Works on PaperWorks on Paper
the Craft of Biography and Autobiography
Title rated 3.8 out of 5 stars, based on 3 ratings(3 ratings)
Book, 2002
Current format, Book, 2002, First Counterpoint edition, No Longer Available.Book, 2002
Current format, Book, 2002, First Counterpoint edition, No Longer Available. Offered in 0 more formatsWorks on Paper is a selection by one of today's leading biographers from his lectures, essays, and reviews written over the last quarter of a century—mainly on the craft of biography and autobiography, but also covering what Michael Holroyd describes as his "enthusiasms and alibis".
Opening with a startling attack on biography, which is answered by two essays on the ethics and values of non–fiction writing, the book goes on to examine the work of several contemporary biographers, the place of biography in fiction and of fiction in biography, and the revelations of some extravagant autobiographers, from Osbert Sitwell to Quentin Crisp—to which he adds some adventures of his own, in particular an important and unpublished piece The Making of GBS, a riveting story of internecine literary warfare.
The book ends with a series of satires, celebrations, apologias and polemics which throw light not only on Michael Holroyd's progress as a biographer, but also his record as an embattled campaigner in the field of present–day literary politics.
Holroyd (a biographer of Lytton Strachey, Bernard Shaw, and others) has gathered essays, lectures, and short reviews produced over the last 25 years into a collection that will appeal to those who love biography and British life and fiction. In addition to Strachey and Shaw, writers featured include H.G. Wells, Rebecca West, Evelyn Waugh, and Gwen John. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
A collection of essays on the craft of biography and autobiography by the author of Basil Street Blues presents two volatile pieces on the ethics and values of nonfiction writing and continues with an examination of several contemporary biographers, discussions of his experiences, and a treatise on the role of fiction. 25,000 first printing.
A collection of essays presents two pieces on the ethics and values of nonfiction writing and continues with an examination of several contemporary biographers, discussions of the author's experiences, and a treatise on the role of fiction.
Opening with a startling attack on biography, which is answered by two essays on the ethics and values of non–fiction writing, the book goes on to examine the work of several contemporary biographers, the place of biography in fiction and of fiction in biography, and the revelations of some extravagant autobiographers, from Osbert Sitwell to Quentin Crisp—to which he adds some adventures of his own, in particular an important and unpublished piece The Making of GBS, a riveting story of internecine literary warfare.
The book ends with a series of satires, celebrations, apologias and polemics which throw light not only on Michael Holroyd's progress as a biographer, but also his record as an embattled campaigner in the field of present–day literary politics.
Holroyd (a biographer of Lytton Strachey, Bernard Shaw, and others) has gathered essays, lectures, and short reviews produced over the last 25 years into a collection that will appeal to those who love biography and British life and fiction. In addition to Strachey and Shaw, writers featured include H.G. Wells, Rebecca West, Evelyn Waugh, and Gwen John. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
A collection of essays on the craft of biography and autobiography by the author of Basil Street Blues presents two volatile pieces on the ethics and values of nonfiction writing and continues with an examination of several contemporary biographers, discussions of his experiences, and a treatise on the role of fiction. 25,000 first printing.
A collection of essays presents two pieces on the ethics and values of nonfiction writing and continues with an examination of several contemporary biographers, discussions of the author's experiences, and a treatise on the role of fiction.
Title availability
About
Subject and genre
Details
Publication
- Washington, D.C. : Counterpoint, 2002.
Opinion
More from the community
Community lists featuring this title
There are no community lists featuring this title
Community contributions
There are no quotations from this title
There are no quotations from this title
From the community