Doubly Gifted: The Author as Visual Artist - Softcover

Kathleen Hjerter

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0810923335 ISBN 13: 9780810923331

Publisher: Harry N. Abrams, 1986

Synopsis

Paperback - 1986

About this title

From Publishers Weekly:

Along with such well-known examples as William Blake and Edward Lear, many famous writers have painted, drawn or sculpted, and even if the quality of their graphic work is eclipsed by their literary output, it nonetheless offers clues to their psyches. Poe's portrait of the woman he planned to marry the year he died aches with hypersensitivity. Anne Sexton's oil of a couple arguing is like a primal scream. Michener's painting Biography, a checkerboard of squares filled with personal symbols referring to events in his life, reflects his proclivity for cramming massive amounts of data into a narrative framework. Many of the 68 "doubly gifted" authors represented here turned out very good artwork. Notable examples are Gunter Grass's acid etchings, Breton's surrealist hallucinations and Hart Crane's somber painting of trees at nightfall. Pictures by Ibsen, Winston Churchill, George Sand, Wilde and Strindberg make for a rare, intriguing glimpse of the creative process. QPB alternate.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal:

The interconnection between art and literature is explored in this intriguing work, which gathers together examples of the artwork of great literary figures. While the art of figures like William Blake and Edward Lear is well known, some examples will come as a surprise. The graphics of Faulkner and Poe are impressive, but other examples show no particular gift. Updike's enlightening foreword analyzes the special affinity between artists and writers, for whom, he says, "the tools are allied, the impulses are one." Sixty-nine authors are represented with 214 illustrations, quotations from the writings of each, and brief biographies. Long on visuals and short on text, the book leaves the reader wanting to know more about the artistic impulses of each author. It is, nevertheless, a fascinating collection. Daniel J. Lombardo, Jones Lib., Amherst, Mass.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Harry N. Abrams
• Publication date: 1986
• ISBN 10: 0810923335
• ISBN 13: 9780810923331
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 160