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One of the great classic English biographies...unforgettably profound and unsparing...as forbidding to competitors as Boswellis life of Johnson.--Philip Hensher "Spectator "
Product Description
In this dazzling conjunction of subject and author, the great English novelist Aldous Huxley, the Owholly civilized man,O is brought wholly alive in a magnificent full-scale biography by the brilliant English novelist Sybille Bedford, an intimate friend of the Huxleys through four decades. With a pointillistic richness of moment, place, and talk, she re-creates not only the private Huxley and the literary Huxley but the entire intellectual and social era to which he was central. Despite the almost total loss of his sight at age sixteen, Huxley became a titan and cultural hero of the decades after World War I, on terms with the outstanding writers and artists of his day, from D. H. Lawrence to Stravinksy and Auden. He had two separate and large careers as Crome Yellow and Point Counter Point, flag-bearer of EnglandOs Bright Young People through the 1920s, and romancer of glittering women; and later, in America, as the increasingly philosophical and utopian thinker, and a pioneering explorer of the frontiers of the human mind. Drawing on his letters and diaries, the memories of his intimates, and her own sharp and sensitive comprehension of HuxleyOs writings, Mrs. Bedford has written a masterful biography. 'Her novelistOs eye,' writes V. S. Pritchett, 'brings the writer to life. Huxley becomes a living, deeply attractive presence, while his great contemporaries flash through these pages in memorable and moving encounters. Mrs. BedfordOs biography stands as the major work on a major figure in the literary and intellectual history of the twentieth century.'
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
Having heard a lot of Aldous Huxley over the years & living in a village that was home to a Huxley family, I decided it was time I learnt more about the man.I sent for the book which was shipped quickly from the U.S.A.I hadn't realized how huge the book would be, however I am getting through it am I am amazed at what a fantastic man Aldous was I think I will be a better person for knowing him he is still aweinspiring, congratulations to anyone who bares his name.Gill C.Thankyou Amazon once again for providing the means of me getting this book.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
3 reviews
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful
sympathy and objectivity make a fine book
22 Aug 2006
Format:Paperback
I read this superb biography years ago, as part of a Summer's "free reading" (a luxury for an academic), for I had no particular interest in Huxley, having read only his "Chrome Yellow" and "Point Counter Point" at that time. Bedford, I discovered, is a glorious writer (she has written probably the best book in English on Mexico) and possesses rare insight into the minds of other artists. These gifts make her biography of Huxley a masterpiece. As you follow her narrative, you will be impelled, I predict, to read the Huxley novels you have thus far ignored.
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Deftly probes Huxley's life and writings
11 Jan 2003
Format:Paperback
Syville Bedford's literary biography Aldous Huxley blends Huxley's remarkable life with his quite successful literary career, all wrapped in the familiarity of the author with Huxley's family over the decades. With such associations in hand, biographer and author Syville Bedford then deftly probes Huxley's life and writings, creating a memorable biography and a set of insights that deserves ongoing mention.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
It's a slog
12 Jun 2008
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
This is my latest read of Sybille Bedford's works and, I might add, I'm a huge fan of hers. In some ways this is a masterful effort on Sybille's part, the cradle to grave biographical tome, yet it will take a very dedicated reader to plow through this one without putting it aside. As the Sybille Bedford reader will attest, if you are not at least somewhat fluent beyond English (i.e. French, a bit of Spanish, Italian) she can be a somewhat distracting as she intersperses her paragraphs in foreign tongues. Of course, Sybille knew the Huxleys well for many years and can certainly paint the portrait. However, as she mentions, quite a bit of Aldous's own letters have been lost and she relies extensively on Maria's (his wife) lengthy letters to family and friends; to say she was a prolific letter writer is an understatement. Anyhow, I do believe this was a gallant effort to capture the life and times of Aldous Huxley and most probably Sybille Bedford was the best author to do so. At 700+ pages, just make the commitment!
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