Biography: writers Books

Book SynopsisCzesław Miłosz (1911–2004) often seemed austere and forbidding to Americans, but those who got to know him found him warm, witty, and endlessly enriching. An Invisible Rope: Portraits of Czesław Miłosz presents a collection of remembrances from his colleagues, his students, and his fellow writers and poets in America and Poland.Trade Review“(A)n exquisite collection of thirty-two memoirs…. I highly recommend it to fellow poets or scholars who are ‘new’ to (Miłosz) because it can deepen the appreciation for his work prior to reading more of it. This book is the ultimate ‘back story.’” * New Pages *“This collection is a must for everyone aspiring to know Milosz and his work. Summing Up: Highly recommended. * Choice *“(An Invisible Rope) will delight Miłosz readers with gossip and add anecdotal texture to his image as a great Polish poet in Californian exile, who made a triumphant return to Cracow in his old age…. The common themes include Miłosz’s roaring laughter and insatiable appetite, enduring desire for literary fame, and sense of loneliness.” * Times Literary Supplement *“There is something… in this book which is akin to eavesdropping on (a) social gathering of Czeslaw Milosz and his friends reminiscing over good food and drink…. An Invisible Rope is a very strong collection…. a captivating and human portrait of the poet and his life.” * Sarmatian Review *“The reader comes away feeling as if she knows this person as a man—no longer merely the picture of a legend. It compels the reader to revisit even his most well-known works, from The Captive Mind to Road-Side Dog, to be read anew, refreshed by the contextualization of a life lived.” * The Cosmopolitan Review *“In a way, An Invisible Rope—and the entire year-long celebration of the poet’s life—is a means for both the people who knew Miłosz and for those who simply admire him, to thank him for writing his books, which contributed much to the canon of Polish and worldwide literature.” * Words without Borders *“Milosz was a literary giant, a continent in himself. As Gombrowicz noted, with one stroke of the pen, Milosz shifted the moral center of European literature one thousand miles east…. As An Invisible Rope shows us, despite his fervent efforts to transform the devenir of experience into être, he never stopped becoming.” * World Literature Today *“The reminiscences gathered here include a host of luminaries in their own right: Seamus Heaney, Robert Pinsky, Adam Zagajewski, Helen Vendler, W.S. Merwin, and Robert Hass among them. Each of these pieces is, of course, eloquent and insightful. But another beauty of this collection is that there are other contributions—by individuals with less exalted resumes, such as those who worked for Milosz as personal assistants. The impressions that build up can at times be contradictory, but this only heightens the mystery of this complex man.” * Image *“The thirty-two contributors to Cynthia L. Haven’s anthology invite us to learn something about the man behind this enduring writing…. Reading this anthology may occasionally allow us a glimpse of Milosz stripped of the legend in which his life and accomplishments had encased him….” * The Threepenny Review *“Milosz, more than any other writer, made me feel what's it's like to miss home, to be separated from home, and An Invisible Rope highlights that pain in his life. I'd never been emotionally connected to the plight of political exile, but Milosz makes you feel his angst. It's beautiful that the boomerang of his life -- home, away, and finally welcomed back home to Poland after the fall of Communism -- reflects the mythic arc of The Odyssey, and reinforces the symbolic weight of Home.” * Book Fox blog *“This book presents an impressive picture of a great poet.” * Polish American Journal *“An Invisible Rope leaves the reader with a portrait of a man—a thinker and a humanist—who, through his writing and poetry, asks people to live more purposefully in the world and believes that people can.…Ms. Haven’s compilation of sketches paints a strong portrait of Czeslaw Milosz and his life. Truly, the reader is left better knowing the poet who penned, ‘Endurance comes only from enduring/With a flick of the wrist I fashioned an invisible rope/And climbed it and it held me.’” * New York Journal of Books *“These vivid portraits and memoirs, these intimacies rescued from oblivion, tie us more closely to one of the great poets and spiritual presences of the 20th century. An Invisible Rope is an indispensable compendium.” * author of The Living Fire: New and Selected Poems *“This collection is an invitation to explore not only Miłosz’s work, but the history and thought he sought to illuminate…. To read these essays is to step into his several worlds and to reflect on the contradictions and poverties of this age…. (Haven’s) project is to preserve memories of this icon, and perhaps his values as well.” * ForeWord Reviews *“In the wake of his death in 2004, the poetry of Czesław Miłosz seems more permanent than ever. Yet the creator of that poetry—the human being who spent much of his life wrestling with loneliness, obscurity, and a punishing form of linguistic exile—has already begun to recede into literary history. We should be grateful, then, for the reminiscences that Cynthia Haven has collected in An Invisible Rope. The reader is offered glimpses of Miłosz in his salad days and in his post-Nobel splendor, in Wilno and Berkeley, Washington and Krakow. The result is a vivid, kaleidoscopic portrait of the man whom Adam Zagajewski calls ‘an ecstatic poet and ecstatic person.’” * author of Amazonia and Deputy Editor, Harper’s Magazine *”The image emerging from this invaluable collection is the authentic Czesław Miłosz, the poet who rejected theodicy but kept faith. To know him was to enter a force field in which the past century’s struggle with evil could be palpably felt; it meant also to be swept up by the intensity with which he, a witness to his century’s horrors, lived and worked. Those who have been touched by his poetry will be moved by these recollections, all of them animated by his love of life and vibrating with his voice.” * author of A Coat of Many Colors: Osip Mandelstam and His Mythologies of Self-Presentation *“(I)t is wonderful to have these remembrances of this complicated man by those who knew him best including the translators he worked with most often.” * Porter Square Books Blog *

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Book SynopsisDecades after Julia McKenzie Munemo’s father committed suicide, she learned that he made his living writing interracial pornography under a pseudonym. She hid the stack of his old paperbacks from her Zimbabwean husband, their mixed-race children, and herself before realizing her obligation to understand her racial legacy.Trade Review“A carefully crafted memoir for all readers who care about family connections and legacies and about multiracial identity in an increasingly complex world.” * Library Journal *“The Book Keeper is a fiercely felt memoir about family shame and the transformative power of love even as it’s also an ongoing meditation on privilege and race in twenty-first century America. This is a debut striking in its empathetic imagination, observational acuity, and emotional intelligence.”“In lucid and unadorned prose, Munemo gives focus to her powerful material, which feels essential to the larger cultural conversation about race in America. In tracing her own journey from reckoning with to ownership of her family’s past, she offers a unique and important perspective that I haven’t seen before in memoir. The Book Keeper does what the best nonfiction does: through a unique and deeply felt personal story, it brings larger cultural and historic threads to light with nuance and resonance.”“Julia McKenzie Munemo has written an extraordinary book: about love, inheritance, race, loss and revelation. By unpacking the story of her father’s past—as a writer of racially charged pulp fiction—she in turns unpacks the story of herself, her husband, and the future of her children. Rarely does one come across a story as intricately blended and obviously unified as Munemo’s. This story, neatly told, with keen narrative syncopation, stands not only as a multi-generational interrogation into a writer’s unfurling past, but also as a fable about the complexity of race in America.”“Julia McKenzie Munemo’s The Book Keeper is a generous, intimate love story across continents and cultures, as well as an incisive social commentary on America’s racial divide. What, The Book Keeper asks, can racial progress possibly look like in a country where white liberals so willingly put on blinders every day? And how, in these tumultuous times, can a mother of two black boys tell her children they are safe? This is an urgent, crucial inquiry into what it means to mourn and to forgive and to hope.”“In The Book Keeper, Julia McKenzie Munemo invites you to become her confidante in a thoughtful, open discussion of race, mental illness, and the tenacity of family bonds. Her thoughtful and intimate story elicits reflection, long after turning the last page, on the frailty of life and on the work and enduring strength of love.” * The Williams Bookstore *

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Book SynopsisThe Journal of Socho is one of the most individual self-portraits in the literary history of medieval Japan. Its author, Saiokuken Socho (1448-1532)the preeminent linked-verse (renga) poet of his timewas an eyewitness to Japan''s violent transition from the medieval to the early modern age. Written between 1522 and 1527, during the Age of the Country at War (Sengoku jidai), his journal provides a vivid portrayal of cultural life in the capital and in the provinces, together with descriptions of battles and great warrior families, the dangers of travel through war-torn countryside, and the plight of the poor.The journal records four of Socho''s journeys between Kyoto and Suruga Province, where he served as the poet laureate of the Imagawa house, as well as several shorter excursions and periods of rest at various hermitages. The diverse upbringing of its authora companion of nobles and warlords, a student of the orthodox poetic neoclassicism of the rengTrade Review"With his fine translation of Socho's journal, Horton provides another valuable document to aid in our understanding of the complexities of medieval Japanese discourse." -- Journal of Japanese Studies"In sum, these two [The Journal of Socho and Song in an Age of Discord: 'The Journal of Socho' and Poetic Life in Late Medieval Japan] beautifully produced volumes provide a fine entry into the cultural world of the elite classes of warring states in Japan." -- Journal of Asian HistoryTable of ContentsList of Abbreviations Eras and Reigns During Soch6's Lifetime (1448-I532) A Note to the Translation Book One Second Year of Daiei (1522) Third Year of Daiei (1523) Fourth Year of Daiei (1524) Fifth Year of Daiei (1525) Sixth Year of Daiei (1526) Book Two Sixth Year of Daiei (1526) Seventh Year of Daiei (1527) Appendixes A: The Imagawa House B: The Historical Context of the "Asahina Battle Chronicle" C: Chronology of The Journal of Socho Notes Bibliography Index of First Lines General Index

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Book SynopsisA biography of Charlotte Perkins Gilman (1860-1935): Beecher-descendent, zealous reformer, exhilarating lecturer, prolific writer, scandalous divorcee, "unnatural mother," international celebrity, and life-long controversialist.Trade Review"Thanks to Cynthia J. Davis, scholars, students, and general readers finally have a definitive, authoritative, and comprehensive biography of the often enigmatic Charlotte Perkins Gilman. This much anticipated study of Gilman is, in a word, superb . . . [I]t is in the lesser known documents and materials that Davis has found the stuff great biographies are made of. Her meticulously researched volume brings both substance to and new revelations about Gilman's life in a manner that is captivating, thorough, well-informed, and inclusive . . . This book is a must read for anyone interested not only in Gilman but also in the cultural, intellectual, and social history of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries." -- Denise D. Knight * Legacy *"The plethora of biographical data the author resurrected informs this comprehensive, scholarly portrait of Gilman's complex, controversial life and career, significantly contributing to the study of American literature, particularly 19th-century American women writers. The book is noteworthy not only for its inclusion of new salient information about Gilman, but for the careful correlations Davis provides to better present Gilman, the private woman, and her particular public forums of activism . . . Summing up: Essential." -- M.L. Mock * University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown, CHOICE *"In her immensely readable and comprehensive biography, Cynthia J. Davis tells Gilman's fascinating life story with precision, wisdom, and tact. Davis's Charlotte Perkins Gilman: A Biography provides the most complete consideration of Gilman's life. This book includes twenty-five photographs, some never before published, and its careful documentation of sources will prove a boon to future Gilman scholars." -- Jean M. Lutes * Feminist Collections *"This may be the definitive biography of Charlotte Perkins Gilman. Over the last twenty years, a wealth of biographical data has come to light, much of it unearthed by Davis. Felicitously written, judiciously organized, and critically and theoretically informed, this Gilman biography will supersede all that have come before it." -- Gary Scharnhorst * University of New Mexico *"To read Davis's book is to be enriched by the lively, evocative pen of Gilman the poet. Every chapter and every section of every chapter (generally there are five) has an epigraph, often a selection from the poetry, which Davis uses skillfully to interpret her life." -- Louise W. Knight * Women's Review of Books *"Davis's long-awaited masterpiece is the most comprehensive Gilman biography to date. Both lyrical and scholarly, this splendid volume offers a coherent and compelling narrative of Gilman's life, work, and philosophy, drawing upon a rich field of source material . . . It is essential reading for Gilman scholars and promises to be the definitive Gilman biography for years to come." -- Jennifer S. Tuttle * Resources for American Literary Study *"Charlotte Perkins Gilman is a remarkable retelling of a 'living' that includes, but is not limited to, the career of a figure larger than life . . . Refreshingly, Davis does not shy away from juxtaposing Charlotte's professed philosophies with her lived experiences. A major strength of this biography is Davis's willingness to reveal inconsistencies, contradictions, and potentially unflattering elements of Charlotte's aspirations . . . Even though Davis's work weighs in at over five hundred pages, her writing style and fruitful research leave the reader wanting more, rather than less, of both Charlotte's and Davis's observations." -- Cara L. Burnidge * H-Net *

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Book SynopsisPart biography, part history, part critical examination of Babel's legacy in Russian, European, and Jewish cultural context, The Enigma of Isaac Babel offers the first comprehensive view of the great Russian Jewish author since the opening of Soviet archives.Trade Review"Greogry Freidin's collection of the articles, The Enigma of Isacc Babel, covers an impressive range and includes much of value." -- Donald Rayfield * Times Literary Supplement *"The Isaac Babel in this collection emerges multi-faceted and deeply intriguing, and the essays are written in fresh, engaging language that pulls the reader in . . . This collection of experts - linguists and comparativists, biographers and historians - shed new light on Isaac Babel and his life, his work, and his place within Russian, Jewish and World literatures." -- Angela Brintlinger * Canadian-American Slavic Studies *"The Enigma of Isaac Babel is an excellent book on a major writer. The reader is treated here to a great deal of biographical material on Babel not generally known before and it is integrated into sophisticated analytical frames. Many of the monographic studies on Babel came out some time ago and are now dated, leaving the door open for this new work, which draws on information made available since perestroika." -- Katerina Clark * Yale University *"Contributed by an international group of scholars who had access to Soviet archives, the 12 essays in this collection are organized into three parts....All display impressive erudition and are extensively documented. Enhanced by photographs, this is a necessary resource for those interested in Russians literature and/or Jewish literary studies." D. B. Johnson Choice>I>"This volume is motivated by the need for a reassessment of the literary legacy of Isaak Babel given the rich trove of materials that has become available in the last two decades . . . [I]t is a welcome contribution to the study of Babel." -- Patricia Carden * Cornell University, Slavic Review *"The authors reflect on questions about [Issac Babel's] life and his death at Stalin's hands, but also throughly explore and analyze the ambiguous meanings in his stories and plays, often indecipherable to the modern reader." -- Merrily F. Hart * AJL *"The Enigma of Isaac Babel is a tour de force of scholarly writing as it should be: erudite, well-researched, at once path-breaking and definitive, lucidly written, stylistically vibrant, and captivating as narrative. Freidin—a foremost Babel scholar in his own right—has gathered in this volume the leading scholars currently working in the field. Every essay reveals a "new," unexpected Babel." -- Evgeny Dobrenko * University of Sheffield *"This collection of articles by some of the leading scholars working on Isaac Babel in recent times represents a veritable treasure trove for anyone researching or teaching Babel's works . . . A volume that sheds light on this most enigmatic of Soviet writers from so many angles is both overdue and welcome; readers of Babel should devour it with relish." -- Rebecca Stanton * Slavic and East European Journal *"The Enigma of Isaac Babel is infused with a sense of loss: Babel's manuscripts and correspondence were arrested with him, presumed lost in the wake of his execution at the age of forty-five. . . Highlighting the complexities of what it meant for Babel to be a Jew from Odessa who wrote in Russian in the Soviet Union, the volume successfully demonstrates his centrality to European, Soviet, and Jewish literary and historical traditions. . . In its reverence for the relics of a writer who left so little to posterity, The Enigma of Isaac Babel includes excellent examples of such scholarship." -- Lauren Kaminsky * Shofar: Interdisciplinary Journal of Jewish Studies *Table of ContentsTable of Contents Preface by Gregory Freidin ii Acknowlegements vii I. Attempting a Biography 1. Patricia Blake 2 Researching Babel's Biography: Adventures and Misadventures 2. Gregory Freidin 21 Two Babels'Two Aphrodites: Autobiography in Maria and Babel's Petersburg Myth II. Babel in the Context of Russian History 3. Oleg Budnitskii 92 The Reds and the Jews, or the Comrades in Arms of the Military Reporter Liutov 4 Carol J. Avins 122 Isaac Babel and the Jewish Experience of Revolution 5. Michael S. Gorham 150 Writers At the Front: Language of State in the Civil War Narratives of Isaac Babel and Dmitrii Furmanov 6. Marietta Chudakova 180 Thinned and Diluted: Babel in Published Russian Literature of the Soviet Period III. Babel in the World of Letters and on Stage 7. Robert Alter 215 Babel, Flaubert, and the Rapture of Perception 8. Alexander Zholkovsky 229 Towards a Typology of "Debut" Narratives: Babel, Nabokov, and Others 9. Elif Batuman 240 Pan Pisar': Clerkship in Babel's First-Person Narration 10. Zsuzsa Hetenyi 272 The Child's Eye: Isaac Babel in Russian-Jewish, American, and European Literature of Assimilation 11. Efraim Sicher 304 Text, Intertext, Context: Babel, Bialik, and Others 12. Carl Weber 337 Staging Babel's Maria'for Young American Audiences, Seventy Years After. Notes Index 482

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Book SynopsisThe Fall of a Sparrow is the only full biography in English of the partisan, poet, and patriot Abba Kovner (19181987). An unsung and largely unknown hero of the Second World War and Israel''s War of Independence, Kovner was born in Vilna, the Jerusalem of Lithuania. Long before the rest of the world suspected, he was the first person to state that Hitler was planning to kill the Jews of Europe. Kovner and other defenders of the Vilna ghetto, only hours before its destruction, escaped to the forest to join the partisans fighting the Nazis. Returning after the Liberation to find Vilna empty of Jews, he immigrated to Israel, where he devised a fruitless plot to take revenge on the Germans. He then joined the Israeli army and served as the Givati Brigade''s Information Officer, writing Battle Notes, newsletters that inspired the troops defending Tel Aviv. After the war, Kovner settled on a kibbutz and dedicated his life to working the land, writing poetry, and raising a family. HTrade Review"Dina Porat has written a superb book, certainly one of the most important works of modern Jewish history to have appeared in recent years. The scope of her achievement is all the more convincing given the fact that she chose a very difficult subject for a biography . . . Porat's book serves as a reminder that sometimes individuals do not have to wield power in order to inspire and to serve as moral lodestones."—Samuel Kassow, Studies in Contemporary Jewry"Porat is at once biographer and historian, with a vision at times microscopic, probing Kovner's inner world, at times telescopic, surveying the larger world that he inhabited and also shaped. Now that it is available in Elizabeth Yuval's translation, Porat's book is for English-speaking readers the most important point of entry into Kovner's world."—Edward Alexander, Chicago Jewish Star"This books is an excellent and reliable account not only of a major activist and author but also of a vital phase in Jewish history . . . What Porat has managed to achieve is the assured positioning of Kovner in the pantheon of Israel's heroes."—Leon Yudkin, H-Net Reviews"Abba Kovner's life story encompasses many of the central themes of twentieth-century Jewish history. Dina Porat's exhaustively-researched and exquisitely-written biography of this partisan leader, poet, and shaper of Israeli perceptions of the Jewish past opens new vistas onto the Holocaust and the political, military, and cultural history of the State of Israel."—David Engel, New York University

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Book SynopsisThe precipitous cliffs, rolling headlands, and rocky inlets of the California coast come alive in the poetry of John Robinson Jeffers, an icon of the environmental movement. In this concise and accessible biography, Jeffers scholar James Karman reveals deep insights into this passionate and complex figure and establishes Jeffers as a leading American poet of prophetic vision. In a move that would define his life's work, Jeffers' family relocated to California from Pennsylvania in 1903 when he was sixteen. While a graduate student at the University of Southern California he met Una Call Kuster, a student who was the wife of a prominent Los Angeles attorney, and they began a scandalous affair that made the front page of the Los Angeles Times. They eventually married and escaped to Carmel, California to write poetry; there they would spend the rest of their lives. At the height of his popularity in the 1920s and 1930s, Jeffers became one of the few poets ever featured on the cover of Trade Review"Karman discusses each of the poet's major books . . . and celebrates the poet's diverse output: meditative lyrics, long narratives, verse dramas. Karman also addresses issues that made Jeffers controversial . . . [and] urges a reevaluation of this 'anti-modern modernist,' emphasizing the ways in which Jeffers anticipated today's ecological concerns. Succinct, lucid, informative, evenhanded in its judgments, this is the best overview currently available of Jeffers's life and work." -- Choice"James Karman's new biography of Robinson Jeffers is an excellent introduction to one of America's greatest poets and a fine complement to Stanford University Press' exemplary editions of Jeffers' collected poetry and correspondence, the latter edited by Karman himself. The course of Jeffers' biography is clearly and deftly laid out, with particular attention to the most crucial relationship of his life, that with his wife Una. Each of his published books is individually considered, with trenchant analyses and generous quotations from key texts. The book situates Jeffers both among his major Modernist contemporaries and among the other poets—not necessarily less important—who constituted his milieu. It carefully tracks Jeffers' engagement with the history of his times, and the stance he marked out as its tragic observer. Finally, it shows Jeffers as a figure who evolved a singularly holistic view of humanity's place in the cosmic order at a time of fragmentation and division, and whose relevance to today's world has only grown with time. Karman's book will be of equal value to the introductory reader and the advanced specialist. It is written in a clear and supple prose that rises to more than occasional eloquence, and is generously illustrated with images both of the poet and of the wild California coast he made so uniquely his own." -- Robert Zaller * author of Robinson Jeffers and the American Sublime *"Karman chronicles Jeffers's life in measured prose, and his close readings of the poems draw out the prophetic, visionary voice of Jeffers's verse, most notably in his anticipation of current environmental concerns...Overall, this is an accessible and engaging biography that will be of use both to new readers of Jeffers's work and to advanced specialists." -- Forum for Modern Language Studies"James Karman's deeply informative biography of Robinson Jeffers situates the poet in his time and place, tracing the effect of both contemporary history and wild nature on his work. In eloquent prose Karman evokes the grandeur of Jeffers's poetry and argues for its author's unique position amid the constellation of major poets of his day." -- Edwin Cranston * Harvard University *"Only now, it seems, are we beginning to hear what Robinson Jeffers proclaimed decades ago—that to live an authentic life we must overcome self-centeredness and turn with compassion to the natural world. The wisdom of Jeffers' message is evident throughout his life and work, as James Karman convincingly demonstrates in this splendid book." -- Joanna Macy * author of World as Lover, World as Self *"Jeffers sought a plausible and sustaining vision, sought it explicitly outside the human circle, but sought it with an unremittingly human yearning." -- Louise Glück * Poet Laureate, author of The Wild Iris *"Robinson Jeffers: Poet and Prophet gives us an occasion to get reacquainted with the poet's work. Karman economically tracks the development of the poetry in parallel with the events and trends of the times." -- Ron Slate * On the Seawall: A Literary Website by Ron Slate *"Perhaps now, with the publication of the third and final volume of his letters and a short biography by their editor, James Karman, the time has come to bring Jeffers back to a wide readership. The letters detail his life in its dailiness, as well as its surprising outbursts of drama, while Mr. Karman's biography places Jeffers in the context of the literature and events of his era. Taken together, they are very nearly the major, full-length study that Jeffers really deserves . . . [Karman's] biography humanizes the inhumanist and will help new readers understand Jeffers's importance, while leaving room for a full-length life in the future." -- David Mason * The Wall Street Journal *"A deliberate outlier from his generation of American poets, Robinson Jeffers stood apart both literarily and literally . . . Karman discusses Jeffers' achievements in the context of his, his wife Una's and their twin sons' isolated yet everyday normal family life . . . This elegant review of a truly unique poet who has become a prophet of modern environmentalism belongs in all American literature collections." -- Ray Olson * Booklist *Table of ContentsContents and AbstractsSection 1: 1887–1905 chapter abstractParents William Hamilton Jeffers and Annie Tuttle Jeffers; birth; education in Europe; college graduation Section 2: 1905–1910 chapter abstractGraduate literary studies; medical school; affair with Una Kuster; forestry Section 3: 1910–1915 chapter abstractMarriage to Una; birth and death of daughter; move to Carmel, California; death of father; book: Flagons and Apples (1912) Section 4: 1915–1920 chapter abstractWorld War I; birth of twin sons; finding a poetic voice; The Alpine Christ; construction of Tor House; book: Californians (1916) Section 5: 1920–1925 chapter abstractResponse to Modernism; building of Hawk Tower; The Tower Beyond Tragedy; Section 6: 1925–1930 chapter abstractFast pace of American life; Carmel as tourist attraction; growing circle of visitors and friends; travel to British Isles; Great Depression; books: The Women at Point Sur (1927); Cawdor and Other Poems (1928); Dear Judas and Other Poems (1929) Section 7: 1930–1935 chapter abstractFriendship with Mabel Dodge Luhan; travel to Taos, New Mexico; premonitions; At the Birth of an Age; books: Descent to the Dead: Poems Written in Ireland and Great Britain (1931); Thurso's Landing and Other Poems (1932); Give Your Heart to the Hawks and Other Poems (1933); Solstice and Other Poems (1935); Roan Stallion, Tamar and Other Poems (Modern Library edition, 1935) Section 8: 1935–1940 chapter abstractMachine Age; Bixby Creek Bridge; New Deal; science and technology; Spanish Civil War; neutrality; travel to British Isles; marriage crisis; anxiety and premonitions; books: Such Counsels You Gave to Me and Other Poems (1937); The Selected Poetry of Robinson Jeffers (1938) Section 9: 1940–1945 chapter abstractLibrary of Congress lecture; college and university lecture tour; World War II; Mara; The Bowl of Blood; election to American Academy of Arts and Letters; named Chancellor of Academy of American Poets; book: Be Angry at the Sun and Other Poems (1941) Section 10: 1945–1950 chapter abstractEnd of World War II; Broadway production of Dear Judas; Broadway production of Medea; "Poetry, Góngorism, and a Thousand years;" sons' marriages; grandchildren; travel to British Isles; health crises; books: Medea (1946); The Double Axe and Other Poems (1948) Section 11: 1950–1955 chapter abstractDeath of Una; Korean War; Broadway production of The Tower Beyond Tragedy; publication of Visits to Ireland: Travel Diaries of Una Jeffers; revivals of Medea; performances of The Cretan Woman; book: Hungerfield and Other Poems (1954) Section 12: 1955–1962 chapter abstractTravel to British Isles; community plan for Tor House; Not Man Apart; The Loving Shepherdess; attack by Kenneth Rexroth; international acclaim; death; book: The Beginning and the End and Other Poems (1963, posthumous publication) Section 13: Afterword chapter abstractModern poetry; Jeffers' achievement

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Book SynopsisOver 170 years after his death, Edgar Allan Poe remains a figure of enduring fascination and speculation for readers, scholars, and devotees of the weird and macabre. In Fallen Angel, acclaimed novelist and poet Robert Morgan offers a new biography of this gifted, complicated author.Trade ReviewCombining, with a light touch, shrewd psychological analysis and literary appreciation, highlighting Poe's journalistic career and the interest of many lesser-known writings, this masterful exploration of the ways in which the incidents of Poe's life inform his work has much to engage and delight any fan of Poe." - Jonathan Culler, author of Theory of the Lyric"As a poet and novelist, Robert Morgan deftly explains the subtle, subliminal effects of Poe's texts, and he counters the gloomy emphasis of many earlier biographies by underscoring the author's courage in the face of recurrent adversity." - J. Gerald Kennedy, author of Poe, Death, and the Life of Writing"Morgan does what literary biography ought always to do, mixing a facility for humane storytelling with sound scholarly analysis. He captures Poe's haunted world, where what is strange is beautiful and what is beautiful is strange." - Andrew Burstein, author of The Original Knickerbocker: The Life of Washington Irving"Morgan masterfully weaves together the threads of Poe's life, literature, and legacy while uncovering the love-starved romantic too often hidden behind his popular image as a horror master." - Christopher P. Semtner, curator, Edgar Allan Poe Museum, Richmond, Virginia

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Book SynopsisFranz Kafka remains one of the most influential writers of the twentieth century. His novels, stories, and letters are still regarded today as the epitome of the dark, fascinating, and uncanny, a model of the modernist aesthetic. Peter-Andrà Alt's landmark biography recounts and explores Kafka's life and literary work throughout the cultural and political upheavals of central Europe.

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Book SynopsisCharles Brockden Brown's Revolution and the Birth of American Gothic illuminates the social and political influences on the nation's first professional novelist and reveals the surprising origins of one of American literature's most popular and enduring genres.Trade Review"This is the most interesting book that I have read on Charles Brockden Brown. It has a lively style, a nice touch, and an engaging perspective on the man and his work." * Thomas P. Slaughter, author of The Natures of John and William Bartram *"This excellent biography of unique and challenging American writer provides a solid historical analysis of the American Revolution and the development of Brown's 'Gothic' tales." * Choice *Table of ContentsIntroduction Prologue: Philadelphia, Summer 1777-Summer 1778: "the Horrors of the night" PART I: FACTS AND FICTIONS, 1650-1798 Chapter 1: Children of the Light, 1650s-1777 Chapter 2: From Terror to Terror to Terror, 1777-1793 Chapter 3: Revolutionary Reverberations, 1793-1798 Interlude: Philadelphia, 1795-1799: "renderings in the bowels of nations" PART II: FICTIONS AND FACTS, 1798-1800 Chapter 4: Sins of Fathers Chapter 5: The Anti-Godwin Chapter 6: The Return of the Present and Past PART III: A LIE, 1800-1804 Conclusion: Charles Brown, American Epilogue: Brockden Brown and the American Gothic Tradition Notes Index Acknowledgments

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Book SynopsisWriting America takes readers on an eclectic tour of historic sites that have been pivotal to the making of American literature, reflecting the true diversity of the nation and its authors. Profusely illustrated, it is the literary gift book for 2015.Trade ReviewShelley Fisher Fishkin talks literature, place, and what it means to be American with Josh Logue (https://goo.gl/W1dgt7) * Inside Higher Ed *Winner of the John S. Tuckey 2017 Lifetime Achievement Award for Mark Twain Scholarship from The Center for Mark Twain Studies * The Center for Mark Twain Studies *"A vibrant and thoughtful guide through American literary history." * Chicago Tribune *"There is no one better suited to illuminate the connections between America’s great authors and the places in which they built their writing and their lives than Shelley Fisher Fishkin; give yourself a thoughtful treat and keep this book by your bedside to dip in and out of as the mood strikes." * Harper's Bazaar *"The depth of Fishkin's knowledge and the dynamism of her enthusiasm elevate this 'reader's companion' from superb resource to lustrous and delectable." * Booklist journal, starred review *"A must for book-loving travelers of the armchair and more intrepid kinds." * Library Journal, starred review *"Meeting at the intersection of physical place, history and literature, Writing America brings readers along for the ride, pinpointing the locales that fueled the imaginations of some of our most important writers." * Ms. Magazine *“Published on the eve of the 50th anniversary of the Historic Preservation Act, [Writing America] traces the footsteps of William Faulkner, Allen Ginsberg, Zora Neale Hurston, Herman Melville, Harriet Beecher Stowe and many others. With more than 60 illustrations, it's a fascinating trek.” * San Jose Mercury News *"Using the National Register of Historic Places as her guide, the author sparks interesting questions regarding how writers influence, and are influenced by, place … Fishkin's book offers a diverse look at our nation's literary landscape and history." * Publishers Weekly *"The Langston Hughes House, the Angel Island Immigration Station, and Hollywood Boulevard…they're all here, having influenced the writing of America's great literary geniuses. But the most poignant and memorable pages aren't about buildings and places; they're about the daily lives, crises, and interactions that motivated these writers to record fascinating, beautiful, and painful passages of history." * American Road *"Perfect for the armchair traveler or the reader who enjoys hitting the road, Shelley Fisher Fishkin’s Writing America is a meticulously researched, beautifully written survey of the nation’s most beloved literary sites ... A vivid mosaic of the cultures, voices and geographies that inform America’s literary inheritance ... It’s the ultimate trip advisor for lovers of literature and history." * BookPage *"Big, handsome, well-illustrated ... A book to own and read over and over again." * Booklist online *"Writing America is a triumph of scholarship and passion, a profound exploration of the many worlds which comprise our national canon . . . a book that redraws the literary map of the United States." -- Junot Díaz * author of The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao *"Shelley Fisher Fishkin is the best guide you could have through American literature and the places that inspired it. She writes like an angel. She appreciates the diversity and humor of the American spirit. Read her!" -- Erica Jong * poet and author *"Writing America is designed for those who love not only literature, but also history and landscape, and the conversation they have with one another. I could not stop reading." -- Philip Deloria * author of Playing Indian *"Shelley Fisher Fishkin's Writing America is an uncommon travel narrative. Fishkin takes the National Register of Historic Places as a starting point to develop a diverse literary itinerary for the nation … For Fishkin and those who travel with her, literature makes these places and their histories come to life - and this can inspire us all to look anew at the historic places around us." * The Journal of American History *"Writing America is an intelligent, meandering look at the rich interplay between writers and their places… Fishkin writes like a favorite college professor speaks: throwing out quotable lines, grabbing our attention with revelatory anecdotes, making us laugh at the human comedy, making us cry at inhumane injustice - while all the time, whetting our appetite to read more American literature. Highly recommended." * The Journal of American Culture *"A splendid travel guide for readers." * Yale Alumni Magazine *“When landscape and literature meet in Writing America, the life and work of great authors light up as in vivid Technicolor.” * Stanford Report *"Through the prism of more than 150 National Register historic sites, this eclectic, essential work honors authors’ voices both mainstream and underrepresented. Thought- and even tear-provoking, Writing America will leave you in awe of the writers whose worlds and words comprise our country’s canon. Lovers of American lit, commence salivating." * Swarthmore College Bulletin *"An impressive body of exceptional and detailed scholarship. Highly recommended." * Midwest Book Review *"Filled to the brim with literary treasures; it is a fine traveling companion for those with a little time to wander - and to wonder about America's literary past." * Book Chase *"This book cuts straight to the soul of America in all its shades and colors. I don't think anyone has ever put together a book that’s quite so extraordinary. I certainly have never read one." -- Hal Holbrook * actor, Mark Twain Tonight!, author, Harold *"Just when you thought you knew American literature, along comes Shelley Fisher Fishkin to show you what you've missed . . . and to make you think about it. She ushers us into both familiar and unusual spaces with prose as accessible as it is learned, observations that are clear and sometimes quirky, and quotations that prove the synergy between literature and place. She takes American literature out of the library and relocates it in the public square, revealing its essence as the most eloquent tour guide imaginable." -- David Bradley * author of South Street and The Chaneysville Incident *"What a fine, informative, and welcome book by Professor Fishkin. In brief, a first class piece of work that has been long in coming. It not only deserves a warm reception, it is also to be treasured by professionals as well as by beginners." -- Rolando Hinojosa * novelist and essayist *"This absorbing and wondrous book is a glorious cornucopia of America's literary memory. Writing America is necessary, delicious, and nourishing food for the American artist, reader and writer." -- Min Jin Lee * author of Free Food for Millionaires *"Smartly introduced, lavishly illustrated, and beautifully designed, Writing America treats the reader to sites associated with American authors and puts houses, landmarks, memorials, and museums into a vivid relationship with texts." -- Werner Sollors * coeditor with Greil Marcus of A New Literary History of America *"Writing America presents us with an exquisitely rendered geography, in word and image alike, of the nation's diverse literary heritage." -- Eric J. Sundquist * Andrew W. Mellon Professor of the Humanities, Johns Hopkins University *Table of ContentsList of Illustrations Acknowledgments Introduction: The Literary Landscape1 Celebrating the Many in One Walt Whitman Birthplace, Huntington, Long Island, New York2 Living in Harmony with Nature Walden Pond, Concord, Massachusetts3 Freedom’s Port The New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park, New Bedford, Massachusetts4 The House that Uncle Tom’s Cabin Built Harriet Beecher Stowe House, Hartford, Connecticut5 The Irony of American History The Mark Twain Boyhood Home, Hannibal, Missouri, and the Mark Twain House, Hartford, Connecticut6 Native American Voices Remember Wounded Knee, Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, South Dakota7 “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” The Paul Laurence Dunbar House, Dayton, Ohio8 Leaving the Old World for the New The Tenement Museum, New York City9 The Revolt from the Village The Original Main Street, Sauk Centre, Minnesota10 Asian American Writers and Creativity in Confinement Angel Island Immigration Station, San Francisco, California, and Manzanar National Historic Site, Independence, California11 Harlem and the Flowering of African American Letters The 135th Street Library / The Schomburg Center for Research on Black Culture, New York City12 Mexican American Writers in the Borderlands of Culture Roma, La Lomita, San Agustin de Laredo, and San Ygnacio Historic Districts, Lower Rio Grande Valley, Texas13 American Writers and Dreams of the Silver Screen Hollywood Boulevard Commercial and Entertainment District, Los Angeles, California Index of Authors Index of Historic Sites

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Book SynopsisWriting America takes readers on an eclectic tour of historic sites that have been pivotal to the making of American literature, reflecting the true diversity of the nation and its authors. Profusely illustrated, it is the literary gift book for 2015.Trade Review"A vibrant and thoughtful guide through American literary history." * Chicago Tribune *Winner of the John S. Tuckey 2017 Lifetime Achievement Award for Mark Twain Scholarship from The Center for Mark Twain Studies * The Center for Mark Twain Studies *"There is no one better suited to illuminate the connections between America’s great authors and the places in which they built their writing and their lives than Shelley Fisher Fishkin; give yourself a thoughtful treat and keep this book by your bedside to dip in and out of as the mood strikes." * Harper's Bazaar *"Meeting at the intersection of physical place, history and literature, Writing America brings readers along for the ride, pinpointing the locales that fueled the imaginations of some of our most important writers." * Ms. Magazine *Shelley Fisher Fishkin talks literature, place, and what it means to be American with Josh Logue (https://goo.gl/W1dgt7) * Inside Higher Ed *"The depth of Fishkin's knowledge and the dynamism of her enthusiasm elevate this 'reader's companion' from superb resource to lustrous and delectable." * Booklist journal, starred review *"A must for book-loving travelers of the armchair and more intrepid kinds." * Library Journal, starred review *"Using the National Register of Historic Places as her guide, the author sparks interesting questions regarding how writers influence, and are influenced by, place … Fishkin's book offers a diverse look at our nation's literary landscape and history." * Publishers Weekly *"Perfect for the armchair traveler or the reader who enjoys hitting the road, Shelley Fisher Fishkin’s Writing America is a meticulously researched, beautifully written survey of the nation’s most beloved literary sites ... A vivid mosaic of the cultures, voices and geographies that inform America’s literary inheritance ... It’s the ultimate trip advisor for lovers of literature and history." * BookPage *“Published on the eve of the 50th anniversary of the Historic Preservation Act, [Writing America] traces the footsteps of William Faulkner, Allen Ginsberg, Zora Neale Hurston, Herman Melville, Harriet Beecher Stowe and many others. With more than 60 illustrations, it's a fascinating trek.” * San Jose Mercury News *"The Langston Hughes House, the Angel Island Immigration Station, and Hollywood Boulevard…they're all here, having influenced the writing of America's great literary geniuses. But the most poignant and memorable pages aren't about buildings and places; they're about the daily lives, crises, and interactions that motivated these writers to record fascinating, beautiful, and painful passages of history." * American Road *"Writing America is a triumph of scholarship and passion, a profound exploration of the many worlds which comprise our national canon . . . a book that redraws the literary map of the United States." -- Junot Díaz * author of The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao *"Writing America is designed for those who love not only literature, but also history and landscape, and the conversation they have with one another. I could not stop reading." -- Philip Deloria * author of Playing Indian *"What a fine, informative, and welcome book by Professor Fishkin. In brief, a first class piece of work that has been long in coming. It not only deserves a warm reception, it is also to be treasured by professionals as well as by beginners." -- Rolando Hinojosa * novelist and essayist *"Shelley Fisher Fishkin is the best guide you could have through American literature and the places that inspired it. She writes like an angel. She appreciates the diversity and humor of the American spirit. Read her!" -- Erica Jong * poet and author *"Shelley Fisher Fishkin's Writing America is an uncommon travel narrative. Fishkin takes the National Register of Historic Places as a starting point to develop a diverse literary itinerary for the nation … For Fishkin and those who travel with her, literature makes these places and their histories come to life - and this can inspire us all to look anew at the historic places around us." * The Journal of American History *"Filled to the brim with literary treasures; it is a fine traveling companion for those with a little time to wander - and to wonder about America's literary past." * Book Chase *"Big, handsome, well-illustrated ... A book to own and read over and over again." * Booklist online *"An excellent companion for any lover of American literature." * New Jersey Monthly *"Writing America is an intelligent, meandering look at the rich interplay between writers and their places… Fishkin writes like a favorite college professor speaks: throwing out quotable lines, grabbing our attention with revelatory anecdotes, making us laugh at the human comedy, making us cry at inhumane injustice - while all the time, whetting our appetite to read more American literature. Highly recommended." * The Journal of American Culture *"A splendid travel guide for readers." * Yale Alumni Magazine *“When landscape and literature meet in Writing America, the life and work of great authors light up as in vivid Technicolor.” * Stanford Report *"Through the prism of more than 150 National Register historic sites, this eclectic, essential work honors authors’ voices both mainstream and underrepresented. Thought- and even tear-provoking, Writing America will leave you in awe of the writers whose worlds and words comprise our country’s canon. Lovers of American lit, commence salivating." * Swarthmore College Bulletin *"An impressive body of exceptional and detailed scholarship. Highly recommended." * Midwest Book Review *"This book cuts straight to the soul of America in all its shades and colors. I don't think anyone has ever put together a book that’s quite so extraordinary. I certainly have never read one." -- Hal Holbrook * actor, Mark Twain Tonight!, author, Harold *"This absorbing and wondrous book is a glorious cornucopia of America's literary memory. Writing America is necessary, delicious, and nourishing food for the American artist, reader and writer." -- Min Jin Lee * author of Free Food for Millionaires *"Just when you thought you knew American literature, along comes Shelley Fisher Fishkin to show you what you've missed . . . and to make you think about it. She ushers us into both familiar and unusual spaces with prose as accessible as it is learned, observations that are clear and sometimes quirky, and quotations that prove the synergy between literature and place. She takes American literature out of the library and relocates it in the public square, revealing its essence as the most eloquent tour guide imaginable." -- David Bradley * author of South Street and The Chaneysville Incident *"Writing America presents us with an exquisitely rendered geography, in word and image alike, of the nation's diverse literary heritage." -- Eric J. Sundquist * Andrew W. Mellon Professor of the Humanities, Johns Hopkins University *"Smartly introduced, lavishly illustrated, and beautifully designed, Writing America treats the reader to sites associated with American authors and puts houses, landmarks, memorials, and museums into a vivid relationship with texts." -- Werner Sollors * coeditor with Greil Marcus of A New Literary History of America *"A vibrant and thoughtful guide through American literary history." * Chicago Tribune *Winner of the John S. Tuckey 2017 Lifetime Achievement Award for Mark Twain Scholarship from The Center for Mark Twain Studies * The Center for Mark Twain Studies *"There is no one better suited to illuminate the connections between America’s great authors and the places in which they built their writing and their lives than Shelley Fisher Fishkin; give yourself a thoughtful treat and keep this book by your bedside to dip in and out of as the mood strikes." * Harper's Bazaar *"Meeting at the intersection of physical place, history and literature, Writing America brings readers along for the ride, pinpointing the locales that fueled the imaginations of some of our most important writers." * Ms. Magazine *Shelley Fisher Fishkin talks literature, place, and what it means to be American with Josh Logue (https://goo.gl/W1dgt7) * Inside Higher Ed *"The depth of Fishkin's knowledge and the dynamism of her enthusiasm elevate this 'reader's companion' from superb resource to lustrous and delectable." * Booklist journal, starred review *"A must for book-loving travelers of the armchair and more intrepid kinds." * Library Journal, starred review *"Using the National Register of Historic Places as her guide, the author sparks interesting questions regarding how writers influence, and are influenced by, place … Fishkin's book offers a diverse look at our nation's literary landscape and history." * Publishers Weekly *"Perfect for the armchair traveler or the reader who enjoys hitting the road, Shelley Fisher Fishkin’s Writing America is a meticulously researched, beautifully written survey of the nation’s most beloved literary sites ... A vivid mosaic of the cultures, voices and geographies that inform America’s literary inheritance ... It’s the ultimate trip advisor for lovers of literature and history." * BookPage *“Published on the eve of the 50th anniversary of the Historic Preservation Act, [Writing America] traces the footsteps of William Faulkner, Allen Ginsberg, Zora Neale Hurston, Herman Melville, Harriet Beecher Stowe and many others. With more than 60 illustrations, it's a fascinating trek.” * San Jose Mercury News *"The Langston Hughes House, the Angel Island Immigration Station, and Hollywood Boulevard…they're all here, having influenced the writing of America's great literary geniuses. But the most poignant and memorable pages aren't about buildings and places; they're about the daily lives, crises, and interactions that motivated these writers to record fascinating, beautiful, and painful passages of history." * American Road *"Writing America is a triumph of scholarship and passion, a profound exploration of the many worlds which comprise our national canon . . . a book that redraws the literary map of the United States." -- Junot Díaz * author of The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao *"Writing America is designed for those who love not only literature, but also history and landscape, and the conversation they have with one another. I could not stop reading." -- Philip Deloria * author of Playing Indian *"What a fine, informative, and welcome book by Professor Fishkin. In brief, a first class piece of work that has been long in coming. It not only deserves a warm reception, it is also to be treasured by professionals as well as by beginners." -- Rolando Hinojosa * novelist and essayist *"Shelley Fisher Fishkin is the best guide you could have through American literature and the places that inspired it. She writes like an angel. She appreciates the diversity and humor of the American spirit. Read her!" -- Erica Jong * poet and author *"Shelley Fisher Fishkin's Writing America is an uncommon travel narrative. Fishkin takes the National Register of Historic Places as a starting point to develop a diverse literary itinerary for the nation … For Fishkin and those who travel with her, literature makes these places and their histories come to life - and this can inspire us all to look anew at the historic places around us." * The Journal of American History *"Filled to the brim with literary treasures; it is a fine traveling companion for those with a little time to wander - and to wonder about America's literary past." * Book Chase *"Big, handsome, well-illustrated ... A book to own and read over and over again." * Booklist online *"An excellent companion for any lover of American literature." * New Jersey Monthly *"Writing America is an intelligent, meandering look at the rich interplay between writers and their places… Fishkin writes like a favorite college professor speaks: throwing out quotable lines, grabbing our attention with revelatory anecdotes, making us laugh at the human comedy, making us cry at inhumane injustice - while all the time, whetting our appetite to read more American literature. Highly recommended." * The Journal of American Culture *"A splendid travel guide for readers." * Yale Alumni Magazine *“When landscape and literature meet in Writing America, the life and work of great authors light up as in vivid Technicolor.” * Stanford Report *"Through the prism of more than 150 National Register historic sites, this eclectic, essential work honors authors’ voices both mainstream and underrepresented. Thought- and even tear-provoking, Writing America will leave you in awe of the writers whose worlds and words comprise our country’s canon. Lovers of American lit, commence salivating." * Swarthmore College Bulletin *"An impressive body of exceptional and detailed scholarship. Highly recommended." * Midwest Book Review *"This book cuts straight to the soul of America in all its shades and colors. I don't think anyone has ever put together a book that’s quite so extraordinary. I certainly have never read one." -- Hal Holbrook * actor, Mark Twain Tonight!, author, Harold *"This absorbing and wondrous book is a glorious cornucopia of America's literary memory. Writing America is necessary, delicious, and nourishing food for the American artist, reader and writer." -- Min Jin Lee * author of Free Food for Millionaires *"Just when you thought you knew American literature, along comes Shelley Fisher Fishkin to show you what you've missed . . . and to make you think about it. She ushers us into both familiar and unusual spaces with prose as accessible as it is learned, observations that are clear and sometimes quirky, and quotations that prove the synergy between literature and place. She takes American literature out of the library and relocates it in the public square, revealing its essence as the most eloquent tour guide imaginable." -- David Bradley * author of South Street and The Chaneysville Incident *"Writing America presents us with an exquisitely rendered geography, in word and image alike, of the nation's diverse literary heritage." -- Eric J. Sundquist * Andrew W. Mellon Professor of the Humanities, Johns Hopkins University *"Smartly introduced, lavishly illustrated, and beautifully designed, Writing America treats the reader to sites associated with American authors and puts houses, landmarks, memorials, and museums into a vivid relationship with texts." -- Werner Sollors * coeditor with Greil Marcus of A New Literary History of America *Table of ContentsList of Illustrations Acknowledgments Introduction: The Literary Landscape1 Celebrating the Many in One Walt Whitman Birthplace, Huntington, Long Island, New York2 Living in Harmony with Nature Walden Pond, Concord, Massachusetts3 Freedom’s Port The New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park, New Bedford, Massachusetts4 The House that Uncle Tom’s Cabin Built Harriet Beecher Stowe House, Hartford, Connecticut5 The Irony of American History The Mark Twain Boyhood Home, Hannibal, Missouri, and the Mark Twain House, Hartford, Connecticut6 Native American Voices Remember Wounded Knee, Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, South Dakota7 “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” The Paul Laurence Dunbar House, Dayton, Ohio8 Leaving the Old World for the New The Tenement Museum, New York City9 The Revolt from the Village The Original Main Street, Sauk Centre, Minnesota10 Asian American Writers and Creativity in Confinement Angel Island Immigration Station, San Francisco, California, and Manzanar National Historic Site, Independence, California11 Harlem and the Flowering of African American Letters The 135th Street Library / The Schomburg Center for Research on Black Culture, New York City12 Mexican American Writers in the Borderlands of Culture Roma, La Lomita, San Agustin de Laredo, and San Ygnacio Historic Districts, Lower Rio Grande Valley, Texas13 American Writers and Dreams of the Silver Screen Hollywood Boulevard Commercial and Entertainment District, Los Angeles, California Index of Authors Index of Historic Sites

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Book SynopsisPresents the life and works of Emily Dickinson, one of the most famous and widely studied American poets of the 19th century. This book contains close readings and critical analyses of more than 150 of Dickinson's best-known poems. It discusses the different aspects of Dickinson's life that influenced her work - family, friends, and many others.

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Book SynopsisExamines Flannery O'Connor's life and works, and includes critical analyses of some of the themes in her writing, as well as entries on related topics and relevant people, places, and influences.

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Book SynopsisFool for Love is Scott Donaldson's masterful biography of F. Scott Fitzgerald-written from a fresh and highly intimate perspective. Fool for LoveTrade Review"The most penetrating psychological examination of the author ever written." —James L. W. West III, editor of The Cambridge Edition of the Works of F. Scott Fitzgerald"A stunning portrait. Full of intriguing insights. Donaldson comes close to what the inner man must have been." —Publishers Weekly"Written with great polish and researched as fully as any work on Fitzgerald." —CHOICETable of ContentsContentsPreface1. A Man with No People2. Princeton ‘173. “I Love You, Miss X”4. Darling Heart5. Genius and Glass6. The Glittering Things7. War Between the Sexes8. Running Amuck9. Cracking Up10. Demon Drink11. The Worst Thing12. “a writer only”NotesIndex

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Book SynopsisThe Beat Generation's best-known poet, in previously uncollected interviews, on reading and writing, poetry and politicsTrade Review"With a knowledge born out of personal interviews conducted with Allen Ginsberg himself, Michael Schumacher understands more about Ginsberg’s poetry than anyone alive. This book presents Ginsberg’s own words in a thought-provoking, entertaining, and intelligent way. It is destined to be a perfect companion to any study of Ginsberg, the poet."—Bill Morgan, author of The Typewriter is Holy: The Complete, Uncensored History of the Beat Generation"Michael Schumacher has dug deep and come up with a treasure trove of Ginsbergian thought—on topics ranging from sex and drugs and rock & roll to the genesis of "Howl" and On the Road. We even get a writing how-to via the transcript of a Naropa classroom discussion between Ginsberg, Norman Mailer, and William S. Burroughs. This fascinating compendium is the perfect addition to the Beat canon."—Holly George-Warren, author of A Man Called Destruction: The Life and Music of Alex Chilton and editor of The Rolling Stone Book of the Beats "Schumacher provides an introduction to First Thought that ought to make Ginsberg fans scream with joy."—San Francisco Chronicle"First Thought reacquaints us with a wonderfully authentic person and poet."—PopMatters"The collection is genuinely worthwhile."—Rain TaxiTable of ContentsContentsIntroduction: Ginsberg’s Visions of Ordinary Mind Michael SchumacherPortrait of a BeatAl Aronowitz, 1960Ginsberg Makes the World SceneRichard Kostalanetz, 1965Ginsberg in Washington: Lobbying for TendernessDon McNeill, 1966A Conversation between Ezra Pound and Allen GinsbergMichael Reck, 1968Identity GossipGordon Ball, 1974A Conversation with Allen GinsbergJohn Tytell, 1974An Interview with Allen GinsbergJames McKenzie, 1978Slice of Reality LifeStephen M. H. Braitman, 1974Visions of Ordinary Mind (1948–1955): Discourse, with Questions and Answers, June 9, 1976Paul Portuges, 1976Allen Ginsberg Talks about PoetryKenneth Koch, 1977Words and Music, Music, MusicMitchell Feldman, 1982William Burroughs, Norman Mailer, Allen Ginsberg: How to Notice What You Notice, How to Write a Bestseller, How to Not Solve a Crime in AmericaAllen Ginsberg, 1985Dreams, Reconciliations, and “Spots of Time”: An Interview with Allen GinsbergMichael Schumacher, 1986No More Bagels: An Interview with Allen GinsbergSteve Silberman, 1987Ginsberg Accuses Neo-Conservatives of Political CorrectnessKathleen O’Toole, 1995A Conversation with Allen GinsbergTom McIntyre, 1995The Beats and the Boom: A Conversation with Allen GinsbergSeth Goddard, 1995Allen Ginsberg: An InterviewGary Pacernick, 1997ChronologyBooks by Allen Ginsberg

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Book SynopsisNelson Mandela brought the poetry of Ingrid Jonker to the attention of South Africa and the wider world when he read her poem “Die kind” (The Child) at the opening of South Africa’s first democratic parliament on May 24, 1994.

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"A monumental scholarly achievement."—Joan Hedrick, author of Harriet Beecher Stowe: A Life"The definitive biography of a major figure in American literary and political history.—Richard Slotkin, author of Gunfighter Nation"This is a magnificent book. Child’s character emerges as a model for what a woman can be."—Jane Tompkins, author of West of Everything“Child’s was a ‘household name’ during her lifetime, Carolyn Karcher writes, . . . yet since then her works and influence have been all but ‘erased from history.’ Ms. Karcher hopes to restore that reputation and to familiarize the modern reader with Child’s writings through a literary biography based on ‘extensive quotation and detailed literary analysis.’ Ms. Karcher’s goal is an admirable one; Child’s importance and influence should be reasserted.” * New York Times Book Review *“Karcher convincingly argues that Child deserves recognition as one of the handful of leading women intellectuals of her day: indeed, of leading intellectuals of either sex.” * London Review of Books *“Karcher details Child’s life in a thoroughly researched manner that emphasizes Child’s own writings.” * Library Journal *“Karcher has prodigiously researched nineteenth-century life in America to place her subject in historical context for this definitive biography.” * Publishers Weekly *“Karcher’s biography of Child is a monumentally thorough scholarly work.” * Women's Review of Books *“Lydia Maria Child’s rich and expansive life has finally been accorded the voluminous treatment it deserves.” * American Historical Review *“This valuable portrait of a complex and talented woman may be most notable for indicating the extent to which she was of—rather than ahead of—her time.” * Kirkus Reviews *Table of ContentsIllustrations ix Preface and Acknowledgments xi Chronology xix Abbreviations xxvi Prologue: A Passion for Books 1 1. The Author of Hobomok 16 2. Rebels and "Rivals": Self Portraits of a Conflicted Young Artist 38 3. The Juvenile Miscellany: The Creation of an American Children's Literature 57 4. A Marriage of True Minds: Espousing the Indian Cause 80 5. Blighted Prospects: Indian Fiction and Domestic Reality 101 6. The Frugal Housewife: Financial Worries and Domestic Advice 126 7. Children's Literature and Antislavery: Conservative Medium, Radical Message 151 8. "The First Woman in the Republic": An Antislavery Baptism 173 9. An Antislavery Marriage: Careers at Cross Purposes 195 10. The Conditions of Women: Double Binds, Unresolved Conflicts 214 11. Schisms, Personal and Political 249 12. The National Anti-Slavery Standard: Family Newspaper or Factional Organ? 267 13. Letters from New York: The Invention of a New Literary Genre 295 14. Sexuality and Marriage in Fact and Fiction 320 15. The Progress of Religious Ideas: A "Pilgrimage of Pennance" 356 16. Autumnal Leaves: Reconsecrated Partnerships, Personal and Political 384 17. The Example of John Brown 416 18. Child's Civil War 443 19. Visions of a Reconstructed America: The Freedmen's Book and A Romance of the Republic 487 20. A Radical Old Age 532 21. Aspirations of the World 573 Afterword 608 Notes 617 Works of Lydia Maria Child 757 Index 773

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"A monumental scholarly achievement."—Joan Hedrick, author of Harriet Beecher Stowe: A Life"The definitive biography of a major figure in American literary and political history.—Richard Slotkin, author of Gunfighter Nation"This is a magnificent book. Child’s character emerges as a model for what a woman can be."—Jane Tompkins, author of West of Everything“Child’s was a ‘household name’ during her lifetime, Carolyn Karcher writes, . . . yet since then her works and influence have been all but ‘erased from history.’ Ms. Karcher hopes to restore that reputation and to familiarize the modern reader with Child’s writings through a literary biography based on ‘extensive quotation and detailed literary analysis.’ Ms. Karcher’s goal is an admirable one; Child’s importance and influence should be reasserted.” * New York Times Book Review *“Karcher convincingly argues that Child deserves recognition as one of the handful of leading women intellectuals of her day: indeed, of leading intellectuals of either sex.” * London Review of Books *“Karcher details Child’s life in a thoroughly researched manner that emphasizes Child’s own writings.” * Library Journal *“Karcher has prodigiously researched nineteenth-century life in America to place her subject in historical context for this definitive biography.” * Publishers Weekly *“Karcher’s biography of Child is a monumentally thorough scholarly work.” * Women's Review of Books *“Lydia Maria Child’s rich and expansive life has finally been accorded the voluminous treatment it deserves.” * American Historical Review *“This valuable portrait of a complex and talented woman may be most notable for indicating the extent to which she was of—rather than ahead of—her time.” * Kirkus Reviews *Table of ContentsIllustrations ix Preface and Acknowledgments xi Chronology xix Abbreviations xxvi Prologue: A Passion for Books 1 1. The Author of Hobomok 16 2. Rebels and "Rivals": Self Portraits of a Conflicted Young Artist 38 3. The Juvenile Miscellany: The Creation of an American Children's Literature 57 4. A Marriage of True Minds: Espousing the Indian Cause 80 5. Blighted Prospects: Indian Fiction and Domestic Reality 101 6. The Frugal Housewife: Financial Worries and Domestic Advice 126 7. Children's Literature and Antislavery: Conservative Medium, Radical Message 151 8. "The First Woman in the Republic": An Antislavery Baptism 173 9. An Antislavery Marriage: Careers at Cross Purposes 195 10. The Conditions of Women: Double Binds, Unresolved Conflicts 214 11. Schisms, Personal and Political 249 12. The National Anti-Slavery Standard: Family Newspaper or Factional Organ? 267 13. Letters from New York: The Invention of a New Literary Genre 295 14. Sexuality and Marriage in Fact and Fiction 320 15. The Progress of Religious Ideas: A "Pilgrimage of Pennance" 356 16. Autumnal Leaves: Reconsecrated Partnerships, Personal and Political 384 17. The Example of John Brown 416 18. Child's Civil War 443 19. Visions of a Reconstructed America: The Freedmen's Book and A Romance of the Republic 487 20. A Radical Old Age 532 21. Aspirations of the World 573 Afterword 608 Notes 617 Works of Lydia Maria Child 757 Index 773

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Book SynopsisThis biography of William Wordsworth attempts to tell the story of his life through a rigourous reading of key and representative works of the poet. Its reading of the poems, in tune with current theoretical practice, offers a sense of the continuities in Wordsworth's life.Trade Review"Literary biography is flourishing these days, and now it's Wordsworth's turn in this examination of the "episodes in a poetic life," or moments when the poems and life intersect. Mahoney (Boston Coll.; The English Romantics, 1978) gives a cautious nod here to deconstruction, which he sees as exposing the different and often opposed meanings of a text, as well as the New Historicism, which deepens the reader's sense of the poet's engagement with the world. But while Mahoney's approach is enriched by both of these contemporary strategies, his larger goal is to write neither a critical study nor a life per se but something more like a biography of the poet's career, when Wordsworth was, in the fullest sense, his most writerly self." -Library Journal

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Book SynopsisAt the end of his long life, Samuel Clemens felt driven to write a truthful account of what he regarded as the flaws in his character and the errors of his ways. Tracing the theme of bad faith in all of Clemens' major writing, this book sheds light on a tormented moral life.Trade Review...Robinson has created a valuable inroad for a deeper understanding of Clemens and his work.. * —American Literary Realism *Illuminating and provocative . . . well worth the attention of anyone who cares about this complex and intriguing author.---—Shelley Fisher Fishkin, Stanford UniversityRemind[s] us of the source of Twin's dark ramblings—his own horror- and grief-filled experience—and to consider in compelling, and sometimes ingenious, ways how they are revealed in the author's fiction. * —The New England Quarterly *Forrest Robinson's The Author-Cat is fine cognac distilled from the life and works of Twain. He eloquently explores the author's psyche and art. Robinson does more in two-hundred pages than many do in a thousand -- and in delicious prose."---—Terrell Dempsey, author of Searching for Jim: Slavery in Sam Clemens's WorldRobinson helps to prove one of his fundamental assumptions, that we are seldom able to separate authors' lives, their intentions, and their works. * —M/C Reviews *Robinson obviously wants to be careful with his psychoanalyzing, trying not to overstep what he feels can be claimed from the texts. In addition, his textual evidence is comprehensive, found not just in fictions but in letters and manuscripts, composing a persuasive image of Samuel Clemens and his bad faith performances. * —Studies in American Humor *An interesting topic, this book would be worth reading along with Twain's 'Autobiography,' Twain's final attempt to reveal his dark side. * —Santa Cruz Sentinel *To read this book is to participate in a study of Samuel Clemens' creative imagination and the guilty conscience that drove him toward auto-biographical confession. Yet, it was fiction and its forms—stories, novels, dreams—that gave his imagination access to the rich material of his experience. Writing with patience, clarity, and perception, Robinson literally feels his way into the lives and psychic enery of Mark Twain's characters. This book is both a gift and a challenge: a comprehensive reading of Mark Twain's major work that will help every reader; and a critical vision of Samuel Clemens' writiing that will confront every future writer on the subject. ---—James M. Cox, Professor Emeritus, Dartmouth CollegeRobinson succeeds in presenting a portrait of Samuel Clemens as a tortured soul who never escaped guilt and who was an ineffectual 'author-cat' at burying his shame. * —Mark Twain Forum *

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Book SynopsisA biography of experimental poet and spiritual seeker Robert Lax, who inspired Thomas Merton, Jack Kerouac and many others. Using information and stories drawn from journal entries, letters, interviews and the author’s personal recollections, the book chronicles the development of Lax’s distinctive poetic style and a spontaneous, spiritual approach to life he called pure act.Trade Review"Presenting Lax as an embodiment of the "wisdom of simplicity" and himself as a "naive boy who had washed up on his shores", McGregor becomes both unobtrusive character and reliable narrator in this text, connected to Lax by the author's own need for personal searching." -The Merton Seasonal "This is a biography to which I will return for inspiration." -Rev. Ted Huffman "Biographer Michael McGregor periodically visited [Lax] in Greece starting in 1985; his authorial reflections set the tone and character for his excellent biography, revealing the tug-and-pull of the particular in Lax's life." -American Catholic Studies "McGregor, who discovered Lax after reading Merton's classic book The Seven-Storey Mountain as a young man, subtitles his biography The Uncommon Life of Robert Lax. The poet, who spent most of his life living an austere, quiet life in Greece, latterly on the island of Patmos, regarded his dwelling place as 'like living in a church.'" -The Catholic Herald "[Pure Act] will help re-awaken your idealism." -Ron Rolheiser, OMI "Pure Act is a homage, a love letter, an apologia for a curious poetics, and a well-considered story about an uncommon man and his very uncommon life. For us, it may prove something of a wake-up call as well." -- -Scott Cairns The Christian Century "Pure Act is an admiring biography, one that is well-researched and written with affection...While Lax's strange life--McGregor calls it an "uncommon" life--will not cause readers to emulate it, it will provoke them to ponder what it is to be fully human. This is, of course, one of the principal functions of biography, needed now more than ever." -- -Dana Greene National Catholic ReporterTable of ContentsPrologue: Going Back 1. A Mutual Wonder-field 2. Ends and Means 3. Portals to a Land of Dusk 4. The Cottage 5. Lo, the sun walks forth! 6. Suicide Notes 7. The Scream 8. Aquinas and the Circus Beckon 9. The Siren Call of Hollywood 10. On the Road with the Cristianis 11. Being a Presence in Postwar Marseilles 12. Entering the Lion's Mouth 13. Paris, Jubilee, and Kerouac 14. Inspiration in a Greek Diner 15. A New Poetics 16. "Original Child Bomb" and an Island Home 17. The Sorrow of the Sponge Diver 18. A Saint of the Avant-Garde 19. Alone in the World 20. A Galapagos of the Spirit 21. All Thoughts as They Come 22. The Flaw in the Ideal 23. Hell Hath No Fury 24. Finding a Common Language 25. Pure Act Becomes Pure Love 26. The Peacemaker's Handbook Epilogue: The Singer and the Song Notes Bibliography Index Acknowledgments Photographs follow page

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Book SynopsisThrough the romantic life of Yone Noguchi, Queer Compulsions narrates how even the queerest of intimacies can more provocatively serve as a reflection of rather than a revolt from existing social inequality.

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewGary Scharnhorst's monumental biography sets a new standard for comprehensiveness. This will prove to be the standard biography for our generation."" - Alan Gribben, author of Mark Twain's Literary Resources: A Reconstruction of His Library and Reading""Clear and engaging, Scharnhorst's prose keeps you rolling happily through this consummate American adventure."" - Bruce Michelson, author of Printer's Devil: Mark Twain and the American Publishing Revolution‘Scharnhorst’s thorough and careful research results in a scholarly biography that will undoubtedly be considered definitive’ -Publishers Weekly"A lively, richly detailed, and sharply perceptive biography." — Kirkus

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Book SynopsisThe last installment of Scharnhorst's three-volume biography chronicles the life of Samuel Clemens between his family's extended trip to Europe in 1891 and his death in 1910. During this period, Clemens grapples with bankruptcy, the lecture circuit, loses two daughters and his wife, and writes some of his darkest, most critical works.

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Book SynopsisA three-volume, hardcover set of Gary Scharnhorst’s biography of Samuel Clemens that includes The Life of Mark Twain: The Early Years, 1835-1871; The Life of Mark Twain: The Middle Years, 1871-1891; and The Life of Mark Twain: The Final Years, 1891-1910.

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Book SynopsisA memoir of the author's travels in China.Trade Review"The narrator travels through modern 'global', yet somehow still Maoist, China, trying to reach the past, trying to see what remains of the Middle Kingdom's ancient cultural riches, and trying to reach the city of Jiuhuashan (always asking: 'This still isn't Jiuhuashan, is it?'). But the last thing Krasznahorkai is ever going to offer us is false hope or neat resolutions."--Epler, Barbara "TANK Magazine "

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Book SynopsisTable of Contents1. My 27th of September: Preface to 'One Day a Year, 1960–2000'2. Editor’s NoteGerhard Wolf3. One Day a Year, 2001–20114. Facsimiles of Handwritten Pages 5. Notes

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Book SynopsisIf poets are liars by profession, Sharmel Iris was truly professional. Poet, plagiarist, imposter, and forger, Iris engaged in a lifelong campaign of self-promotion that linked him to a constellation of leading writers and public figures, among them T.S. Eliot, Robert Frost, Joyce Kilmer, Ezra Pound, Dame Edith Sitwell, Diego Rivera, Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dali, Winston Churchill, Theodore Roosevelt, Eleanor Roosevelt, William Wrigley, and Woodrow Wilson. Of poets writing today, there is no greater, states a preface, signed by W. B. Yeats, to one of Iris''s volumes of poetryalthough at the time of publication Yeats had been dead for several years. Examining Iris'' grandiose fantasy, Craig Abbott exposes his forgery, plagiarism, and imposture.As a child, Iris had emigrated from Italy with his mother, who arrived in Chicago in pursuit of the American dream. Driven by ambition and narcissism, he began publishing poetry in 1905, participated in the Chicago Renaissance, and contiTrade ReviewOnce picked up, cannot easily be put down. * Midwest Book Review *Jaw-dropping in places, Abbott's book entertains beyond a constant escalation of Iris' audacity and narcissism. There is also much wit. * Chronicle of Higher Education *Table of ContentsPreface 1. Youth of Genius, 1889–1913 2. New Poet, 1913–1922 3. Apparitional Schemer, 1923–1939 4. Nonpublishing Poet, 1940–1949 5. Resurrected Genius, 1950–1953 6. International Poet in Residence, 1954–1959 7. Autobiographer, 1950s and 1960s 8. Local Celebrity, 1960–1967 Notes Index

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Book SynopsisMore than a century after his death in 1881, Fyodor Dostoevsky continues to fascinate readers and reviewers. Countless studies of his writing have been publishedmore than a dozen in the past few years alone. In this important new work, Thomas Marullo provides a diary-portrait of Dostoevsky''s early years drawn from the letters, memoirs, and criticism of the writer, as well as from the testimony and witness of family and friends, readers and reviewers, and observers and participants in his life. Marullo''s exhaustive search of published materials on Dostoevsky sheds light on many unexplored corners of Dostoevsky''s childhood, adolescence, and youth. Speakers of excerpts are given maximum freedom: Anything they said about the writerthe good and the bad, the truth and the liesare included, with extensive footnotes providing correctives, counter-arguments, and other pertinent information.The first part of this volume, All in the Family, focuses on Dostoevsky''s early formaTrade Review[This book] gives a fascinating insight into Dostoevskii's early development as a writer. Marullo's selection is very revealing of Dostoevsky's creative process and his personality. * Slavic & East European Journal *Young Dostoevsky emerges from these pages as a complex individual, similar to the most fascinating and captivating characters of his mature fiction-embracing contradictions, reconciling conflicts, and resisting definitions. Any Dostoevsky admirer, whether a reader or a scholar, will find the book to be a valuable addition to extant Dostoevsky scholarship. * The Russian Review *Assembling the thrilling facts and legends about Dostoevsky, Marullo has invented a new genre of biography, 'a portrait of the writer in a new and seminal way.' Readers can not only form their own opinions about disputed events but also trace the origins of various legends. * New York Review of Books *[Marullo's] exhaustive research into every aspect of Dostoevsky's life over this period results in a vivid account of the writer's recurring patterns. Readers can look forward to how volume three projects these patterns across the period of Dostoevsky's greatest works, which were yet to come. Highly recommended. * Choice *

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Book SynopsisThe life story of the Victorian novelist George Eliot is as dramatic and complex as her best plots. This new assessment of her life and work combines recent biographical research with penetrating literary criticism, resulting in revealing new interpretations of her literary work. A fresh look at George Eliot''s captivating life story Includes original new analysis of her writing Deploys the latest biographical research Combines literary criticism with biographical narrative to offer a rounded perspective Trade Review“It is no surprise that this book is now available in paperback: compact and hugely suggestive, bringing us new things to think about, showing us old myths to discard; in its productive disruption of commonplace fact/fiction approaches to the life and works mode, it enriches and enlarges our understanding of the writer and her writings.” (Cercles, 1 June 2015)Table of ContentsList of Illustrations ix Acknowledgments xi List of Abbreviations xiii 1 The History of a Writer: George Eliot and Biographies 1 2 Early Years: 1819–50 22 3 London and Lewes: 1850–4 64 4 Marian Lewes and George Eliot: 1855–60 95 5 Silas Marner and Romola: 1860–4 120 6 Felix Holt and The Spanish Gypsy: 1865–9 153 7 Middlemarch: 1870–2 181 8 Daniel Deronda: 1873–6 207 9 Impressions of Theophrastus Such: 1877–9 235 10 The Final Years: 1879 to Cross’s Life 255 Bibliography 271 Index 287

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Book SynopsisTHE LIFE OF THE AUTHOR An expansive biography of John Milton, including an assessment of his poetry and prose and an account of the ways in which he has been presented over the past three and a half centurieswritten by a leading scholar in the fieldIt is hard to overstate the role that John Milton played in the historical, political and literary controversies of seventeenth century England; his writings and very life challenged the status quo. Living through one of the most tumultuous periods in British history, Milton was involved at every turn. Struggling to reconcile his private beliefs with his involvement with a radical political experiment, a republic which involved the killing of the monarch, his star rose and fell several times during his life. Married three times, struck blind at a cruelly early age, he was a famed pamphleteer and political activist whose revolutionary political credos placed him in mortal danger after the Restoration. Milton's varied life makes fTable of ContentsAcknowledgements ix Introduction 1 Part One Life 3 1 The City of London 5 2 Cambridge 15 3 Preparation 28 4 Travels 42 5 The Civil War 48 6 The Cromwellian Republic 69 7 The Restoration 98 8 Paradise Lost 104 9 Milton's Last Years and Paradise Regained 130 Part Two Lives After Death 139 10 The Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries 141 11 The Romantics and the Victorians 147 12 The Twentieth Century 157 13 Critical Theory 167 Abbreviations and Referencing 198 Bibliography 199 Index 206

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Book SynopsisWinner of the 2021 IACP Award for Literary or Historical Food Writing Longlisted for the 2021 Plutarch Award How a leading writer of the Lost Generation became America's most famous farmer and inspired the organic food movement.Trade Review"Heyman applies keen narrative skills to tell the story of Bromfield’s celebrity-studded life—two lives, really—as an author and farmer. The result is a rattling good yarn." -- Barry Estabrook - The Wall Street Journal"Inspirational...Bromfield’s original insight was seeing the crucial importance of soil health before science really understood why this matters, or how to build it." -- David R. Montgomery - Nature"The Planter of Modern Life is an inspiriting read in its entirety — the kind that restores your faith in the humans that make humanity." -- Maria Popova - The Marginalian"Mesmerizing. Abounding in wit, insight, elegance, and narrative talent, The Planter of Modern Life is at once terribly entertaining and subtly illuminating—rather like Bromfield himself, a man at ease in the most rarified Parisian gatherings and bumping along on a tractor on his Ohio farm. This original, ardent visionary of the American environmental future still has much to teach us." -- Victoria Johnson, author of American Eden"This is more than a sparkling biography; it’s a botanical adventure story of a full, plant-based bohemian life, following the journey of a modern Johnny Appleseed from Ohio to World War I France to Hollywood to our dinner plates." -- Michael W. Twitty, author of The Cooking Gene"The astounding tale of Louis Bromfield, a rare and accomplished figure who has vanished from collective memory, despite his importance to issues ranging from organic food to the ephemeral nature of fame. An engaging and fascinating book on many levels." -- Mark Kurlansky, author of Cod and Salt"If Stephen Heyman had written Louis Bromfield’s life as a novel, readers would have found the tale too tall to believe." -- Deirdre Bair, author of Parisian Lives"A brilliant, engaging read about the life of a literary icon and, until now, unrecognized founder of the organic movement." -- Dan Barber, chef of Blue Hill at Stone Barns, author of The Third Plate"I couldn’t put this book down. In this wonderful biography, Stephen Heyman pulls the curtain back so those of us who practically idolized this bigger-than-life soil spokesman can finally understand the complicated man behind the legend." -- Joel Salatin, founder of Polyface Farm, author of Folks, This Ain’t Normal"Heyman turns the story of this novelist, screenwriter, nonfiction author, and pioneering farmer into an utterly engrossing account of both his life and his times…[The Planter of Modern Life] is a biography of dual landscapes—literary and pastoral—as much as a chronicle of a man…An outstanding debut." -- Kirkus Reviews (starred review)"In this delightful and exhilarating page-turner…Heyman does an impressive job of combining all of Bromfield’s interests into a cohesive narrative that captivates as both intriguing history and a significant look at early environmentalism." -- Booklist (starred review)

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Book SynopsisReconnecting Cleland's writing to its literary and social milieu, this study offers new insights into the history of authorship and the literary marketplace and contributes to contemporary debates on pornography, censorship, the history of sexuality, and the contested role of literature in eighteenth-century culture.Trade ReviewAn impressively learned, scrupulously detailed study. -- Terry Eagleton London Review of Books Cleland's life story is a puzzle with many pieces still missing. But Gladfelder's careful, painstaking reconstructions have brought the fascinating picture into much clearer focus. Choice Anyone interested in the history of pornography or Cleland cannot afford to be without this study of the writer and his work. -- Julie Peakman Times Literary Supplement Lucid and engaging. -- Paul Baines Review of English Studies Fanny Hill in Bombay will prove to be of essential reading to scholars of many kinds: of the novel; print culture; social; legal and colonial history; and translation. -- Gregory Lynall Women's History Review Intelligently conceived, intensely researched, gracefully articulated, Mr. Gladfelder's Fanny Hill in Bombay has 'made'... the 'literary career' of Cleland as a perversely exemplary 'miscellaneous writer' on the cusp of modernity. -- William H. Epstein The ScriblerianTable of ContentsAcknowledgmentsJohn Cleland: A Chronology1. Fanny Hill in Bombay (1728–1740)2. Down and Out in Lisbon and London (1741–1748)3. Sodomites (1748–1749)4. Three Memoirs (1748–1752)5. The Hack (1749–1759)6. The Man of Feeling (1752–1768)7. A Briton (1757–1787)Epilogue: AfterlifeAppendix: Cleland's Mémoire to King João V of Portugal (1742)NotesBibliographyIndex

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Book SynopsisWhether you're a devoted Janeite or simply Jane-curious, The Making of Jane Austen will have you thinking about how a literary icon is made, transformed, and handed down from generation to generation.Trade ReviewAusten fans have another book to add to their libraries. Publishers WeeklyTable of ContentsIntroduction: Jane Austen MattersPart I: Jane Austen, Illustrated1. Austen's First English Illustrator: Ferdinand Pickering's Vioctorian Sensationalism2. Visual Austen Experiments: From Lush Landscapes to Bearded Heroes3. A Golden Age for Illustrated Austen: From Peacocks to PhotoplaysPart II: Jane Austen, Dramatized4. Austen's First Dramatist: Rosina Filippi's Duologues for Every Cultivated Amateur5. Playing Mr. Darcy before Laurence Olivier: Cross Dressing, Consuming Passion, and Cracking the Whip6. Dear Jane: Christian Spinster, Feminist Flirt, and Shadow Actress7. Stage to Screen Pride and Prejudice: Hollywood's Austen and Its Unrealized ScreenplaysPart III: Jane Austen, Politicized8. The Night of the Divine Jane: Men's Club Clashes and Politics in the Periodical Press9. Stone-Throwing Jane Austen: Suffragist Street Activism, Grand Pageants, and Costume PartiesPart IV: Jane Austen, Schooled10. The First Jane Austen Dissertation: George Pellew and the Human Telephone11. Textbook Austens: From McGuffey's Readers to National LampoonCoda: Twenty-First Century Jane AustenAfterwordAcknowledgmentsAppendix: Suggested Further ReadingNotesBibliographyIndex

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Book SynopsisOriginally published in 1994. The Romance of Real Life aims to reconstruct historically the life and writings of Charles Brockden Brown in terms of their cultural connection. Watts examines in detail Brown's early and later writings. By looking at these often-neglected works more closely, he offers a new perspective on the well-known novels from the late 1790s. Watts's synthetic look at genre as well as chronology reveals broader connections between Brown's literature and American society and culture in the decades of the early republic. Furthermore, Watts situates Brown's writings in terms of the interplay of text, context, and the self, with each factor recognized as mutually shaping the others. The Romance of Real Life incorporates sensitivity to the social history of ideas, in which both the form and content of language remain rooted in the material experience of real life.Trade ReviewBright and literate.—Stephen F. Pickering, Journal of the Early RepublicTable of ContentsAcknowledgments Introduction Chapter 1. The Novel and the Market in the Early Republic Chapter 2. The Lawyer and the Rhapsodist Chapter 3. The Young Artist as Social Visionary Chapter 4. The Major Novels (I): Fiction and FragmentationChapter 5. The Major Novels (II): Deception and DisintegrationChapter 6. The Writer as Bourgeois MoralistChapter 7. The Writer and the Liberal EgoNotesBibliographic EssayIndex

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Book SynopsisTable of ContentsIntroduction: The Apprentice Alone in His Workshop: The Inventions Notebook1. Indebted and Well-Bred: Literary Models and Authority in the Juvenilia2. The Notebook, Begun: The Clash of Laforgue and Baudelaire in the Poems of November 19093. Clearing the Throat: The Poems of Early 19104. Raising the Voice: The Sequence Poems of Fall 19105. Trembling with Pathos: The Paris Poems of Late 1910 and Early 19116. The Short and Surprisingly Private Life of King Bolo: The Bawdy Poems and Their Audiences7. "Prufrock," Abandoned: How the Poem Was Written, How It Was Received, and How It Works8. Mumbling the Denouement: The Last and Undated Poems of the Notebook, late 1911-1915NotesWork CitedIndex

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Book SynopsisHow did an ordinary, if intelligent, boy who wrote unremarkable poems becomewith no help, and in record timethe author of one of the most significant and beloved poems of the twentieth century?T. S. Eliot's juvenilia show little inclination to question the social, cultural, religious, or domestic values he had inherited. How did a young man who wrote uninspired doggerel about wilting flowers transform himselfin a mere twenty monthsinto the author of The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock? In Becoming T. S. Eliot, Jayme Stayerpraised by Christopher Ricks as a scholar who is scrupulous in acknowledging the contingencies that will always preclude perfectionexplains this staggering accomplishment by tracing Eliot's artistic and intellectual development. Relying on archival research and original analysis, this is the first book dedicated entirely to Inventions of the March Hare, Eliot's youthful notebook, which was once thought lost but was rediscovered after Eliot's death. Stayer places EliotTable of ContentsIntroduction: The Apprentice Alone in His Workshop: The Inventions Notebook1. Indebted and Well-Bred: Literary Models and Authority in the Juvenilia2. The Notebook, Begun: The Clash of Laforgue and Baudelaire in the Poems of November 19093. Clearing the Throat: The Poems of Early 19104. Raising the Voice: The Sequence Poems of Fall 19105. Trembling with Pathos: The Paris Poems of Late 1910 and Early 19116. The Short and Surprisingly Private Life of King Bolo: The Bawdy Poems and Their Audiences7. "Prufrock," Abandoned: How the Poem Was Written, How It Was Received, and How It Works8. Mumbling the Denouement: The Last and Undated Poems of the Notebook, late 1911-1915NotesWork CitedIndex

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Book SynopsisA bold reimagining of the literary history of Decadence through a close examination of the transnational contexts of Oscar Wilde's classic novelThe Picture of Dorian Gray. Building upon a large body of archival and critical work on Oscar Wilde's only novel, Dorian Unbound offers a new account of the importance of transnational contexts in the forging of Wilde's imagination and the wider genealogy of literary Decadence. Sean O'Toole argues that the attention critics have rightly paid to Wilde's backgrounds in Victorian Aestheticism and French Decadence has had the unintended effect of obscuring a much broader network of transnational contexts. Attention to these contexts allows us to reconsider how we read The Picture of Dorian Gray, what we believe we know about Wilde, and how we understand literary Decadence as both a persistent, highly mobile cultural mode and a precursor to global modernism. In developing a transnational framework for reading Dorian Gray, O'Toole recovers a subter

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Book Synopsis Paul Alexis was a novelist, journalist, and dramatist, one of the naturalistes, and a friend of Emile Zola. This volume brings together for the first time the 229 letters still in existence from him to Zola. Written over a period of thirty years, from the beginning of Rougon-Macquart to the Dreyfus affair, they are a  rich source of information on a particularly fertile period in French literature. The letters are intimate, lacking all pretensions to elegance and stylistic constraints; taken together they describe vividly the private life and thoughts of this fervent naturaliste. Alexis was the first to write a biography of Emile Zola, and his letters will be of interest to literary historians and critics for the fresh light they shed on Zola and on the history of naturalisme. Throughout the correspondence Alexis writes of his activities as a free-lance journalist, and provides a first-hand account of the press in France during the nineteenth

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Book SynopsisDespite an impressive body of poems, novels, short stories, and literary criticism; high praise for his writing by French and Swiss critics; and a collection of honours that includes the prestigious Prix Goncourt, awarded for his novel L’Ogre in 1973, Jacques Chessex is relatively unknown outside France and Switzerland. With this book, David J. Bond provides the first comprehensive study of his work in any language—a study that reveals Chessex’s deep ambivalence towards his Calvinist heritage and his efforts to resolve this dilemma through his texts.Born in 1934 in Payerne, in the region of French-speaking Switzerland known as the Vaud, Chessex grew up amid the pervasive influence of the Calvinist church. His writing, which tells of Vaud society and the hypocrisy of many of its leading members, reveals his preoccupation with a rigid morality, sin, remorse, and death. Bond shows that while Chessex uses his texts to escape this heritage and affirm alt

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Book SynopsisThis is the first complete biographical and critical study of Karl Philipp Moritz (1756–93), German novelist, teacher, journalist, and philologist. His psychological novel, Anton Reiser, replete with insights into the sociological and psychological life of the time, was one of the most important eighteenth-century German novels. Moritz was in close touch with most of the major intellectual currents in Weimar and Berlin—from aesthetics and linguistics on the one hand to pietistical and mystical movements on the other—and he was a friend of Goethe and of other significant German literary figures as well. His career was a turbulent one, made all the more difficult by his many-sided psychological problems, which play a large role in his autobiographical writings.Karl Philipp Moritz has never been totally forgotten, but scholarly interest in him has increased dramatically in the last few decades. His works, particularly Anton Reiser, have als

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