- Paperback: 389 pages
- Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd (16 Nov 2005)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0141021527
- ISBN-13: 978-0141021522
- Product Dimensions: 17.6 x 11 x 2.8 cm
- Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 1,928,270 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
Author, Author
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Product Description
AMAZON.CO.UK
Since the death of Malcom Bradbury, David Lodge remains unquestionably the finest comic novelist working in the English language – with fierce intelligence matching the sardonic wit. Author, Author is not quite a new departure (the great novelist Henry James was a presence in Lodge’s much-acclaimed Thinks…), but here The Master is the central character in a brilliantly vivid picture of the man and his times.
Those who find James’ own abstruse sentences too impenetrable for their taste may fear that Lodge is aiming for a recreation of James' allusive 19th century style, but that's definitely not the case. When Lodge has James speak, it is, of course, exactly as we would expect the famous chronicler of suppressed emotion to speak – anything else would be a failure (Peter Ackroyd carried off a similar act of ventriloquism in The Lat Testament of Oscar Wilde), but the style of the novel is very much Lodge's own: humorous, sensitive to all aspects of human behaviour, rich in authentically recreated period detail. Needless to say, the effect is nothing like that of Lodge’s contemporary novels such as the wonderfulNice Work and Small World; for some, that will be a cause for disappointment, but for readers prepared to follow Lodge on this journey into another century, the rewards are considerable.
Author, Author begins with the Great Man’s death, surrounded by worried servants (struggling to cope with his growing irrationality); then we are shown his remarkable life, including his friendship with the affable Punch illustrator George Du Maurier. The literary success and the American ex-pat James’ social lionising by the cream of London society are strikingly conveyed, as is the man’s sexual repression. The most powerful passages involve James’ disastrous failure as a playwright, and this section crowns Lodge’s achievement. Lodge fans may prefer his customary style, but there are riches here. --Barry Forshaw --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Review
A bold new departure for Lodge... his portrait of Henry James explores an interaction of fragility and strength, delicacy and force. ("The New York Review of Books")
--This text refers to an alternate
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Despite what felt to be a slow start, David Lodge provides a lively and interesting insight into an incredibly gifted yet complex man, the late Victorian writer Henry James.
By writing the story as "fiction", Lodge uses his great skill of capturing his characters essence without historical records clouding what is a man of great contrasts and depth. Some James purists may find this style offensive but that is not the intention of the author - he provides a more human insight to James than may otherwise have been achieved due to the subject's deeply personal nature and a lack of personal records.
Henry James was an incredibly skilled and accomplished author who was not greatly appreciated in his own time yet arguably was the father of the modern novel. Lodge deals sympathetically with James's perceived failure of his work, his intense craving for reward both adulatory and financial that always seemed within reach, be it in periodicals, books or the stage and that yet was always just out of reach or dashed by events outside his control. He also deals deftly with the issue of James' sexuality through his relationships with contemporaries, friends and past experiences - in particular his inability to reciprocate emotions and feelings to others, especially those closest to him.
Definitely worth buying if you have read and liked Lodge's earlier work.
14 of 17 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
The personification of revered author Henry James is a triumph for David Lodge. For many, James' novels are rather impenetrable; skilfull prose which is hard work! Taking us behind the writing, Lodge introduces us to an endearing and definitively Victorian character, in many ways more British than American. Rigidly confined by the social mores of the time and his own self-discipline, he nevertheless resolves into a surprisingly simple character, who inspires admiration, some pity and, occasionally, frustration. Lodge avoids the ploy of some historical novelists, who name drop famous characters in order to define the period and score credibility points; he slips in appearances by well-known James' acquaintances and historical events with consumate skill and a total lack of artifice. In particular, George Du Maurier is a delight. A very fine novel, and a revelation to those, like me, who knew nothing about the background of Henry James.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This book is an intriguing idea - a fictionalised biography of Henry James - but does is work as a novel? Yes and no. Lodge is obviously bound by the facts of HJ's life, but has naturally used his own novelistic flair to bring certain periods to life - namely James's very last days (touchingly depicting the dealings of his servants who care for him and his affairs) and his attempts to find fame writing for the theatre.
One limitation is that Lodge has few opportunities to do what he does best, i.e. exploring the nitty-gritty of relationships between men and women (HJ was celibate). Thus, parts of the book felt a little dry compared to, say, Changing Places or Nice Work. However, James's complex friendship with Constance Fenimore Woolson does make for engaging material and is handled well by Lodge.
I don't know enough about Henry James's own writing style to assess how well David Lodge gets inside his mind and represents the rhythms of his thinking.
In summary, not DL's best - nor an ideal starting point for the Lodge-curious - but a fascinating novel nonetheless.
One limitation is that Lodge has few opportunities to do what he does best, i.e. exploring the nitty-gritty of relationships between men and women (HJ was celibate). Thus, parts of the book felt a little dry compared to, say, Changing Places or Nice Work. However, James's complex friendship with Constance Fenimore Woolson does make for engaging material and is handled well by Lodge.
I don't know enough about Henry James's own writing style to assess how well David Lodge gets inside his mind and represents the rhythms of his thinking.
In summary, not DL's best - nor an ideal starting point for the Lodge-curious - but a fascinating novel nonetheless.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Interesting story, but suffers in comparison to Toibin's the Master
If you know your Henry James, don't bother with this book: read Colm Toibin's The Master instead. Lodge's novelised take on Henry James has by the far the better STORY, but it's... Read more
Published 10 months ago by Cardew Robinson
Take a bow, Mr Lodge
First things first. This is a novel. I've read a few by now and I can recognize one when I see one. They include an earlier one by the same author (Changing Places?). Read more
Published 16 months ago by S. Coleman
Lodge should get the same treatment as James in his final bow
Auwgh what a boring book. Incredible. I usually just love Lodge's books, but this time he just kills me with this tedious story of a an ever more boring author. Read more
Published on 23 Oct 2008 by John Hultberg
A novel based oh the life of Henry James
"Author, Author", like Colm Toibin's "The Master", tells of a particular period of Henry James' life. Read more
Published on 28 Oct 2007 by HORAK
Frustrating, unsatisfying ... but worth reading
Comparisons with Toibin's "The Master" will be inevitable, and Toibin's book is undoubtedly the finer of the two. Read more
Published on 13 April 2005
Not missing a sentence
David Lodge's individual sentences are a tribute to Henry James - I reread any sentence that I feared I had missed in my haste to get to the next paragraph. Read more
Published on 22 Oct 2004 by Cristina Bettencourt
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