Features
- Cover Type: Paperback with 752 pages
- Published by: W. W. Norton & Company December 1999
- Written in: English
- ISBN 10 Number: 0393320936
- ISBN 13 Number: 978-0393320930
-
Book Dimensions:
8.1 x 5.5 x 1.2 inches
- Weighs: 1.5 pounds
From Publishers Weekly
Remaining in awe of Eliot's literary greatness, Gordon (A Private Life of Henry James) has rewritten her slim but influential Eliot's Early Years (1977) and her somewhat overlapping Eliot's New Life (1988) into a new biography that concedes the man's serious flaws. Yet Gordon finds "no adequate explanation" for the fact that a writer "of his sensibilities" was an anti-Semite, revelations of which caused a stir in the mid-'90s, and a misogynist (excepting toward his worshipful second wife, who cosseted him in his last, failing years). Although Eliot set himself up as a lofty moral and spiritual authority, Gordon reluctantly acknowledges that he is an "idol made in part from certain waste products of his century." Gordon sees Eliot struggling constantly with his "two almost antithetical selves," and as "a loner in the American tradition of cranky loners." While publication of his early letters and suppressed early verse has now made it possible for quotations to replace paraphrase, crucial correspondences remains under embargo. Eliot, Gordon concludes, consciously pared down his experiences to reflect the "life of a man of genius," whatever the impact upon his intimates. "To be a genius does not preclude common faults," Gordon writes, but she forcefully demonstrates Eliot's faults to be uncommon, a fact that limits her sympathies and almost jeopardizes her efforts at presenting a balanced view. Still, Gordon's book is the most authoritative life of Eliot thus far, and is certain to spark new controversies. 41 b&w illus. not seen by PW. (Aug.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Library Journal
Though the century's most influential English-language poet championed the impersonality of art, British literary biographer Gordon (The Private Life of Henry James) demonstrates that Eliot greatly influenced works that are far more personal than traditionally believed. In Eliot, Gordon shows a dual personality struggling with the flaws in his nature, a devout Christian who nonetheless could be anti-Semitic and misogynistic. The present volume combines material from Gordon's previous award-winning works, Eliot's Early Years and Eliot's New Life, with extensive additional research. Subjects covered in depth include Eliot's complex relationships with women and the American-ness of his work despite his near-obsession with things British. Eliot scholarship has been hampered by the poet's ban on any official biography; the best previous work was Peter Ackroyd's T.S. Eliot: A Life (LJ 11/15/84). Gordon's superb study is thoroughly researched and documented. Of particular interest to scholars is her lengthy section on sources, with specifics on accessing unpublished items. Highly recommended for academic and public libraries.
-ADenise J. Stankovics, Rockville P.L., Vernon, CT Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Reader ReviewsThis book combines two earlier biographies of T. S. Eliot by Gordon, with the inclusion of materials that had come to light since their publication (letters, early poems, and materials relating to Eliot's relationship with his wife). Gordon's book is full of fascinating details about Eliot--an intensely private man, who attempted to hide much of his life from the public view. Gordon's interpretation of Eliot's poems is what might be called mystical/autobiographical. The emphasis on Eliot's conversion and self-creation (from her first biographies) is still here, but a great deal more is also here about Eliot's marital problems, his relationships with women, and his opinions about minorities. The result is much more in keeping with contemporary biographical focus: Eliot is presented as a self-conflicted and flawed individual--a real man, with real problems, and a difficult life, striving for sainthood, and falling short. Gordon's respect for Eliot keeps it gossipy, but not scandal-mongering. The only flaw in Gordon's presentation and interpretations seem to be her heavy focus on Eliot's relationship with Emily Hale. Eliot kept up a correspondence with Miss Hale, and possibly harbored some romantic intentions towards her intermittantly. In Gordon's account, this relationship is the touchstone for decoding much of Eliot's poetry. Like those interpretations that seek a homosexual relationship (with Verdenal or someone else) as the real center of Eliot's poetry, I find Gordon's reading occasionally reductive. However, this biography presents much more of the puzzle that is T. S. Eliot, and is a must-read for those interested in the intersections between his life and work.
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