, [25] September 534 From Andrew Ellicott, 28 September 534 From James Thomson Callender, 28 September 536 From Arthur Campbell, 30 September 538 From Dugnani, 30 September 538 Statement of Nailery Profits, 30 September 540 From John Barnes, 3 October 542 From John McQueen, 6 October 543 To John Barnes, 8 October 544 To John Barnes, enclosing Power of Attorney, 8 October 544 To John Taylor, 8 October 545 From Elizabeth Wayles Eppes, 10 October 546 Marriage Settlement for John Wayles Eppes, 12 October 547 Marriage Settlement for Mary Jefferson, 12 October 549 Note on Spanish Expenditures, 13 October 551 Notes on Conversations with John Adams and George Washington, [after 13 October] 551 From John Taylor, 14 October 553 From Peregrine Fitzhugh, enclosing a Citizen to the Rights of Man and Peregrine Fitzhugh to the Rights of Man, 15 October 555 From John Barnes, 19 October 561 From James Madison, 20 October 562 From James Monroe, [22] October 562 From James Madison, 25 October 564 To James Monroe, 25 October 564 From James Monroe, [27 October] 565 From Benjamin Galloway, [October] 566 Memorial of Charleston Merchants to the Senate, 2 November 567 To William Bradford, 6 November 568 From Thomas Mann Randolph, 6 November 568 Memorial of Charleston Wharfholders to the Senate, 10 November 570 From Paroy, [before 10 November] 570 From Edmund Randolph, 15 November 572 From John Wayles Eppes, [17 November] 572 From John Taylor, 19 November 573 From Edmund Randolph, 21 November 574 Bond to Van Staphorst & Hubbard, 25 November 574 To Henry Tazewell, 28 November 575 From James Monroe, [November] 576 To Mary Jefferson Eppes, 2 December 576 To George Jefferson, 2 December 577 From James Monroe, 2 December 578 From Mary Jefferson Eppes, 8 December 579 From Arthur Campbell, 10 December 580 From Luther Martin, 11 December 581 To Thomas Mann Randolph, 14 December 583 From Oliver Wolcott, Jr., 15 December 584 To Richard Richardson, 16 December 585 To John Wayles Eppes, 21 December 585 To Francis Walker, 21 December 587 To John Taylor, 23 December 588 John Henry to Henry Tazewell, 24 December 590 From James Madison, 25 December 591 Notes on Comments by John Adams and Robert Goodloe Harper, 26 December 592 To James Monroe, 27 December 593 Notes on a Conversation with Tench Coxe, [27 December] 596 To Martha Jefferson Randolph, 27 December 596 From William Short, 27 December 597 From George Jefferson, 30 December 598 To John Gibson, 31 December 599 To John Henry, 31 December 600 To Henry Tazewell, 31 December 604 Design for Chimney and Flues, [1797] 605 Notes on John Jay's Mission to Great Britain, [1797 or after] 605 APPENDIX: Notations by Jefferson on Senate Documents 633 INDEX 635

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Book SynopsisAnswers the question, 'how does one read an author', by undertaking an experiment in critical biography. This book provides an original way of reading, one that captures with variety and subtlety the personality that exists only in Woolf's works and in the minds of her readers.Trade Review"DiBatistta (Fast-Talking Dames) pieces together a portrait of Virginia Woolf as experienced by readers... For general fans of literary criticism or of Woolf's writing in particular, DiBattista's experiment will offer an intriguing perspective on Woolf's relationship to her art and her audience."--Publishers Weekly "Like Anne Fernald's Virginia Woolf: Feminism and the Reader, DiBattista's study extends understanding not only of Woolf's craft and intellectual life but also of reading practices in general."--Choice "What interests Maria DiBattista is not who Woolf actually was--the flesh and blood woman--but the multiple personalities that emanate from her books. Reading a writer familiar to us is, in many ways, no different from seeing people we know, she says. In both cases, the person we think we know is a composite of the various facets of them we have glimpsed."--Fiona Capp, The Age "[W]hen people ask me about biographies about Woolf, I will recommend this one. Certainly, it cannot replace the more traditional biographies DiBattista acknowledges in her introduction, but it is an important supplement to them. My own understanding of the traditional biographies is more nuanced, a result of reading DiBattista's book."--Molly Youngkin, English Literature in Transition "[T]his short book is full of insights... I recommend it to you; it is a pleasure to read."--Stuart N. Clarke, Virginia Woolf Bulletin "[T]he more vivid impressions generated by DiBattista's study: namely, the reader's sensation of having been shown 'Virginia's Room' in a new light, as well as the realization that Woolf's 'room of one's own' is now a multitude of rooms, imaginative spaces where her readers have the freedom to hang looking-glasses in whatever odd corners they may choose."--Rosemary Joyce, Tulsa Studies in Women's LiteratureTable of ContentsAcknowledgments ix THE DEMON OF READING Chapter 1. The Figment of the Author 3 Chapter 2. Personalities 14 WOOLF'S PERSONALITIES Chapter 3. The Sibyl of the Drawing Room 41 Chapter 4. The Author 64 Chapter 5. The Critic 92 Chapter 6. The World Writer 119 Chapter 7. The Adventurer 140 EPILOGUE Chapter 8. Anon Once More 169 Notes 173 Index 191

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Book SynopsisIncludes a collection of Thoreau quotations ever assembled. This title gathers more than 2,000 memorable passages from this iconoclastic American author, social reformer, environmentalist, and self-reliant thinker.Trade ReviewRecipient of an Umhoefer Prize for Achievement in Humanities, Arts and Humanities Foundation in 2011 Selected for "The Best of the Best" Program at the 2012 ALA Annual Conference "Henry David Thoreau is one of the most oft-quoted essayists in the American literary canon, and now his sage aphorisms are gathered together in a beautifully compiled and impressively comprehensive volume. Edited by Cramer, curator of collections at the Thoreau Institute at Walden Woods, this volume draws from well-known works such as Walden and A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers as well as Thoreau's journals, letters, and other papers... This volume will appear to both casual, browsing readers and to researchers needing an authoritative source on the words of Thoreau."--Choice "This quotable book is a handy guide and should find its way onto the shelves of any library, public or academic, school or special. But given its price at under $20, it should fall on the shelves of every American. While Thoreau will always smell something of the pine woods to some of us, those woods are our very own."--Mark Y. Herring, American Reference Books Annual "The Quotable Thoreau is not meant to be read all at once. It should, rather, be savored bit by bit for maximum engagement, preferably in outdoor settings at various times of the year. Readers would be well advised to digest a page or two each day, consider the passages, and accept or reject them according to preference."--Jeffrey Mifflin, Historical Journal of Massachusetts "The Quotable Thoreau is thematically arranged, fully indexed, richly illustrated, and thoroughly documented. For the student of Thoreau, it will be invaluable. For those who think they know Thoreau, it will be a revelation. And for the reader seeking sheer pleasure, it will be a joy."--World Book IndustryTable of ContentsPreface xiii A Note on the Texts xix Introduction: Thoreau's Garment of Art xxi On Pronouncing the Name Thoreau xxxvii A Thoreau Chronology xliii Thoreau Describes Himself 3 Questions 15 The Thoughts and Words of Henry D. Thoreau 19 Beauty 19 Brute Neighbors: Animals, Birds, Fish, and Insects 22 Change 31 Character 34 Charity and Philanthropy 38 Children 43 Cities 46 Conservation 49 Conversation and Talk 58 Day and Night 60 Dress and Fashion 65 Education and Learning 70 Expectation 77 Experience 80 Farmers and Farming 83 Food and Diet 87 Freedom and Slavery 92 Friendship 107 Genius 116 Good and Evil 119 Government and Politics 121 Health and Illness 127 The Heard and the Unheard 131 Sound 131 Silence 135 Music 137 The Heavens: Sun, Moon, and Stars 141 Heroes and the Heroic: Courage and Fear, Right and Wrong 143 Higher Law 146 Human Nature 148 The Mass of Men 148 Individuality 156 Hunting and Fishing 158 Imagination 163 Indians 166 Institutions 173 Land: Mountains, Bogs, and Meadows 177 Life and Death 180 From His Death-Bed 192 Literary Matters 193 Writing and Writers 193 Poets and Poetry 206 Books 210 Love 218 Manners 220 Nature 223 News, Newspapers, and the Press 236 Observation 241 Opinion and Advice 246 Past, Present, and Future 254 Possessions 256 Poverty and Wealth 259 Religious Concerns 265 Religion and Religions 265 Faith and Spirit 268 God 271 Science 275 The Seasons 278 Simplicity 288 Society 293 Solitude 298 Success 303 Temperament and Attitude 307 Thoughts and Thinking 316 Time 324 Travel and Home 327 Trees and Woods 335 Truth and Sincerity 342 Walking 349 Water: Rivers, Ponds, and Oceans 353 Weather: Rain, Snow, and Wind 358 Wildness 364 Wisdom and Ignorance 369 Women 372 Work and Business 376 Thoreau Describes His Contemporaries 430 Thoreau Described by His Contemporaries: 439 Appendix: Misquotations and Misattributions 465 Bibliography 471 Index 477

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Book SynopsisSentenced to death in 1849 for utopian socialist political activity, Dostoevsky, a Russian writer, was subjected to a mock execution and then exiled to Siberia for a decade, including four years in a forced labor camp, where he experienced a crisis of belief. This title offers a reinterpretation of the life and work of Dostoevsky.Trade Review"Dostoevsky's Democracy will be read both by literary scholars, and those interested in the history of ideas."--Lesley Chamberlain, Times Literary Supplement "Nancy Ruttenburg offers a major reinterpretation of Dostoevsky's life and work by re-examining the crucial transitional period between the early works of the 1840s and the important novels of the 1860s."--Times Higher Education "Dostoevsky's Democracy brims with surprising insights."--Robin Feuer Miller, Slavic Review "Dostoevsky's Democracy provides a plausible and open reading that challenges us to re-experience familiar texts."--Lawrence Mansozo, Slavic and East European Journal "[A] scholarly and well-written work... Its strengths are its erudition, sophisticated exploration of narrative technique and application of a range of conceptual models to literary contexts... [A]n excellent and original study of Notes from the House of the Dead which makes a real contribution to our understanding of this unique work."--Robert Reid, European LegacyTable of ContentsAcknowledgments ix Introduction 1 The Image of the Beast 1 The Ne To and the "Democrat" 6 The Ne To, the Writer, and the People 21 PART I: Building Out the House of the Dead 29 1. "Why Is This Man Alive?": The Unconsummated Conversion 31 2. The Disarticulation of the Autobiographical Self 41 3. Opposites That Do Not Attract (The Bezdna and Poetic Truth) and Opposites That Do (Estrangement and Conversion) 50 4. The Dostoevskian "As If": Self-Deception in Autobiography 61 5. The Narrator's Eclipse 72 6. Dostoevsky's Poetics of Conviction 82 PART II: Building Out the House of the Dead 91 1. The Chronotope of Katorga 93 2. Exception, Equality, Emancipation 96 3. Ontological Ambiguity in the Space of Exception: Katorga as Medium 105 4. The Ontology of Crime: Testimony/Confession 115 5. The Flesh of the Political 140 * The Grammar of Katorga 141 * Corporeality and Intercorporeality in Katorga 153 * Dostoevsky's Democratic Aesthetic 160 Conclusion 170 The Russian People, This Unriddled Sphinx 170 Carmen Horrendum 170 Bookishness, Literacy, and Becoming Democratic 176 Where Have All the Peasants Gone? 183 Notes 197 Bibliography 251 Index 263

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Book SynopsisHow did Kafka become Kafka? This eagerly anticipated third and final volume of Reiner Stach's definitive biography of the writer answers that question with more facts and insight than ever before, describing the complex personal, political, and cultural circumstances that shaped the young Franz Kafka (1883-1924). It tells the story of the years froTrade Review"Stach often does quietly brilliant work connecting known details of Kafka's youth to the older Kafka, so the reader can see how events appear (or don't) in the specific subjectivity of Kafka's recollection."--Rivka Galchen, London Review of Books "Stach's book crowns a definitive biographical trilogy 18 years in the making... Kafka: The Early Years, along with its two siblings--all three volumes impeccably translated from the German by Shelley Frisch--often feels like biography plotted as a novel. Stach's relish for detail is marshaled to the sensibility--if not the omniscience or imaginative license--of the novelist... [T]he heft of Stach's research is balanced by interpretive tact and a discerning eye."--Benjamin Balint, Wall Street Journal Praise for the previous volumes: "This is one of the great literary biographies, to be set up there with, or perhaps placed on an even higher shelf than, Richard Ellmann's James Joyce, George Painter's Marcel Proust, and Leon Edel's Henry James... [A]n eerily immediate portrait of one of literature's most enduring and enigmatic masters."--John Banville, New York Review of Books Praise for the previous volumes: "Resplendent."--Gary Giddins, Wall Street Journal Praise for Reiner Stach's biography of Kafka, winner of the 2015 Bavarian Book Prize: "One discovers a new, a different Dr. Franz Kafka of Prague in Reiner Stach's monumental, three-volume biography, which concludes triumphantly with Kafka: The Early Years: Kafka--a techie, a lady-killer, friend, the inventor of 3-D movies, and the prospective author of a series of low-priced travel guides for Europe. Reiner Stach proves that biography can be a literary art form and gives definitive shape to our contemporary image of Kafka."--Bavarian Book Prize jury statement Praise for the previous volumes: "[This] will surely be the definitive biography of one of the 20th century's most mysterious artists. Stach's declared aim is to find out what it felt like to be Kafka, and he succeeds."--John Banville, Irish Times Praise for the previous volumes: "The very best of which the genre is capable. This book is itself a novel."--Imre Kertesz, winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature Praise for the previous volumes: "Superbly tempered... Shelley Frisch, Stach's heroic American translator, movingly reproduces his intended breadth and pace and tone."--Cynthia Ozick, New Republic Praise for the previous volumes: "A definitive biography of a rare writer... [M]asterful."--The Economist Praise for the previous volumes: "Stach aims to tell us all that can be known about [Kafka], avoiding the fancies and extrapolations of earlier biographers. The result is an enthralling synthesis, one that reads beautifully... I can't say enough about the liveliness and richness of Stach's book... Every page of this book feels excited, dynamic, utterly alive."--Michael Dirda, Washington Post Book World Praise for the previous volumes: "Stach's is a splendid effort and will be hard to surpass."--William H. Gass, Harper's Magazine Praise for the previous volumes: "[Stach] has a deep understanding of the world that Kafka came from and this is matched by an intelligence and tact about the impulse behind the work itself."--Colm Toibin, Irish Independent Praise for the previous volumes: "Stach's book succeeds brilliantly at clearing a path through the thick metaphysical fog that has hung about Kafka's work almost since his death... [I]lluminating... Between them, [Frisch] and Stach have produced a superbly fresh imaginative guide to the strange, clear, metaphor-free world of Kafka's prose."--Tim Martin, Telegraph Praise for the previous volumes: "Magnificent."--John Carey, Sunday Times Praise for the previous volumes: "Flawlessly translated... [A] wonderfully intelligent and perceptive portrait of a uniquely powerful writer."--P. D. Smith, Guardian "Magisterial... [Reiner Stach's] portrait of the artist is intimately knowing... [Kafka: The Early Years] completes an indispensable work about a key figure in 20th-century modernism."--Kirkus Reviews "Kafka's eerie short stories and novels have electrified readers for generations, but Stach's portrait of the young Kafka contradicts the legend of their source in an alienated, detached enigma. Readers meet instead a likable, brilliant young insurance lawyer with, as Stach puts it, abundant perfectionism and self-doubt... [A]ll Kafka devotees will find this biography's insights deeply fulfilling."--Publishers Weekly "What Mr. Stach uncovers in this volume--written last because of a long struggle over access to documents--are the formative experiences of a Kafka who becomes new and surprisingly relevant... Even those immersed in the specialist work benefit from the illumination that Mr. Stach's detailed digging brings... In today's age of backlash against globalisation, the arc that Mr. Stach draws between 'The Early Years' and Kafka's later life takes on a new significance."--The Economist "Reiner Stach presents exhaustive details about the young author's life, which, rather than demystifying Kafka, actually have the effect of augmenting his complexity."--Mene Ukueberuwa, New Criterion "Reiner Stach's monumental three-volume Kafka ... looks set to be the definitive biography for the foreseeable future. Here we have something new: a credible and sympathetic human Kafka... The narrative sections of the book are masterly: Stach has a novelist's feel for atmosphere and psychology. He fixes important characters (not just Kafka, but his parents and his teachers, Brod, and several others) to the page in a few deft strokes. And he is truly excellent on Kafka's work, which is the most important thing of all. The central question of any serious literary biography should be: how did this person come to write these books? Stach answers it more fully and persuasively than any previous biographer of Kafka, by revealing in meticulous detail his feelings of personal insignificance and his dread of authority."--Edmund Gordon, Sunday Times "The best thing a biographer of Franz Kafka can do is bring the famed author back to earth. Not as regards his reputation, which is justifiably lofty. But to humanize Kafka and save him from our collective idea of him as some otherworldly creature who spent a mere 40 years on this earth, suffering much and publishing little. Reiner Stach accomplishes just this with the third and final volume of his magnificent biography... [He] strips away the myths and tells the story of how Kafka helped drag literature into the modern era."--John Winters, WBUR's ARTery blog "Stach's account of Kafka becoming Kafka is dotted with unlikely epigraphs (Laurie Anderson, Devo, the Human League) and written with pace and dry wit... Stach is an alert reader of the work, continuously on the prowl for aspects of Kafka's life that may shed light on his preoccupations... Stach's book succeeds because it concentrates less on reducing Kafka to psycho-biographical truisms than on ushering us into his company."--Tim Martin, Prospect "Belongs in the company of the masterpieces of literary biography... [C]omprehensive but raised above mere competency through astonishing architectural beauty. Thanks to the superb work of Stach's translator, Shelley Frisch, the trilogy also stands out in English at the sentence level, for the unbroken clarity, verbal ingenuity, and unflagging momentum of its prose."--Open Letters Monthly "One of the most engaging and persuasive features of [Kafka: The Early Years] ... is the way in which Stach goes far beyond the all-too-familiar neurotic, angst-ridden [Kafka] by presenting us with a variety of lesser-known 'Kafkas.'"--Mark Harman, Los Angeles Review of Books "Superbly translated from German by Shelley Frisch... Illuminating facts and intelligent commentary... The three volumes are so carefully composed and densely woven--blending history, literary analysis, psychological insights, quotes and commentary from others--that it would be practically impossible to produce an abridged version in a single volume."--Alexander Adams, Spiked Review "Stach's whole project is a wonder to behold."--Gregory Day, Sydney Morning Herald "If you are a Kafka fan (or just a fan of great literary biographies), the translation of Reiner Stach's enormous, three-part biography is something not to miss. Now that it has been translated into English by Shelley Frisch, the book offered English-language readers unparalleled insight into Kafka's life, his world, his colleagues, his lovers, his family, and of course his writing. As a longtime Kafka devotee, I found this biography exceptional, not just a great book about Kafka but simply a great book to read."--Scott Esposito, Conversational Reading "[Stach's] mastery of complex material, scrupulous examination of evidence, illuminating portrayal of the historical and intellectual background ranks with Joseph Frank's superb five-volume life of Dostoyevsky."--Jeffrey Meyers, Commonweal "We can trace, through Stach's measured narrative, the full course of Kafka's brief life... The result is not merely a biography of painstaking thoroughness but a piece of psychological investigation and literary detective work without clear parallel. It gives its readers a new Kafka. It explains much that has long seemed obscure; yet, by paradox, the more its author-hero is grounded in his context, and the more we grasp of the initial sources of his imagination, the more unfathomable his gifts become. The haze clears; he stands alone."--Nicolas Rothwell, AustralianTable of ContentsTranslator's Preface ix 1 Nothing Happening in Prague 1 2 The Curtain Rises 7 3 Giants: The Kafkas from Wosek 26 4 Julie Lowy 38 5 Losing Propositions 46 6 Thoughts about Freud 58 7 Kafka, Franz: Model Student 77 8 A City Energized 90 9 Elli, Valli, Ottla 113 10 Latin, Bohemian, Mathematics, and Other Matters of the Heart 122 11 Jewish Lessons 150 12 Innocence and Impudence 171 13 The Path to Freedom 184 14 To Hell with German Studies 204 15 Friend Max 222 16 Enticements 236 17 Informed Circles: Utitz, Weltsch, Fanta, Bergmann 248 18 Autonomy and Recovery 268 19 The Interior Landscape: "Description of a Struggle" 284 2 Doctor of Law Seeking Employment 302 21 Off to the Prostitutes 325 22 Cafes, Geishas, Art, and Cinema 335 23 The Formidable Assistant Offi ial 350 24 The Secret Writing School 370 25 Landing in Brescia 391 26 In the Heart of the West 407 27 Ideas and Spirits: Buber, Steiner, Einstein 420 28 Literature and Tourism 437 Acknowledgments 463 Key to Abbreviations 465 Notes 467 Bibliography 531 Photo Credits 549 Index 551

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"Took captures passionately and in meticulous detail the intellectual journeying Dante took in becoming one of the great portrait artists of the human condition. . . . This is a love letter magisterially crafted, eloquently rendered."---Rachel Moss, Times Higher Education"Powerful new readings."---Peter Hainsworth, Times Literary Supplement"Dante is an altogether authoritative and mighty intellectual biography – superlative in its writing and more than comprehensive in breadth of scope."---David Marx, David Marx Book Reviews

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Book SynopsisOne of the most important writers and thinkers of the Renaissance, Michel de Montaigne (1533-92) helped invent a literary genre that seemed more modern than anything that had come before. But did he do it, as he suggests in his Essays, by retreating to his chateau, turning his back on the world, and stoically detaching himself from his violent timeTrade Review"Philippe Desan, in Montaigne: A Life (Princeton; translated from the French by Steven Rendall and Lisa Neal), his immense new biography ... insists that our 'Chateau d'Yquem' Montaigne, Montaigne the befuddled philosopher and sweet-sharp humanist, is an invention, untrue to the original. Our Montaigne was invented only in the early nineteenth century. The Eyquem family, in their day, made no wine at all. They made their fortune in salted fish--and Desan's project is to give us a salty rather than a sweet Montaigne."--Adam Gopnik, New Yorker "The 'Essays,' Montaigne informed his readers, were written for a 'domestic and private' end and not for 'either you or my own glory.' He presented himself 'in my simple, natural, ordinary fashion, without straining or artifice; for it is myself that I portray.' Philippe Desan's Montaigne: A Life is animated by the purpose of detonating this carefully cultivated image. It is an effort at disenchantment. Montaigne's informality and transparency, in Mr. Desan's telling, were rhetorical strategies and triumphs of artifice. Montaigne's exploration of the private self was not a natural impulse but an adjustment required by the defeat of his considerable political ambitions... [Desan] seeks to drag the solitary genius back into his social milieu, exposing his conventionality. Montaigne claimed to have portrayed himself 'naked' to posterity. Mr. Desan removes the last of his garments."--Jeffrey Collins, Wall Street Journal "Desan, an expert on French essayist Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592), takes readers on a detailed yet sweeping journey through the world of one of the Renaissance's most important literary figures."--Publishers Weekly "Revisiting the public and private life of the extraordinary humanist in light of religious divisions of the 16th century... [Montaigne: A Life is] a hefty biography."--Kirkus "Desan's biography is full of fascinating details about Montaigne and his world."--Glenn Altschuler, Tulsa World "An elaborate, exhaustive, and frequently brilliant restoration of Montaigne's life."--Dominic Green, National ReviewTable of ContentsAcknowledgments ix Prologue xi Introduction xvii Questions of Method and the Politics of a Book xix Part One-Ambitions 1 The Eyquems' Social Ascension 3 A Family Matter 7 "Nobilibus parentibus" 13 Living Nobly 20 "We Latinized Ourselves" 28 The Balance Sheet of a Humanist Education 37 2 A First Career as a Magistrate (1556-1570) 48 Parlementary Habitus 55 From the Cour des Aides in Perigueux to the Parlement in Bordeaux 67 Michel de Montaigne, Royal Councillor 84 The Religious Question 101 3 La Boetie and Montaigne: Discourse on Servitude and Essay of Allegiance 112 The Letter about La Boetie's Death 117 La Boetie's Political Treatises: The Memorandum and the Discourse 123 Voluntary Servitude and Allegiance 133 The Politics of a Friendship 143 4 "Witness My Cannibals": The Encounter with the Indians of the New World 155 Tupinambas and Tabajaras 159 From Rouen to Bordeaux 167 "Their Warfare Is Wholly Noble and Generous" 175 A "Simulacrum of the Truth" 179 5 The Making of a Gentleman (1570-1580) 183 The Break with the Parlement 185 Montaigne as Editor of La Boetie's Works 199 Dedicatees Influential at the Court 207 An Inconvenient Publication 217 An Influential Neighbor: The Marquis of Trans 222 Honorific Rewards and Clientelism 232 Montaigne at Work 246 6 The Essais of 1580: Moral, Political, and Military Discourses 254 "A Discourse on My Life and Actions" 256 The First Reader of the Essais 269 "Of the Battle of Gods" 277 An Apology for Sebond or a Justification of Montaigne? 285 A Skeleton in the Closet 299 A Royal Audience and a Military Siege 307 Part Two-Practices 7 The Call of Rome, or How Montaigne Never Became an Ambassador (1580-1581) 319 On Territory "Subject to the Emperor" 321 The Ambassador's Trade 326 A Montaigne in Spain 351 Montaigne in Rome 357 Paul de Foix and the Suspicion of Heresy 371 Roman Citizen 377 The Essais "Castigated and Brought into Harmony with the Opinions of the Monkish Doctors" 386 The Sociability of the Baths 392 The Travel Journal and the Secretary 401 8 "Messieurs of Bordeaux Elected Me Mayor of Their City" (1581-1585) 408 The Mayor's Book 412 Bordeaux and Its Administration 422 The Public Welfare 436 A Contested Reelection 444 Manager of the City and "Tender Negotiator" 455 An "Administration ... without a Mark or a Trace"? 473 9 "Benignity of the Great" and "Public Ruin" (1585-1588) 482 "Through an Extraordinarily Ticklish Part of the Country" 487 Secret Mission 501 "I Buy Printers in Guienne, Elsewhere They Buy Me" 508 Imprisoned in the Bastille 523 "A Girl in Picardy" 530 Observer at the Estates General of Blois 539 "Actum est de Gallia" 545 10 The Marginalization of Montaigne (1588-1592) 549 A Tranquil Life 551 "The Only Book in the World of Its Kind" 566 From History to the Essay: Commynes and Tacitus 580 Socrates or Political Suicide 589 Montaigne's Death 603 Part Three-Post Mortem 11 Montaigne's Political Posterity 613 Political Appropriations 614 Censure and Morality 621 Epilogue 631 Abbreviations 635 Notes 637 Bibliography 723 Translations Cited 765 Index 767

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Book SynopsisIs George Orwell the most influential writer who ever lived? Yes, according to Rodden's provocative book about the transformation of a man into a myth. He charts the astonishing passage of a litterateur into a legend.Trade Review"The range and depth of Rodden’s knowledge and understanding of post-World War II literature and worldwide responses to Orwell are unparalleled. . . . Becoming George Orwell makes for an engrossing and illuminating read."---Norman Bissell, Orwell Society"As a self-described 'recovering utopian' in tune with his subject’s utopian skepticism, Rodden’s outlook on democratic socialism will resonate with our current political environment. . . . Anyone with an interest in Orwell will appreciate Rodden’s insights and reflections."---Thomas Karel, Library Journal"[Becoming George Orwell] is a grab-bag of Orwelliana. . . . The chapters can stand on their own or, taken together, form an idiosyncratic biography of a consequential life. To read them is to sit in the presence of a veteran scholar at the peak of his powers"---John J. Miller, National Review"Rodden’s book keeps alive the spirit of the man and his imagination."---Shelley Walia, The Hindu"John Rodden, arguably the world’s leading scholar on George Orwell . . . claims that Orwell 'is the most important writer since Shakespeare and the most influential writer who ever lived'. . . . It’s a big claim, but he provides enough evidence to keep literature departments arguing for years."---Dennis Glover, Sydney Morning Herald"A terrific book. An absolute must for fans of George Orwell."---David Marx, David Marx Book Reviews

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Book Synopsis"[O]mits the notes and scholarly apparatus of the hardcover, features a new introduction aimed at students and general readers"--Page 4 of cover.Trade Review"Winner of the 2015 Best Scholarly Edition in Translation, Society for the Study of Early Modern Women""Winner of the 2017 Paul Hair Prize, African Studies Association"

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"Shortlisted for the R. Gapper Book Prize""A major contribution to Sarraute studies. . . . [Jefferson’s] account of Sarraute’s life and career will be indispensable reading not just for scholars, but for anyone who wants to know who Nathalie Sarraute was."---Toril Moi, London Review of Books"[This] compelling biographical portrait leaves no doubt that Sarraute, at least for an elusive moment, cast off old encumbrances and set literature at a new angle to the world."---Benjamin Balint, Wall Street Journal"Ann Jefferson’s scrupulous and deeply knowledgeable biography deserves to revive Sarraute’s reputation. . . . [The] story she tells illuminates a key phase in 20th-century French culture as embodied by one of its most idiosyncratic representatives."---Paul Dean, Hopkins Review"Nathalie Sarraute’s declaration to an interviewer in 1978 summed up a long life (she lived to 99) of passionate, unflinching commitment to writing. Ann Jefferson’s lively and engaging biography of the French novelist and dramatist shows how this commitment often set her at odds with dominant literary fashions."---Michael Cronin, Irish Times

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"Took captures passionately and in meticulous detail the intellectual journeying Dante took in becoming one of the great portrait artists of the human condition. . . . This is a love letter magisterially crafted, eloquently rendered."---Rachel Moss, Times Higher Education"Powerful new readings."---Peter Hainsworth, Times Literary Supplement"Dante is an altogether authoritative and mighty intellectual biography – superlative in its writing and more than comprehensive in breadth of scope."---David Marx, David Marx Book Reviews

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"A remarkable anthology. . . . Blauner’s table of contents reads like a ‘Who’s Who of Intelligent Modern Prose’. . . . This collection amplifies the wisdom of Thoreau for an age that is frequently hard of hearing."---John Kaag, New York Times"Many of the 27 pieces gathered in Andrew Blauner’s anthology Now Comes Good Sailing, by such leading lights as Jennifer Finney Boylan, Adam Gopnik, Lauren Groff and Geoff Wisner, . . . emphasize Thoreau’s exuberant and often funny side, though none do this as memorably as George Howe Colt’s ‘Thoreau on Ice’. . . . And what a wonder to read, in James Marcus’s ‘Thoreau in Love,’ how the erotically stunted Henry opened his heart to Emerson’s wife, Lidian, imagining how, together, they would ‘splice the heavens.’"---Christoph Irmscher, Wall Street Journal"A rich new anthology."---Nina MacLaughlin, Boston Globe"[A] dynamic collection. . . . The contributors address what about Thoreau’s life and writing inspired them, and what he has to say to readers today. . . . The pieces make a convincing case that Thoreau’s work is ever-relevant and deserving of continued wide readership. . . . Thoreau fans will be delighted." * Publishers Weekly *"In graceful, often lyrical essays, the 26 contributors to Blauner’s thoughtful collection . . . consider Thoreau’s meaning in their lives. . . . Candid, often insightful reflections testify to Thoreau’s enduring appeal." * Kirkus *"Now Comes Good Sailing forms a wonderfully incidental biography of Thoreau and proves his immortal value. It will surprise and delight Thoreauvians and newcomers alike"---Alice Bloch, Geographical"Now Comes Good Sailing shows that we shouldn’t dismiss the transcendentalist nor the lessons he learned at Walden. . . . The essays in Now Comes Good Sailing vary widely in tone and style, offering a range of perspectives on how Thoreau’s nineteenth-century writing can still find relevance in 2022."---Austin Price, Earth Island Journal"An intriguing compilation that could lead you to hunt down your own copy of Walden."---Edward Hardy, Brown Alumni Magazine"Most readers will experience this anthology as a welcome imperative, an invitation to take up Thoreau once again." * Choice *

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"Tomaselli’s book moves dexterously between [Wollstonecraft’s] feelings and reasonings, producing a portrait that is both fresh and compelling."---Barbara Taylor, The Guardian"Tomaselli gives us an intimate portrait of the passionate, life-loving woman behind the public moralist. . . . [A] clever and humane book."---Ruth Scurr, The Spectator"As an intellectual biography, Tomaselli’s account is both forensic and fascinating."---Rebecca Abrams, Financial Times"Fortitude is a quality that Tomaselli brings to the fore in her study of Mary Wollstonecraft, sensitively created from an informed overview of her subject’s writings."---Miranda Seymour, New York Review of Books"Rigorously researched and beautifully crafted" * New Humanist *"Sylvana Tomaselli invites us to immerse ourselves into Mary Wollstonecraft’s world, looking at how she regarded family life, politics, current affairs and the roles of men and women in society." * Family Tree Magazine *"Tomaselli has herself written a book which is both inspiring and thought-provoking. In a word, Wollstonecraft: Philosophy, Passion, and Politics should be compulsory reading for all teachers and students of Wollstonecraft and eighteenth-century political thought."---Max Skjönsberg, Intellectual History Review"This book thoughtfully and thematically walks the reader through Wollstonecraft’s work, developing a coherent philosophy from which we still have much to learn. Wollstonecraft: Philosophy, Passion, and Politics is brilliant in its combination of ease of reading, academic rigour and captivating writing. Whether the reader is an undergraduate student, seeking to place Wollstonecraft in greater context, an intrigued member of the public or a seasoned professor of political theory, Tomaselli’s work is accessible to all and has something new to reveal to all of us about a remarkable woman that history is just beginning to remember fully."---Isobel Clare, LSE Review of Books"A very engaging and lively study of a remarkable woman."---David Lorimer, Paradigm Explorer"A pleasure to read."---Jennifer Thorn, Eighteenth-Century Studies Review"A readable, meticulously researched, intellectual biography and introduction to Wollstonecraft’s work that underscores her unwavering desire to create a better, more just world for all humans, not just women."---Ashley Cross, European Romantic Review"Luminous"---Stephen Marston, Marx and Philosophy Review of Books"Tomaselli succeeds in a masterly exposition of every facet of Wollstonecraft’s views. She draws out the complexities, contradictions and changes over time in Wollstonecraft’s thought."---Sheila McGregor, Socialist Review"Tomaselli is a good writer and her research is excellent. This is a thoroughly fascinating book, full of enhancing detail."---Alan Dent, Northern Review of Books

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"A remarkable anthology. . . . Blauner’s table of contents reads like a ‘Who’s Who of Intelligent Modern Prose’. . . . This collection amplifies the wisdom of Thoreau for an age that is frequently hard of hearing."---John Kaag, New York Times"Many of the 27 pieces gathered in Andrew Blauner’s anthology Now Comes Good Sailing, by such leading lights as Jennifer Finney Boylan, Adam Gopnik, Lauren Groff and Geoff Wisner, . . . emphasize Thoreau’s exuberant and often funny side, though none do this as memorably as George Howe Colt’s ‘Thoreau on Ice’. . . . And what a wonder to read, in James Marcus’s ‘Thoreau in Love,’ how the erotically stunted Henry opened his heart to Emerson’s wife, Lidian, imagining how, together, they would ‘splice the heavens.’"---Christoph Irmscher, Wall Street Journal"A rich new anthology."---Nina MacLaughlin, Boston Globe"[A] dynamic collection. . . . The contributors address what about Thoreau’s life and writing inspired them, and what he has to say to readers today. . . . The pieces make a convincing case that Thoreau’s work is ever-relevant and deserving of continued wide readership. . . . Thoreau fans will be delighted." * Publishers Weekly *"In graceful, often lyrical essays, the 26 contributors to Blauner’s thoughtful collection . . . consider Thoreau’s meaning in their lives. . . . Candid, often insightful reflections testify to Thoreau’s enduring appeal." * Kirkus *"Now Comes Good Sailing forms a wonderfully incidental biography of Thoreau and proves his immortal value. It will surprise and delight Thoreauvians and newcomers alike"---Alice Bloch, Geographical"Now Comes Good Sailing shows that we shouldn’t dismiss the transcendentalist nor the lessons he learned at Walden. . . . The essays in Now Comes Good Sailing vary widely in tone and style, offering a range of perspectives on how Thoreau’s nineteenth-century writing can still find relevance in 2022."---Austin Price, Earth Island Journal"An intriguing compilation that could lead you to hunt down your own copy of Walden."---Edward Hardy, Brown Alumni Magazine"Most readers will experience this anthology as a welcome imperative, an invitation to take up Thoreau once again." * Choice *

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"It is Walpole the man who fascinates Mr. Lewis and who, when Mr. Lewis is done, fascinates us." * New Yorker *

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Book SynopsisJoseph Conrad once voiced the hope that from the reading of his pages might "emerge at last the vision of a personality: the man behind the books ...a coherent justifiable personality both in its origin and its actions." Dr. Meyer arrives at a unified picture of Conrad's personality by applying psychoanalytic principles and insights to two main setTable of Contents*Frontmatter, pg. i*Acknowledgments, pg. vii*Contents, pg. ix*Drawings by Joseph Conrad, pg. x*Introduction, pg. 1*I. Youth, pg. 21*II. The Duel, pg. 35*III. The Shadow-Line, pg. 54*IV. A Smile of Fortune, pg. 71*V. 'Twixt Land and Sea, pg. 91*VI. An Outcast of the Islands, pg. 112*VII. The Rescue, pg. 133*VIII. The Secret Sharers, pg. 154*IX. Heart of Darkness, pg. 168*X. The Character of the Foe, pg. 185*XI. Under Polish Eyes, pg. 202*XII. The End of the Tether, pg. 221*XIII. The Rover, pg. 244*XIV. A Personal Record, pg. 267*XV. The Arrow of Gold, pg. 291*XVI. The Black Mate, pg. 317*XVII. Poland Revisited, pg. 339*Bibliographical Notes, pg. 363*Index, pg. 385

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Book SynopsisThe biography of one of the world's most influential African-American writersTrade Review'Finally, the James Baldwin we've been waiting for: the revolutionary, fierce internationalist, queer theorist, anti-imperialist, anti-Zionist, and perhaps the most dangerous thinker of the 20th century. If you want to know the real Baldwin, this is the book to read' -- Robin D. G. Kelley, author of 'Thelonious Monk: The Life and Times of an American Original''A fresh, incisive, and uplifting biography' -- Kirkus'A clear, incisive writer, Mullen succeeds with providing a fresh perspective on an author he so obviously admires. Recommended for readers seeking a broader understanding of the opinions of one of the great writers of the 20th century' -- Library Journal'A smart, concise introduction, well worth a read' -- Guardian'A remarkable biography' -- Le Monde Diplomatique'One of the most important publishing events of this political age. Lucidly and compellingly written, it updates and recontextualizes our knowledge of the complex, humane brilliance of Baldwin, drawing out his importance not only for the ages, but most urgently for our present day. It is a book that angers, moves, and inspires. An indispensable weapon for any activist fighting today's ranging fires' -- David Palumbo-Liu, Louise Hewlett Nixon Professor and Professor of Comparative Literature at Stanford University and author of 'The Deliverance of Others''A welcome contribution to a portrait of the radical Baldwin, untamed by liberal platitudes' -- Jacobin'A scrupulous biography' -- Publishers Weekly'A truly fresh, exciting, comprehensive biography that richly appreciates Baldwin's profound relevance both historically and in this moment' -- Michele Elam, William Robertson Coe Professor at Stanford University and editor of 'The Cambridge Companion to James Baldwin''An important addition to the ongoing assessment and examination of a writer whose legacy remains vital to this day' -- Pop Matters'An incisive, timely exposition of Baldwin's political and intellectual evolution. The historically grounded account of Baldwin's critical synthesis of the major strains of black radicalism that we have long needed' -- James Smethurst, Professor of Afro-American Studies at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and author of 'The Black Arts Movement''An admirably tempered appraisal, in clear and sturdy prose, that will vivify for a new generation the strength and moral clarity of Baldwin and his writing' -- Alan Wald, author of 'The New York Intellectuals: The Rise and Decline of the Anti-Stalinist Left from the 1930s to the 1980s''A truly internationalist and radical reading of an author whose work is only today being fully appreciated. It takes a radical sensibility like Bill Mullen's to draw out the revolutionary potential of the love promised by Baldwin [...] this biography is a step on that road to radical love as a way of life' -- Stefano Harney, co-author of 'The Undercommons: Fugitive Planning & Black Study''Mullen gives us a fresh view of an iconic American literary and revolutionary figure, particularly when it comes to his solidarity with Palestine – a dangerous and unpopular position at the time – which underscores the depth of Baldwin's courage and moral fortitude. This book is an essential contribution to the body of literature examining James Baldwin's extraordinary life' -- Susan Abulhawa, author of 'Mornings in Jenin''Powerful' -- CounterfireTable of ContentsIllustrations Preface to the Paperback Edition Introduction: James Baldwin—A Revolutionary For Our Time 1. Baptism by Fire: Childhood and Youth, 1924–42 2. Dissidence, Disillusionment, Resistance: 1942–48 3. Political Exile and Survival: 1948–57 4. Paying His Dues: 1957–63 5. Baldwin and Black Power: 1963–68 6. Morbid Symptoms and Optimism of the Will: 1968–79 7. Final Acts Postscript: Baldwin’s Queer Legacies Notes Acknowledgments Index

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Book SynopsisJohn Milton was born in 1608 and in the late 1630s he travelled to the Continent where he met, among others, Galileo and Grotius. A staunch republican, he served as Latin secretary to Oliver Cromwell during the Commonwealth. After the restoration of Charles II his life was probably saved by his fame as a poet.

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Book SynopsisA Queer Love Story chronicles the poignant, incisive exchanges and intimate friendship that developed between Jane Rule, lesbian novelist and essayist, and Rick Bébout, gay journalist and activist, as they reflected on and participated in the key issues and events that shaped LGBT communities in the ’80s and ’90s.Trade ReviewThese smart, deeply felt missives constitute a more than 600-page archival record and reference tool. Enhanced by an excellent index, A Queer Love Story will be invaluable to those interested in the history of the queer movement in Canada as viewed by two of its most thoughtful, lifelong participants. -- Steven Maynard, historian of sexuality at Queen's University Kingston * BC Studies *It’s one of history’s all-time great queer love stories. -- Christine Sismondo * Toronto Star *A Queer Love Story … encompasses a quintessential period for the queer community in Canada … What emerges is not merely an engaging portrait of two provocative thinkers, but a snapshot of a period in Canadian history that saw a seismic change in the lives and attitudes and ideas of the nation’s queer community. -- Steven W. Beattie * Quill and Quire - Editor’s Choice, Starred Review *It is a joy reading this correspondence that allows us to truly get to know these two powerhouses of contemporary LGBT history, and to see how they grew as people due to the exchange of ideas and experiences that they shared with each other. -- Rachel Wexelbaum * Lambda Literary Review *A Queer Love Story is a wonderful book full of daily life's details, notes on the writing process, and commentary on gay and lesbian issues. It will introduce younger readers to two exemplary members of the gay community ... I felt privileged to be in the presence of these two gifted, courageous writers, both of whom left the U.S. for Canada when they were young. Imagine a book of 600 pages that seems to end too soon. Will we ever again, in this age of texting, have such a lively, spirited, and revealing correspondence? -- Margaret Cruikshank * The Gay & Lesbian Review *Both Rule and Bebout are fiercely intelligent, thoughtful, opinionated and perceptive writers ... This voluminous and essential collection offers delights on every page: beautifully crafted sentences and astute opinions on racism, health care, same-sex marriage, violence and publishing. -- Kevin Howell, independent reviewer and marketing consultant * Shelf Awareness *In an era when tweets, texts, and e-mails have surpassed the art and practice of letter-writing, this volume will delight historians of the LGBTQ movement and everyday readers. -- Evelyn C. White * Herizons *It is a pleasure and a privilege to “watch” their friendship grow. I highly recommend A Queer Love Story. -- Julie Thompson * The Lesbrary *... a fin-de-siècle dialogue of bicoastal and pan-Canadian sensibilities, A Queer Love Story is a tribute to exemplary citizenship and the ethics of personal responsibility in times of crisis. -- Daniel Gawthrop * The Georgia Straight *Reading a collection of letters can be something of a guilty pleasure. Marilyn Schuster’s edition of the letters of Jane Rule and Rick Bébout, by contrast, is a moving experience, deftly mingling genres of memoir, diary, and essay. Though reduced by three-quarters from the carefully chronologized 2700-page collection both correspondents agreed to present to the editor, covering fifteen eventful years of their correspondence (1981-1995), A Queer Love Story offers a deeply personal view of academic and publishing life from two of Canada’s leading gay authors. -- Patricia Demers * The Ormsby Review *Table of ContentsForeword / Margaret AtwoodIntroduction1981 “Any question of such censorship”1982 “An odd flu”1983 “It’s raining men”1984 “Moved by a stranger”1985 “Why is a star a word for the exceptional?”1986 “What is it we want when we want sex?”1987 “Life and its sheer wonder”1988 “Loving is a way of being”1989 “Xenophilia”1990 “The dying of the light”1991 “There is no fault”1992 “A lesbian in the ’40s”1993 “It’s all right (even useful) to write drunk, as long as one edits sober”1994 “I accept this degree”1995 “A public space for our views and values”The Last Chapter “I will do my best to live up to you”Dramatis PersonaeNotes

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Book SynopsisThe Letters of Charles and Mary Anne Lamb totals five or six volumes, and presents nearly 1200 letters written by Charles and Mary, singly or together. The correspondence is fully annotated, the volumes are illustrated, and the holographic idiosyncrasies of the originals are rendered typographically wherever possible.

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Book Synopsis"Still, we have the same solitude, the same journeys and searching, and the same favorite turns in the labyrinth of literature and history."—Boris Pasternak to Marina Tsvetaeva One of the most compelling episodes of twentieth-century Russian...Trade Review"Catherine Ciepiela's accomplished account of the correspondence between Tsvetaeva and Pasternak weaves together literary criticism, history, psychology, and gender studies. Firmly grounded in the Russian and Soviet poetic discourse of the 1920s and 1930s, full of controversial, thought-provoking insights, the narrative succeeds, above all, in bringing to life these two great poets, whose voices intertwine and draw apart in an immortal dance of words—letters, poems, arguments, confessions—performed across an ever-deepening gulf of families, politics, and time." -- Olga Grushin, author of The Dream Life of Sukhanov"Catherine Ciepiela's book offers the most detailed account in English of the complex relationship of two great twentieth-century Russian poets, Marina Tsvetaeva and Boris Pasternak. It is remarkable for its very careful, illuminating, and nuanced analysis of their poetic philosophy and hermetic lyrical statements. The Same Solitude is an essential work for everyone interested in early twentieth century Russian literature. It places Ciepiela in the circle of the most authoritative specialists in Russian poetry." -- Lazar Fleishman, Stanford University"Married to others and barely meeting in their temporal lives, Boris Pasternak and Marina Tsvetaeva, two of Modernism's great poets of desire, carried on in poems and letters an enduring and passionate love affair. One stayed in Russia, committed for a while to the Revolution; the other emigrated to Paris then returned. One was a survivor, the other, eventually, a suicide. Disentangling the correspondences encrypted in their poems, Catherine Ciepiela achieves a remarkable and moving work of criticism and biography that illuminates a crucial relationship in twentieth-century literary history." -- Honor Moore, author of Red Shoes"Pasternak (1899–1960) was a Russian writer and poet best known for his novel Doctor Zhivago. Tsvetaeva (1892–1941) was also a Russian poet, whose work was distinctive for its powerful rhythms and lyrical directness. She lived in exile after 1922 but returned to the Soviet Union in 1939 and committed suicide two years later. When they discovered each other's poetry in 1922, they were just emerging as significant poets of their generation. Ciepiela reveals that their relationship was conducted almost entirely through text—'We have nothing except words, we're fated to them'—and that the task of telling this story is largely one of textual interpretation. The book's first two chapters chronicle the poets' evolving relationship in chronological fashion, moving back and forth between both sides of the conversation. The poems included here appear in both English and Russian. Drawing on previously untranslated letters and poems, Ciepiela details the poets' mutual influence in both their lives and their art." -- George Cohen, Booklist, August 2006"The Same Solitude is a fine study of the passionate fourteen-year epistolary conversation between the two poets and its fruits in their art.... Ciepiela, with admirable tact and erudition, maps the movement between emotional experience registered in the letters, and the metrical, rhythmic, metaphorical, and myth-laden structures of verse." -- Rachel Polonsky, Times Literary Supplement, August 3, 2007"With few exceptions, the true poetic impulse of Boris Pasternak and Marina Tsvetaeva comes across in the prose of their letters, the outlet available to their passionate and mercurial imaginations in an era when a published poem exuding a hint of the wrong sentiment could condemn a poet to exile or death. In The Same Solitude, with a blend of what Pasternak called 'the almighty God of details'—poems, letters, and essays both by and about them—and a degree of insight that borders on the uncanny, Catherine Ciepiela gives us a chance to experience the shudder of recognition." -- Mark Rudman, winner of the National Book Critics Award for his poetic quintet, Rider, The Millennium Hotel, Provoked in Venice, The Couple, and Sundays on the Phone, and translator of Boris Pasternak's My Sister-Life"With its impeccable scholarship, theoretical acumen, and rich, resourceful close readings, Catherine Ciepiela's The Same Solitude marks a major contribution to the study of Russian modernist poetry and gender." -- Clare Cavanagh, Herman and Beulah Pearce Miller Research Professor in Literature, Northwestern University

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Book SynopsisKuriyama's new biography reconstructs the eventful life of a radically innovative playwright who flourished briefly and died violently more than four hundred years ago, yet persists in the romantic imagination even today.Trade ReviewAlthough Kuriyama devotes plenty of space to the writer's posthumous progress,... the real value of her book lies in the prevailing skepticism with which she treats her subject: the documentary evidence and the conspiracy theories favored throughout the past century. -- Michael Caines * Times Literary Supplement *Constance Brown Kuriyama's new book on Christopher Marlowe offers a refreshing counter to some of the more speculative and conspiracy-theory oriented works of literary biography on the young playwright. In her methodological introduction she presents a candid and honest overview of the demands and pitfalls of biographical writing and illustrates some of the dangers for Marlowe scholarship of valorizing a documentary-based approach without considering the immediate context of chosen primary materials.... Kuriyama's book is clearly presented with chapters structured around successive stages of Marlowe's personal development.... As a readable introduction to the playwright's life this book offers students a highly commendable combination of both primary and secondary material. -- Matthew Woodcock * Sixteenth Century Journal *Double agents, barroom brawls, counterfeit coins, paid informants, hired henchmen, intelligence networks spanning foreign locales, and dashing gents sent on clandestine missions for Her Majesty's secret service—descriptions from the most recent James Bond film? No, just some of the disputed details from Constance Brown Kuriyama's new biography of Christopher Marlowe.... My own sense is that the actual 'facts' of the poet and playwright's life lie somewhere between the wild speculations of Marlowe's more imaginative biographer's and Kuriyama's necessary and important corrective to them. -- Robert Sawyer * South Atlantic Review *In this more speculative life of Marlowe, Kuriyama provides insightful details into English education, politics, and religion during the Renaissance. * Library Journal *Kuriyama has written a smart 'life' shot through with learning—a timely look at the most notorious early modern 'badboy' and his reputation. * Studies in English Literature *Table of ContentsIntroduction 1. A Canterbury Tale 2. Fetching Gentry from the University 3. Commencing M.A.: Acquaintances, Friends, and Connections 4. A Poet's Life in London 5. Lord Strange and Thomas Walsingham 6. Fortune Turns Base 7. A Trim Reckoning 8. The Dead Shepherd 9. Marlow Lost and FoundAppendix: Transcriptions and Translations of Selected Documents References Index

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Book SynopsisCharles Baudelaire is often regarded as the founder of modernist poetry. Written with clarity and verve, Baudelaire's World provides English-language readers with the biographical, historical, and cultural contexts that will lead to a fuller...Trade ReviewTranslators are moody darlings—here ecstatic, there mischievous and ready to betray—and criticism is not more faithful either. Aware of this predicament, Lloyd does not only propose a reading but, most significantly, provides a rich ground on which other readings can be drawn. Ultimately, Baudelaire's World has many entries, and many streets entice the reader with illicit charms. * Literary Research/Recherche Litteraire *Drawing on her own translations as well as those of other poets, Lloyd offers a lively discourse on the possibilities and limitations of translation. For academic libraries with large collections of poetry and poetic criticism. * Library Journal *The prose is lively, passionate, even humorous, and scrupulously researched. * Times Literary Supplement *Lloyd's objective is to scrutinize the culture and influences that shaped the French poet. She does not recapitulate his life, except to illustrate something in the verse.... Few conventional biographies, though, offer so clear a picture of personality and thought process as does Lloyd's critical study. * The New Leader *Rosemary Lloyd's latest book brings a fresh approach to Baudelaire studies, thanks to the savvy use of English translations to stress elements easily lost or unappreciated by non-French readers.... Although not a biography in the full sense, her study avoids separating the man and the work. Lloyd wants to indicate how a reading that honors the complexities of his writings might proceed. And in this respect Baudelaire's World achieves its goal.... Accompanied by some previously unpublished illustrations and printed in an edition at once environmentally responsible and esthetically attractive, Rosemary Lloyd's Baudelaire's World makes a nice acquisition for undergraduate as well as graduate libraries. For Baudelaire specialists there are some excellent finds—such as the plate from Francois Baudelaire's illustrated Latin vocabulary—as well as Lloyd's exemplary translations and shrewd assessments of other translations. Specialists will also be usefully directed to lesser-known aspects of the many-sided Baudelaire. For the non-specialist seeking an introduction, Baudelaire's World is a fine place to start: thorough, balanced, thoughtful, amusing and pleasingly written. * Nineteenth-Century French Studies *

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Book Synopsis"Chekhov's keen powers of observation have been remarked by both memoirists who knew him well and scholars who approach him only through the written record and across the distance of many decades. To apprehend Chekhov means seeing how Chekhov sees...Trade Review"Chekhov was a master at deflecting critical attention away from his own personality, both in his writing and in his private life. But he reckoned without the supreme forensic skills of a scholar such as Michael C. Finke, who seeks to probe beneath the layers of dusty cliché that have accumulated during the past century. In his incisive new book, Finke lays Chekhov bare by marshaling an impressive arsenal of analytical tools and by playing the writer at his own game, using X-ray vision to penetrate the unexpected points of contact between the life and the creative work. It is exhilarating to see Chekhov through Finke's eyes." -- Rosamund Bartlett, author of Chekhov: Scenes from a Life"In Seeing Chekhov, Michael C. Finke succeeds in integrating Chekhov's life and work, his art and his science, his role as a physician and as a patient, as a dramatist and a prose writer, the personal and the professional, the pseudonyms that efface his identity and those that all but proclaim it. Chekhov's preference for not being seen, as it turns out, demands that we examine his strategies of hiding rather than obligingly averting our eyes. The payoff in terms of insight into Chekhov's poetics is enormous." -- Cathy Popkin, Lionel Trilling Professor in the Humanities, Columbia University"Michael C. Finke has written an outstanding and innovative piece of work: a psychobiography of Chekhov the man and writer based on deep and sensitive readings of the Russian author's prose, plays, and letters, and of extensive biographical writings and materials. Thoroughly informed, Finke does not merely talk 'about' Chekhov or rehash general ideas, but opens up an unknown Chekhov, or, in any case, aspects of the man that the writer, Chekhov, rigorously guarded, and that have hitherto been seen or described mostly from the outside, and apart from Chekhov's writing and poetics. 'Seeing, being seen, hiding and showing,' in Finke's words, are signal concepts for exploring Chekhov the man and the writer. Here is a book that will interest both a wide range of specialists and the interested general reader." -- Robert Louis Jackson, B. E. Bensinger Professor Emeritus of Slavic Languages and Literatures, Yale University

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Book SynopsisAdam Mickiewicz (1798–1855), Poland's national poet, was one of the extraordinary personalities of the age. In chronicling the events of his life—his travels, numerous loves, a troubled marriage, years spent as a member of a heterodox religious sect...Trade ReviewThe best-researched and most readable biography of a major Romantic figure since Kenneth Johnston's 1998 book The Hidden Wordsworth, Roman Koropeckyj's Adam Mickiewicz: The Life of a Romantic covers the Polish national poet's life and works against the background of post-Napleonic Europe with scholarly sophistication, detailed accuracy, and masterful contextualization. The chapter on the years 1841–1846 is especially meticulous in its suggestive evocation of Mickiewicz's relationship with the trends and major Romantics of his time, and sets out beautifully the life and times of his reputation prior to his role in organizing the Polish legion in Italy. A model for future biographies of Romantics, Koropeckyj's work stands as a key source for future study of Polish Romanticism. * Prism *This superb, meticulously researched, richly detailed book places the great Polish Romantic poet and patriot in the midst of European events of his time.... Koropeckyj portrays Mickiewicz (1798–1855) as a genuine human being full of Romantic thoughts and intentions yet distracted by amorous advances and his allegiance to Andrzej Towianski's schism. The flowing narrative is firmly grounded in scholarly research.... Providing vivid descriptions of historical events, political struggles, and Romantic turmoils in Europe, Koropeckyj reveals details unknown even to avid scholars of Polish literature. * Choice *

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Book SynopsisIn the middle of the night of October 28, 1910, Leo Tolstoy, the most famous man in Russia, vanished. A secular saint revered for his literary genius, pacificism, and dedication to the earth and the poor, Tolstoy had left his home in secret to embark on a final journey. His disappearance immediately became a national sensation. Two days later he was located at a monastery, but was soon gone again. When he turned up next at Astapovo, a small, remote railway station, all of Russia was following the story. As he lay dying of pneumonia, he became the hero of a national narrative of immense significance.In The Death of Tolstoy, William Nickell describes a Russia engaged in a war of words over how this story should be told. The Orthodox Church, which had excommunicated Tolstoy in 1901, first argued that he had returned to the fold and then came out against his beliefs more vehemently than ever. Police spies sent by the state tracked his every move, fearing that his death wouTrade ReviewWilliam Nickell describes the death drama itself as Russia's first great mass media event. The room in the stationmaster's house in Astapovo where the dying Tolstoy was lodged was the eye of a news hurricane.... It comes through from Nickell's account that Russians believed something died for ever at Astapovo. -- James Meek * London Review of Books *Table of ContentsIntroduction 1. The Family Crisis as a Public Event 2. Narrative Transfigurations of Tolstoy's Final Journey 3. The Media at Astapovo and the Creation of a Modern Pastoral 4. Tolstoyan Violence upon the Funeral Rites of the State 5. On or About November 1910 Conclusion: The Posthumous Notes of Fyodor KuzmichA Word on My Sources Notes Index

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Book SynopsisGod only knows how many diverse, captivating impressions and thoughts evoked by these impressions... pass in a single day. If it were only possible to render them in such a way that I could easily read myself and that others could read me as I do... Such was the desire of the young Tolstoy. Although he knew that this narrative utopiaturning the totality of his life into a bookwould remain unfulfilled, Tolstoy would spend the rest of his life attempting to achieve it. Who, What Am I? is an account of Tolstoy''s lifelong attempt to find adequate ways to represent the self, to probe its limits and, ultimately, to arrive at an identity not based on the bodily self and its accumulated life experience.This book guides readers through the voluminous, highly personal nonfiction writings that Tolstoy produced from the 1850s until his death in 1910. The variety of these texts is enormous, including diaries, religious tracts, personal confessions, letters, autobiographical fragments, anTrade ReviewOffers a rare exploration into the internal world of Tolstoy by examining his nonfictional, first-person writings, including diaries, letters, reminiscences, autobiographical and confessional statements, and essays.... Paperno makes an invaluable contribution to Tolstoy scholarship. -- R. A. Erb * CHOICE *Paperno reads all his [Tolstoy’s] writings in relation to the central project of his life: the transformation of his life into a book that would teach others how to live.... ‘Who, What Am I?’ is an important book that will become a standard source for students, general readers and scholars alike. * SLAVONIC AND EAST EUROPEAN REVIEW *Paperno deftly shows how Tolstoi's attempt to write an autobiography failed, but his perceived failure at capturing the moral, philosophical, and technical issues accurately becomes a testament to his literary honesty (102). "Who, What Am I?" is highly important for any Tolstoi researcher, as it brings together the whole of his writings dealing with the exploration of the self. -- Radha Balasubramanian * Slavic Review *This is a relatively short book, yet it is rich in content, taking on some of the most important and challenging problems Tolstoy faced as a writer and thinker. [Irina Paperno] draws on a full range of Tolstoy's nonfiction writings from the 1850s until his death in 1910: diaries, letters, reminiscences, autobiographical and confessional statements, essays, and religious tracts. In addition, her book is informed by vast reading in other sources, primary and secondary. -- Randall A. Poole * The Russian Review *Table of ContentsIntroductionChapter 1. "So That I Could Easily Read Myself": Tolstoy's Early DiariesTolstoy Starts a Diary—The Moral Vision of Self and the Temporal Order of Narrative—What Is Time? Cultural Precedents—“A History of Yesterday”— Time and Narrative—The Dream: The Hidden Recesses of Time—What Am I? The Young Tolstoy Defines Himself—What Am I? Cultural PrecedentsInterlude: Between Personal Documents and FictionFrom Diaries to Childhood: Tolstoy Becomes a Writer (1852)—“I Think I Will Never Write Again”: Tolstoy Attempts to Renounce Literature (1859)—“I . . . Don’t Even Think about the Accursed Lit-t-terature and Lit-t-terateurs”: Tolstoy Renounces Literature Again (1870); and Again (1874–75)Chapter 2. “To Tell One’s Faith Is Impossible. . . . How to Tell That Which I Live By. I’ll Tell You, All the Same. . . .” Tolstoy in His Correspondence“What Is My Life? What Am I?”: Tolstoy’s Philosophical Dialogue with Nikolai Strakhov—“I Wish that You, Instead of Reading Anna Kar [ enina ], Would Finish It. . . .”—“In the Form of Catechism,” “In the Form of a Dialogue”—To Tell One’s Life—Rousseau and His Profession/Confession—The Parting of Ways: Tolstoy Writes His Confession, and Strakhov Continues to Confess in His Letters to TolstoyChapter 3. Tolstoy’s Confession : What Am I?Tolstoy Publishes his Confession—The Conversion Narrative: Excursus on the Genre—Tolstoy’s Confession : Step by Step—Tolstoy’s Confession Related to Rousseau’s and Augustine’s—After Confession: “Presenting Christ’s Teaching as Something New after 1,800 Years of Christianity”—Coda: Tolstoy’s InfluenceChapter 4. “To Write My Life ”: Tolstoy Tries, and Fails, to Produce a Memoir or AutobiographyThe Author Biography—“My Life”: “On the Basis of My Own Memories”—“Reminiscences”: “More Useful Than All That Artistic Prattle with Which the Twelve Volumes of My Works Are Filled”—“Reminiscences”: “I Cannot Provide a Coherent Description of Events and States of Mind”—“The Green Stick”: “Où Suis-Je? Pourquoi Suis-Je? Que Suis-Je?”—Tolstoy and the Autobiographical TraditionChapter 5. “What Should We Do Then?”: Tolstoy on Self and Other“Why Have You, a Man from a Different World, Stopped near Us? Who Are You?”—Master and Slave: Tolstoy Rewrites Hegel—Tolstoy and the Washerwoman—The Order of Things: The Church, the State, the Arts and Sciences—“Master and Man”—Coda: Nonparticipation in EvilChapter 6. “I Felt a Completely New Liberation from Personality”: Tolstoy’s Late DiariesTolstoy Resumes his Diary—The Temporal Order of Narrative: The Last Day—“On Life and Death ”—The Diary as a Spiritual Exercise—“I, the Body, Is Such a Disgusting Chamber Pot”—“I Am Conscious of Myself Being Conscious of Myself Being Conscious of Myself. . . .”—“I Have Lost the Memory of Everything, Almost Everything. . . . How Can One Not Rejoice at the Loss of Memory?”—Sleeping, Dreaming, and Awakening—Tolstoy’s Dreams—Dreams: The World beyond Time and Representation—The Book of life: “It Is Written on Time”—The Circle of Reading: “To Replace the Consciousness of Leo Tolstoy with the Consciousness of All Humankind”—“The Death of Socrates”—Tolstoy’s DeathAppendix: Russian QuotationsNotesIndex

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Book SynopsisIn the first book centering on the collaborative relationship between Charles Dickens and Wilkie Collins, Lillian Nayder places their coauthored works in the context of the Victorian publishing industry and shows how their fiction and drama represent and reconfigure their sometimes strained relationship. She challenges the widely accepted image of Dickens as a mentor of younger writers such as Collins, points to the ways in which Dickens controlled and profited from his literary satellites, and charts Collins''s development as an increasingly significant and independent author. The pair''s collaborations for Household Words and All the Year Round explicitly addressed Victorian labor disputes and political unrest, and Nayder reads the stories in terms of the social and imperial conflicts that both provided their themes and enabled Dickens and Collins to mediate their own personal and professional differences. Nayder''s discussion of the collaboration and its prinTrade ReviewUnequal Partners is a well-written, well-researched, sharply focused book that excels in training our attention on the asymmetries of Dickens's and Collins's professional relationship. In the early 1850's, Dickens was clearly the master, Collins the apprentice, but this model gradually lost applicability as Collins matured as a writer. * Novel *For more than a century, Wilkie Collins's reputation has been overshadowed by that of Charles Dickens, a situation that Nayder goes far toward rectifying.... Nayder's critiques of Collins's The Moonstone faced off by Dickens's The Mystery of Edwin Drood are highlights in this study. * Choice *In Unequal Partners, Nayder graphs a progressively difficult partnership from Collins's initial hero-worship of The Inimitable,... through a more equitable division of labors which still excluded control of the total artistic vision of a work, to Collins's parting company with Dickens in 1862 after eight Christmas Stories.... When Collins returned, he was an established author prepared to challenge the authority of the journal's 'Conductor.' Finally, Nayder provides a refreshing and challenging reading of The Moonstone and The Mystery of Edwin Drood as diametrically opposed in matters of gender and race. * Victorian Web *Nayder's juxtaposition of fact and fiction, and her painstaking scholarship, offer fresh insights which renew interest in works which seemingly contain a key to the productive, yet often strained, alliance, between these two nineteenth-century authors. * Yearbook of English Studies *The Dickens/Collins collaborations and competitions were productive in the authors' lifetimes and subsequently. Lillian Nayder's thorough, clear, and partisan account of Collins's role will assuredly be answered by Dickensians. But they had better consider all her evidence, including the ambiguous, changing material conditions of writing that affected both authors' careers. For she has constructed an exemplary case for the subordinate who rose from dependent to independent Victorian author. * Victorian Periodical Review *Table of ContentsList of IllustrationsThe Collaborations of Dickens and CollinsAcknowledgmentsIntroduction1. Professional Writers and Hired Hands: Household Words and the Victorian Publishing Business2. Collins Joins Dickens's Management Team: "The Wreck of the Golden Mary"3. The Cannibal, the Nurse, and the Cook: Variants of The Frozen Deep4. Class Consciousness and the Indian Mutiny: The Collaborative Fiction of 18575. "No Thoroughfare": The Problem of Illegitimacy6. Crimes of the Empire, Contagion of the East: The Moonstone and The Mystery of Edwin DroodConclusion—"This Unclean Spirit of Imitation": Dickens and the "Problem" of Collins's InfluenceWorks CitedIndex

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Book SynopsisWhether revered for his masculinity, condemned as an icon of machismo, or perceived as possessing complex androgynous characteristics, Ernest Hemingway is acknowledged to be one of the most important twentieth-century American novelists. For Debra A...Trade ReviewHemingway studies has long needed a book like Reading Desire. -- Carl P. Eby * American Literature *

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Book SynopsisBefore the Second World War and long before the second wave of feminism, Virginia Woolf argued that women's experience, particularly in the women's movement, could be the basis for transformative social change. Grounding Virginia Woolf's feminist...Trade ReviewBlack... provides an excellent account of the textual evolution and development of Woolf's feminism.... Black effectively combats the image of Woolf as an aloof artist by enriching our understanding of the feminist contexts in which she worked. * College Literature *In this convincing new study, Black (political science and women's studies, York Univ., Toronto) demonstrates that Woolf's book-length essay Three Guineas is the clearest, most explicit statement of her feminism—a philosophy Woolf referred to as the 'life of natural happiness.' Black provides a meticulously researched examination of 'Three Guineas,' contending that it is central to Woolf's large body of work. In addition, she carefully considers different versions of the text, along with Woolf's other works; her contacts with the various women's organizations promoting the suffrage movement; and her beliefs about how the world can be transformed into a peaceful society.... Highly recommended for academic libraries. * Library Journal *Perhaps none of Virginia Woolf's works has been so little loved and ill-understood as Three Guineas.... But now, thanks to Virginia Woolf as Feminist, Naomi Black's learned, tireless argument in favor of this deliberately obdurate work, readers may come to appreciate this most uncompromising of Woolf's feminist pronouncements. Black's major and sustained claim is that Three Guineas is an intrinsically feminist work whose anti-war attitudes cannot be disassociated from Woolf's assault on masculinist privilege and domination.... These details, coupled with accurate paraphrase and citation of Woolf's arguments, give Black's study its quiet and insistent authority. Virginia Woolf as Feminist... has some new-fashioned, and urgent, literary and historical work to perform, as Black makes clear in the fervid argument she makes for Three Guineas continuing relevance for feminism in the third millennium. She admits Woolf's relative neglect of sexuality and class in her feminist writings, issues that trouble our own time, but in return asks us to consider how much Woolf has to say about women's health issues and the racial politics that also preoccupy us. In closing, she refers to the recent wars in Afghanistan and Chechnya to impress upon us how the feminist objectives underwritten by Woolf's three guineas—'democratization, education, and public professional activity'—still represent a program for political transformation. * English Literature in Transition, 1880–1920 *This book feels remarkably short at 200 pages, and at the end of it I feel—and this is not a criticism—that there is much more to be said about Woolf's feminism: 'We will never, in any simple sense, fully understand either Three Guineas or the feminism it represents'. This is one of those few books that I wish I had been (cap)able to write. The reason I have quoted from it so extensively is that Naomi Black expresses so clearly the arguments she is making. * Virginia Woolf Bulletin *

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Book SynopsisUpon his death in 1898, the French Symbolist poet Stephane Mallarmé (b. 1842) left behind a body of published work which though modest in quantity was to have a seminal influence on subsequent poetry and aesthetic theory. He also enjoyed an...Trade ReviewAn extremely thoughtful and well-documented new study, a book that sheds as much light on the cultural dynamics of the fin-de-siecle as it does on the aesthetics, ethics, and personality of Mallarmé himself.... In the end, Lloyd skillfully demonstrates that Mallarmé's correspondence holds much hidden significance. * French Forum *Lloyd's richly insightful study focuses on the way Mallarmé's correspondence with his friends and acquaintances (his circle) sheds light on the process of poetic composition.... Lloyd's style is elegant rather than artful, and the erudition of the author, while understated, is apparent on every page. * French Review *The book places Mallarmé within the blazing late-19th-century Parisian artistic ferment and offers credible looks at the origins of his endlessly complicated and beautiful work. * Publishers Weekly *Rosemary Lloyd's book stands out among recent publications on Mallarmé for its readability and its intimate portrait of the poet in the context of his times. * The European Legacy *This articulate literary biography... sheds new and important light on Mallarmé's own poems and essays.... An important addition to large public as well as scholarly collections,... this volume will be a sine qua non for any library supporting serious study in poetry, art, and music of late 19th-century France. Endnotes, a substantial bibliography, a useful index, and excellent print, paper, and binding add to the book's value. * Choice *Throughout her book Lloyd segues gracefully from the poet's life and milieu to his poems, always matched with her first-rate translations and subtle explications. While insisting on the everyday simplicity of Mallarmé's symbols (mirrors, sunsets, vases) she never tries to explain away the poems' irreducible complexity. This is biographical criticism of the highest order; it is also an absorbing portrait of a dazzling subculture. * Times Literary Supplement *

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewSteven Gould Axelrod's new book should be considered the definitive study of Plath... [It] enlarges our view of Plath's work and provides important new interpretations of poems we might have imagined we knew well. This book is essential reading for all critics of Plath's work. -- Margaret Dickie Journal of English and Germanic PhilologyTable of ContentsPrefaceAcknowledgmentsPart I. "Great Works May Speak from Me"Part II. "Jealous Gods"Part III. "A Women Famoud among Women"Part IV. "There Are Two of Me Now"Works CitedIndex

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Book SynopsisBased on exhaustive research in the Poe family archive, Quinn extracts the life from the legend, and describes how they both were distorted by prior biographies. "Trade ReviewWithout warning, without any preliminary fanfare of trumpets, a book has now appeared that towers above others of its kind, a book in which resourceful scholarship and a lucid gift of expression are happily joined. I wish I could recapture all I have recklessly said in praise of other books and concentrate it here. BooksTable of ContentsList of IllustrationsForewordPreface Chapter 1. The HeritageChapter 2. Richmond–The Early YearsChapter 3. The School Days in EnglandChapter 4. Richmond Again, 1820–1826Chapter 5. The University of VirginiaChapter 6. "Tamerlane" and the ArmyChapter 7. Hope Deferred – "Al Aaraaf"Chapter 8. West Point and the "Poems" of 1831Chapter 9. Baltimore – The Early FictionChapter 10. The Editor of the "Messenger"Chapter 11. Philadelphia – The "Tales of the Grotesque and Arabesque"Chapter 12. At the Summit – The Editor of "Graham's Magazine"Chapter 13. Following the IllusinChapter 14. New York – "The Raven" and Other MattersChapter 15. The "Broadway Journal" and the "Poems" of 1845Chapter 16. Widening Horizons – Friends and EnemiesChapter 17. "Eureka"Chapter 18. To Helen and For AnnieChapter 19. Richmond – The Last AppealChapter 20. The Recoil of FateAppendicesBibliographyIndex

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Book SynopsisBrilliantly written and thoroughly researched, Dickens provides an absorbing and perceptive account of its subject as a singularly complex man and a consummate artist, offering readers new insights into Dickens's-and literature's-greatest works, works such as Bleak House, David Copperfield, Great Expectations, and Oliver Twist.Trade ReviewDickens by Fred Kaplan may do for our greatest writer after Shakespeare what Ellman did for Oscar Wilde... A brilliantly readable work and one essential for all of us who care about the man who, for all his faults, remained 'The Inimitable' and 'The Sparkler' to the end. -- John Mortimer Spectator Fred Kaplan's Dickens ... would be valuable if only because it takes into account the reams of research that have been published in the intervening years; but it is also well proportioned, persuasive in its judgments and consistently, grippingly readable. -- John Gross New York Times Kaplan has spent ten years preparing and writing this book; his achievement is as rare, as wonderful, as the Dickens he brings to life. We are all the beneficiaries of this exceptional biography. -- A. D. Hutter Los Angeles Times A winning mix of insight, narrative skill and shrewd judgement. Kaplan shows how powerfully both as a man and artist Dickens was shaped by the experience of his youth: on the one hand the humiliations showered on him by his penurious and feckless parents, on the other his mental escape into the bright world of the 18th-century novel which gave him his models for good and bad character. Publishers Weekly Kaplan is particularly good... on the shape and perspective of Dickens's career, his relation with his younger siblings, all of whom he outlived, and with his own children and their developing private lives. To be fully understood as a writer he needs to be put in this sort of family frame. -- John Bayley New York Review of Books Perhaps the most impressive aspect of Mr. Kaplan's biography is its picture of Dickens's professional life and friendships: one senses anew the extraordinary competitive vigor of the Victorian imperial personality. Mr. Kaplan's objective presentation of the facts about the colossus of the age gives us a far better sense of its shape and scale than any facile charm might conjure up. His clarity is the highest form of respect and affection for his astonishing subject. -- Richard Locke Wall Street Journal

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Book SynopsisLife in a Quebec manor-house at the turn of the century is colourfully described in this biography of his childhood by Robert de Roquebrune. Skilfully woven into the texture of reminiscences about his own growing up are absorbing accounts of the early history of Canada. Through his ancestors, whose careers and personalities live vividly in accounts preserved by the family, there is a strong feeling for the continuity of life and traditions from the France of Louis XIII to what was to become of the province of Quebec.This is the first time this classic of French Canada has been translated into English.

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Book SynopsisAmericans, expatriates, and virtually orphans, Gertrude and Leo Stein, lived together for almost forty years, collaborating in one of the great artistic and literary adventures of the twentieth century. This biography tells the story of that adventure and relationship.Trade Review“A luminous, harrowing achievement for which all students of literature and art, as well as of families, are in Brenda Wineapple's debt.”—Richard Howard“Brenda Wineapple brilliantly disentwines the record of Stein's life from the image of it that Stein and her allies created. . . . Wineapple's narrative is fluent and clear . . . fascinating.”—San Francisco Chronicle“Wineapple illuminates the distinct and tremendously influential personalities of Gertrude and Leo Stein as well as the intricate nature of their intense but doomed relationship.”—Booklist“Wineapple tells a dramatically compelling story; her analysis is insightful, her meticulous documentation unobtrusive. She has written an absorbing account of two extraordinary siblings.”—Washington Post Book World“Ms. Wineapple does an impressive job of setting down the facts of the Steins' eventful lives. . . . [An] ambitious biography.”—New York Times Book Review“Drawing on rich archival sources, and interpreting them judiciously and sensitively, Wineapple gives us a fresh picture of Stein, many of her relatives, and especially the sibling to whom she was closest: her brilliant, intense brother Leo.”—Linda Simon, Boston Globe“Sister Brother is a beautifully even-handed and penetrating treatment. This biography is indispensable for students of Gertrude Stein and of modernism, and will be a delight to lovers of art and to all those interested in what Wineapple calls ‘the romance of families.’”—Toronto Globe and Mail“A riveting joint profile of Gertrude and Leo Stein. . . . A wild, Fauve-like canvas of a time before emotional color was muted by Prozac.”—M. G. Lord, Elle“Wineapple’s book explores their partnership with humour and panache. Not the least of its virtues is that, while paying ample homage to Gertrude, it does justice perhaps for the first time at length and in detail, to Leo. . . . Scrupulous, sensitive, marvellous.”—Daily Telegraph“Eloquent”—ForwardTable of ContentsPrologue: And They Were Not WrongONE - DISORDER AND EARLY SORROW1. Bes Almon2. Tempers We Are Born With3. Too Darn Anxious to Be SafeTWO - BOTH ONES THAT QUITE ENOUGH ARE KNOWING4. To Know Thyself5. The Feminine Half6. Evolution7. Respectability8. New AmericansTHREE - SPEECH IS THE TWIN OF MY VISION9. Gilded Cages10. Brother Singular11. Quod Erat Demonstrandum12. Toward a More Quintessential Method, 1903-190513. In the Thick of ItFOUR - AN ALARM HAS NO BUTTON14. Quarreling15. Banquets16. I Could Be So Happy17. A Fine Frenzy18. Myself and Strangers, or The Inevitable Character of My ArtFIVE - RIPENESS IS ALL19. Two20. The Disaggregation21. Of Having a Great Many Times Not Continued to Be Friends: A FinaleEpilogue: A Family RomanceAppendixAcknowledgmentsNotes BibliographyIndex

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Book SynopsisMona Martinsen was a tall, striking, visionary sculptor studying in Paris. John G Neihardt was a short, brilliant, but impoverished poet and writer. This work tells the story of how the sculptor and the poet met, fell in love, raised a family, and grew old together.Trade Review“[A] fondly told story of the lives of John and Mona Neihardt, The Broidered Garment is a fine addition to the Neihardt canon and in the spirit of other work by Hilda Neihardt, who died in 2004. She did much to champion her father’s work and reputation, performing readings of his poetry, accompanied by her son Robin on classical guitar; writing Black Elk and Flaming Rainbow: Personal Memories of the Lakota Holy Man and John Neihardt; and editing Black Elk Lives: Conversations with the Black Elk Family. The Broidered Garment completes this work as only a member of the Neihardt family could have done it.” —Carolyn Johnsen, Lincoln Journal Star.“The first two sections provide a richly detailed account of the formative years of the sculptor Martinsen and the poet Neihardt, she studying in Paris with Rodin, and he writing from the small Nebraska town of Bancroft, when they first began corresponding. Section three traces their lives from their marriage in November 1908 until Mona Martinsen’s death on April 17, 1958.”—Nebraska HistoryTable of ContentsPart I: An International Financier Family 1 Ada Ernst; 2 Mary Thorpe, Grandmother; 3. Rudolph Vinzent Martinsen; 4. Marriage; 5. A Tragic Loss; 6. Vrohmberg; 7. Big Business; 8. Family Life; 9. A Family is Broken; 10. Back in Vrohmberg; 11. Richard Scholz; 12. Mona Martisen; 13. Paris and Auguste Rodin; 14. Italy; 15. The Grand Salon, Paris; 16. The Little Book that Went to Paris; Part II: An American Pioneer Family 17. John Gneisenau Neihardt; 18. A Dream Changes a Boy's Life; 19. Searching and Vagabonding; 20. The Little Teacher; 21. Becoming a Writer Part III: The Couple 22. John and Mona; 23. A New Life; 24. A Prosy Little Village; 25. A Home of Their Own; 26. In the Ozark Mountains of Missouri; 27. Skyrim

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Book SynopsisTed Kooser describes with exquisite detail and humor the place he calls home in the rolling hills of southeastern Nebraskaan area known as the Bohemian Alps. Nothing is too big or too small for his attention. Memories of his grandmother's cooking are juxtaposed with reflections about the old-fashioned outhouse on his property. When casting his eye on social progress, Kooser reminds us that the closing of local schools, thoughtless county weed control, and irresponsible housing development destroy more than just the view. In the end, what makes life meaningful for Kooser are the ways in which his neighbors care for one another and how an afternoon walking with an old dog, or baking a pie, or decorating the house for Christmas can summon memories of his Iowa childhood. This writer is a seer in the truest sense of the word, discovering the extraordinary within the ordinary, the deep beneath the shallow, the abiding wisdom in the pithy Bohemian proverbs that are woven into his essaTrade Review"Eloquent meditations on country pleasures, the rhythms of the seasons and the lingering presence of Czech folk culture in rural Nebraska."—Dan Cryer, Newsday"Clear, generous, and imaginative, Local Wonders increases the sum of the world's best goods."—Patrice Koelsch, Speakeasy

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