Description
Book SynopsisJulian Hawthorne (1846-1934), Nathaniel Hawthorne's only son, lived a long and influential life marked by bad circumstances and worse choices. Raised among luminaries such as Thoreau, Emerson, and the Beecher family, Julian became a promising novelist in his twenties, but his writing soon devolved into mediocrity.
Trade Review"In a superbly researched and engaging narrative, Gary Scharnhorst has pulled together all the facts of this fascinating if somewhat outrageous life. In sum, he has given us a keenly argued biography with a new angle on his famous father, who died when Julian was a teenager and who did not take much interest in his prodigal son."--American Literary Realism
"Engaging and authoritative."--
Washington Post"A 'must read.' Julian led a life stranger than fiction, and Scharnhorst, who writes with humor and an eye for detail, has offered a riveting account of the extraordinary events, pitfalls, and relationships that comprised his subject's life."--
The New England Quarterly"This biography, in taking up Julian Hawthorne anew, aims to 'resurrect him from the footnote.' It has the potential to achieve this with its sharp profile of a once-prominent figure in American letters. That profile inevitably compels us to think about the peculiar, often precarious, social positions in which the children of cultural icons are put and/or put themselves. . . . Scharnhorst demonstrates how to write biography--not just to inform readers, but to pique their interest in its subject, or, title character."--
Rocky Mountain Review"An intriguing portrait of a famous son who was an aristocrat, a hack, and a scrounge. Recommended."--
Choice"Scharnhorst does more than just whet our appetite for the scandalous; he paints an elegant picture of a complex and contradictory man."--
Resources for American Literary Study"Scharnhorst is one of the best-known and most respected bibliographers in the field of nineteenth-century American literature, and this biography is just what one would expect from a scholar of his skill and reputation. A valuable and highly readable contribution to the field, rich in surprising discoveries."--Thomas Mitchell, author of
Hawthorne's Fuller Mystery
