Richard Aldington (revised edition)
Poet, Soldier and Lover 1911-1929
Format:Paperback
Publisher:James Clarke & Co Ltd
Published:25th Jul '19
Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back
The story of Richard Aldington, outstanding Imagist poet and author of the bestselling war novel, Death of a Hero (1929), takes place against the backdrop of some of the most turbulent and creative years of the twentieth century. Vivien Whelpton provides a remarkably detailed and sensitive portrayal of the writer from early adolescence. His life as a stalwart of the pre-war London literary scene, as a soldier, and in the difficult aftermath of the First World War is deftly rendered through a careful and detailed analysis of the novels, poems and letters of the writer himself and his close circle of acquaintance. The complexities of London's Bohemia, with its scandalous relationships, social grandstanding and incredible creative output, are masterfully untangled, and the spotlight placed firmly on the talented group of poets christened by Ezra Pound as 'Imagistes'. The author demonstrates profound psychological insight into Aldington's character and childhood in her nuanced analysis of his post-war survivor's guilt, and consideration of the three most influential women in his life: his wife, the gifted American poet, H.D.; Dorothy Yorke, the woman he left her for; and Brigit Patmore, his brilliant and fascinating older mistress.Richard Aldington: Poet, Soldier and Lover vividly reveals Aldington's warm and passionate nature and the vitality which characterised his life and works, concluding with his triumphant personal and literary resurrection with the publication of Death of a Hero.
"... To describe Aldington as a complicated individual is an understatement, and to call his relationships with other people complex is equally inadequate. It is one of the strengths of Whelpton's biography that she examines these complexities with great patience, clarity and objectivity... Whelpton is scrupulous in distinguishing between documented fact and fictionalized reconstruction and hypothesis... To read this biography is to be convicted that Aldington still deserves and important place in the history of English literature and literary life of the twentieth century. Vivien Whelpton has thus written a challenging book about an author most publishers still prefer to ignore, and Lutterworth Press is to be congratulated for publishing it" Adrian Barlow, The Use of English, Vol. 65 N. 3 Summer 2014 "readers will be grateful to Whelpton for guiding us round the hairpin bends and blind alleys of [Aldington's] relationships." Robert Crawford, in "London Review of Books", vol.37, issue 2, 22 January 2015 "This is an absorbing and thorough discussion of Aldington's life and work, and illuminates the cultural life of London throughout the period.[...]The research is thorough and presented with a remarkably light touch, considering the level of detail here. Vivien Whelpton is to be congratulated on a very substantial achievement in a book which will long resonate with its readers." Alliance Of Literary Society Newsletter, Summer 2014 "This is a skilfully written biography. The writer displays a huge knowledge of the life of her subject and a very good grasp of the contemporary literature and other artistic expressions of the age." Marysa Demoor, English Literature in Transition vol 58 issue 4, 2015 "Whelpton's account is formidably thorough, and a valuable addition to the biographical resources previously available to the Aldington scholar; it will also be useful to students of the First World War, modernist literature and the early twentieth century...Vivien Whelpton has made an important contribution to Aldington scholarship, and I await the proposed volumes detailing Aldington's early and late years with interest." Andrew Frayn, New Canterbury Literary Society News, Vol. 43, Issue 1, Spring 2015
ISBN: 9780718895464
Dimensions: unknown
Weight: 711g
471 pages