Henry James

While this slim volume is very strikingly put together, it serves only as an introduction to the man and his work; in point of fact, it is listed on the back of the book as one in the "Thames and Hudson Literary Lives". With 130 illustrations to accompany the text a cursory introduction to Henry James, his times, and his work, can at best be had. At the end of the volume a chronology of his life is listed and further volumes in print on "the Master" are listed. All of this is very helpful to the reader interested in only a thumbnail sketch of James's life. Any real depth of interest will cause the reader to move on to Leon Edel's classic and standard 5-volume biography which saw print from the mid 1950's through the early 1970's. These volumes are yet available in either hardcover or softcover from sellers. Though James had many acquaintances among the world's writers of his time he remained always rather a distant, distinct artist on his own. He had an up and down relationship with H.G. Wells which eventually broke down beyond repair, and though he knew Robert Louis Stevenson slightly it was not until RLS was dying in the same nursing home where James's sister, Alice, was also meeting death that they spent some time together. Therefore, Stevenson and James did at that late time establish a friendship of sorts but they had not been life long friends, and it quickly came to end with R.L. Stevenson's death. While true he knew many writers such as Flaubert, Zola, George Eliot, John Ruskin, Dante Gabriel Rossetti and William Dean Howells among others, most of that was early in his career, and Ivan Turgenev was the writer he knew best and revered the most. Later writers such as H. G. Wells were a breed he did not understand nor care for in general. One of the more interesting facts brought out in this slim volume, is the 5 year period late 1800's early 1900's that James attempted to write and place his output on the stage as plays. The attempt never got going and he eventually turned back to book writing, reaching what is known as his 'golden age' comprised by the novels, The Wings of a Dove, The Golden Bowl, and The American. Though these books were a critical success, he had reached a point shortly before death of being close to impoverishment. Through the efforts of Edith Wharton, his neighbor-friend-fellow writer at Rye, who did it without Henry's knowledge, $8,000.00 of HER royalties were channeled to Henry James from Scribners as an 'advance' on his next book. Eventually Henry caught on to what Mrs. Wharton was doing and put a stop to it. Interestingly, shortly after his death one of the last two novels he finished before his death in 1916 did become in the 1920's a very successful play on the English stage. He eventually succeeded on the stage after his death without trying! Through the 1920's and 1930's Henry James was pretty much a forgotten author, only after WWII did he again return to both the readers and critics attention. With th

I was pleasantly surprised by this short, illustrated biography titled Henry James. My interest was maintained throughout, and I have subsequently begun reading again some novels by James. The life of Henry James is particularly well-documented as his extended family corresponded regularly and they all carefully preserved their letters. Henry James was seemingly acquainted with nearly all noted writers of his period. Although they were two very different writers, Henry James and Robert Louis Stevenson greatly admired each other's works and were long time friends. James found Gustave Flaubert to be "simple, honest, kindly, and touchingly inarticulate". Henry James retained a lifelong admiration of Ivan Turgenev. Other friends included Stephen Crane, Joseph Conrad, and especially Edith Wharton. I enjoyed the descriptive text, but it is really the photographs that make this biography so fascinating. Drawing upon a rich set of contemporary photos, the author, Harry Thornton Moore, paints a vivid portrait of the nineteenth century. It is as though we are seeing America and Europe through the eyes of Henry James himself. The appendix includes a descriptive list of about 120 illustrations and photos, and provides a useful index that locates various references within the text to many literary works by James. I recommend this short, illustrated biography as a fascinating introduction to Henry James and his literary world.