Irving stone biography. Irving stone - origin

Irving Stone (Tennenbaum)(eng. Irving Stone, July 14, 1903 - August 26, 1989) - American writer, one of the founders of the biographical novel. In total, Irving Stone wrote 25 novels about the lives of great people.

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✪ Adaptational Attractiveness: Hermione, Tyrion and a Million Others

✪ TOP 20 MOVIES ABOUT "PRISON"

✪ Suspense: A Friend to Alexander / The Fountain Plays / Sorry, Wrong Number 2

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Often, when Hollywood decides to adapt a book into a film or TV series, we notice that the actors playing the roles of certain characters look completely different from the ones described in the book. Sometimes an actor looks older or younger than in the book, or their hair color is different, but we won't care about those little changes. I'm interested in Adaptive Attractiveness, and that's what I'll talk about in this video. We are talking about cases where a character in a book, whose appearance is described as ranging from simply homely or overweight to completely ugly, is played by a standard good-looking actor/actress. This happens very often - for example, in the novel "Jane Eyre" (1847) by Charlotte Brontë, Mr. Rochester is described as very ugly. “His face was dark, his features were stern, his forehead was massive.” He had a chest like a wheel and a shaggy mane of black hair. However, in the 1983 and 2006 miniseries, as well as in the 2011 film, Rochester was played by Timothy Dalton, Toby Stevens and Michael Fassbender, and none of them would be called ugly. And in the 1998 novel Treasure, the protagonist Stanley is described several times as an overweight man, but in the 2003 film the same character is played by a far from fat Shia LaBeouf. Of course, it's no surprise that there's a trend with character adaptations: studios are investing millions into a film, so they want to get as many people into theaters as possible to make a good profit. To achieve this, they must make the film appeal to as many people as possible, and one of the easiest ways to do this is by casting well-known and attractive actors. However, in many cases, book fans, myself included, are left disappointed or annoyed that book characters we know so well look completely different on screen than we imagined. The question is whether this is another case of readers just nitpicking about any differences from the book, or whether the adaptive appeal seriously affects the character development of the character and how the story should go, because if not, then perhaps such an adaptation does not is a serious problem. Now I'll touch a little on one of the funniest cases of such adaptation, at least funniest for me: I'm talking about the movie Ready Player One. The main character, Wade Watts, is described in the book as an overweight nerd who, in the novel, later loses weight, but this is not the case in the film. However, I was more interested in Samantha Cook, aka Artemis. Of great significance to the romance is that she constantly rejects Wade due to her lack of self-confidence, as she is convinced that he would never love her in real life. She says, "You are mistaken. Believe me, if I ever let you see me in person, you will be disgusted with me." The fact is that she finds the dark red patch that covers half of her face disgusting, and even though she is not described as overtly fat or plump, she is called "curvy". The reason she hides her weight and rejects the main character is because she's insecure about her looks, not because she already has someone or is just not interested - and that's my least favorite part of the book. but in the film it is shown even worse than in the book. I liked Ready Player One and that doesn't affect whether the movie is good or bad overall. I went to see this film purely for the amazing action sequences, and in that regard the film did not disappoint. However, in my opinion, the reason this storyline is poorly done comes down entirely to adaptive appeal. The thing is, Artemis is played by Olivia Cooke in the movie, and she's obviously attractive and not "curvy," and while they kept that red spot detail in her appearance, it looks like a small, barely visible birthmark in the corner of her face. It turned out to be completely insignificant, but the plot line remains the same, and we are supposed to believe that her self-doubt is so strong that she truly believes that no guy will ever find her attractive. Even more stupid are these scenes with Wade and his “I love you just the way you are,” in which he explains to her that he is not disappointed. Wade: "I'm not disappointed." As if we should think it was cute that he wasn’t disgusted by a small, slightly noticeable spot on a beautiful woman’s face. So here we have two cases of adaptive attraction, the first of which, in my opinion, has virtually no effect on the narrative, while the second of which does. I can't think of any way Wade NOT being fat affects anything in the movie. Perhaps you can make the case that his completeness in the books shows the negative impact of the hero spending all his waking time in the Oasis. But in reality, his weight and weight loss are not the most important part of his character and his story. In the case of Artemis, as I previously explained, we can see how much this changed her story. Unlike Wade, a huge part of her story is about her appearance, so they either had to change that by giving the character her own reasons for rejecting Wade so they had nothing to do with her insecurities about her appearance. Or should it have been fully, without softening, showing the detail of her appearance that makes her so insecure, and not being so careful that it looks like just an oddly placed sunburn. They could have easily made what should have been a wine-red stain more visible - the way such stains look in real life. If they had done that, maybe this storyline wouldn't have been so funny, because it's hard to take that storyline or character seriously if you can't sympathize with someone who looks pretty good but thinks his appearance is disgusting. And this brings us to the main problem with adaptive attractiveness. I admit, most of the times we see it, we won't find ones that completely changed history. That's because unless the story's plot is something like The Hunchback of Notre Dame, The Elephant Man, or Beauty and the Beast, we rarely see stories that rely entirely on a character's unlikability. But there is one almost universal case where it affects a character and that is identification with the hero. Let's move on to one of the most famous and beloved fictional characters in the world, who inspired this video - Hermione Granger. In the books, Hermione has thick brown hair and rather large front teeth. It's important to note that she is never described as ugly in the books, and I never imagined her that way when I read them. It should also be noted that Emma Watson is obviously significantly more beautiful compared to how she is supposed to look in the book. JK Rowling: "To be honest, you and Rupert and Emma are all too attractive. It's true. You know the characters were a bit geeky." Daniel Radcliffe: "Did you know this would happen?" JK Rowling: "I'm not an idiot." I also want to point out that Emma Watson did an amazing job playing Hermione and I really can't and don't want to imagine anyone else in that role, that goes for everyone in this series of films with the possible exception of Gilderay Lockhart (Goldenlocks). which, oddly enough, turned out to be not as attractive as he is described in the books. Especially considering that he should be somewhere around 20-25, and not 40-45, but we’re not talking about that now, so let’s get back to Hermione. J. K. Rowling: "She told me, 'I only acted in school plays,' and 'Oh my God!' I'm so excited! I can't believe they gave me the part." She rambled on for 60 seconds non-stop and I just told her, "Emma, ​​you're perfect," and the next time I saw her she was so beautiful, and of course she's still beautiful now. girl, I’m just like, ‘Okay, okay, the movie’s already made, don’t worry.’ And I’ll just leave my weird, geeky Ugly Duckling Hermione in my imagination.” So, we have established that, in my opinion, Emma Watson still did a good job in the role and J. K. Rowling herself admitted that despite her being overly attractive, she believes that Emma is a good actress and is similar to Hermione in many other aspects , so it doesn't matter to her at all. However, not all fans of the books agree with this position: I've seen a lot of people online and in real life who are haunted by this case of adaptive attractiveness, so I've always wondered if it had anything to do with it. Does the lack of long front teeth, thick hair and the geekiness that Hermione is supposed to have in the book affect her and the films in general? When it comes to specific examples in the story where this matters, the Yule Ball comes to mind. Let me remind you that this is a chapter from the fourth book and a scene from the movie "Horse and the Goblet of Fire", where Hermione, appearing at this ball, gets something like a Cinderella moment or Mia moment in the movie "How to Be a Princess". We've seen this a million times, the girl takes off her glasses, straightens her hair and suddenly, oh my God!, there's a real transformation, she drives everyone crazy. I'm not a big fan of this trope, we've seen it too many times, but in this case, at least in the book, this scene is one of the best moments of the entire episode. In addition to being very interesting, she also does quite a bit of character development. For Hermione, this is the moment when we get to see a side of her that we don't get to see the rest of the time. J. K. Rowling: "I wrote, you know, a strong female character who was primarily characterized by her brains, yes, and then she decided to become a little more groomed and glamorous, we geeks have all had those moments in life." You become vulnerable when you know that the whole school sees you a certain way and you make an effort to change that image, even if it's just for the school dance, it's like you're saying, "Hey, there's a lot about me that you're not." see." I think it's a really sweet moment for the character, you can identify with her. But translating this to the screen proved problematic, mainly because Hermione's transformation was not a transformation at all. Daniel Radcliffe: "In the fourth film, when she comes down the stairs, the moment of this transformation is implied." J. K. Rowling: “Yes, yes, that’s it” Daniel: “We all looked and realized that she, as it were, was already a beauty” J. K. Rowling: “Yes, just think, now she is a beauty in a beautiful dress " In the books, Harry literally didn't recognize her, he thought it was someone else - it was such a transformation for her. It turns out that even at some basic level, the effect of the character completely transforming before our eyes is lost. But if you dig a little deeper, I think the bigger problem is that this scene in the film destroys, or at least weakens, what this moment adds to the character. For example, if you take Viktor Krum: one of the reasons I love this chapter so much is because it did so much to develop Krum as a character and made him a million times more interesting and likable than I thought he was. Hermione saw what was hidden behind the façade of his fame, and he saw her as more than just a bookworm with a mop of hair, long before anyone else noticed. Let's go back to the moment when she is barely acknowledged as a girl by her closest friends. In the film it's not like that, because there Krum simply invites a beautiful girl to be his date at the ball. There is a moment in the book when Harry and Ron are chatting about how they urgently need to find dates for the Yule Ball. "We need to hurry up, you know... invite someone. He's right. Or we'll have to go with a couple of trolls." "With a couple... who, excuse me?" - Hermione flushed. “Well, you know,” said Ron, shrugging, “It’s better to go alone than with.. with Eliza Midgen, for example.” “She almost doesn’t have acne anymore, and she’s very good!” "Her nose isn't in the middle of her face," Ron replied. Just imagine what it was like for bookish Hermione, who knew that she, too, had physical disabilities, just like the girls whom Ron compared to trolls. That's why it's so great that there's someone who really appreciates her intelligence, someone who waited for her in the library many times, trying to work up the courage to ask her to the ball, and he saw the beauty in her long before she got dressed up. In the film, due to the fact that Emma Watson could easily become the most attractive girl at Hogwarts, this storyline is perceived completely differently. Krum doesn't develop as a character because he's just a nice guy who asked a pretty girl to the ball, and there's no development for Hermione as a character either: she's just a pretty girl who was asked to the ball, nothing special. There are no more subtexts here. So it's only here that we see how this case of adaptive appeal impacts the story and the character. However, other than the Yule Ball, I don't see any other consequences for not giving Emma Watson long front teeth or for not keeping her hair full after the second film. Given that there's only one prime example I can give across the eight films, which is 19 hours and 39 minutes, you could argue that adaptive appeal doesn't make any difference in this case, and I'm inclined to agree. But, as I said earlier, there is one universal case where it matters, and that is identifying with a character. It's not a specific scene and it's not something that affects every viewer watching this movie, but by taking away the physical flaws and imperfections that a character has, you're taking away an aspect of the character that a lot of people identify with. And in the case of adaptive attractiveness, I've also noticed that the same thing is often done with the character's personality at the same time. What I mean is that if the creators want to remove some of the physical flaws of a character, then they will probably also remove the flaws in the characters' personalities and actions. Hermione's appearance, apart from how she is portrayed in the films, is quite different from how she appears in the books, and this may be a result of her being the writers' favorite character. Steve Kloves: “I remember leaning over to you and saying that I need to tell you that my favorite character is not Harry.” J.K. Rowling: “And that was fine, and then you said..” Steve Kloves: : "Hermione. And it was true, and it remained true throughout the entire series." I could make a whole video detailing why I don't like the way Hermione is written in the films, but in short, the problem is that she's perfect. She's smart, strong, fearless, and once you add Emma Watson into the mix, she's simply amazing. Of course, the book Hermione had these advantages, but the difference is that they were always balanced by her shortcomings. Being smart, she couldn't always apply this to every situation. “Devil’s snares, devil’s snares... What did Professor Stem say? This plant loves darkness and humidity... “Then make a fire!” shouted Harry, breathless. “Yes, of course, but what should I set on fire? "I don't see anything wooden." Hermione was crying, nervously wringing her hands. "ARE YOU CRAZY?" Ron roared. "ARE YOU A WIZARD OR NOT?" "It's good that you paid attention in Herbology class, Hermione," said Harry, wiping the sweat from his face. “Yeah,” said Ron. “And it’s good that Harry didn’t lose his head in a moment of danger.” “I don’t see anything wooden,” he mimicked Hermione. She panics and needed Ron's reminder to remember that she is a wizard and act on what she already knows. However, in the film it is shown completely differently, as usual - there was no panic, and she did not need anyone's help. We see this time and time again throughout the films: the way she delivers the heroic lines that Ron should have said, or the way she fearlessly leads the trio and protects them in any difficult situation. The only time we see the repulsive aspect of her personality is that scene in the first film. I love Hermione, but the movie Hermione is too ideal, and the more ideal the character, the less we identify with him, because ideal people do not exist. This, in my opinion, is the problem with adaptive attractiveness. Actually, I don't mind if it's just to make the character look good. But if this kind of embellishment extends to every character flaw and we end up with a flawless character who is very easy to love, then it bothers me. There is another character who has reminded me of the Hermione Granger situation for the last seven or so years, because I believe that his case of adaptive attractiveness is very similar to Hermione's. I'm talking about Tyrion Lannister. Let's start with its appearance. Tyrion is described as a dwarf with short and thick legs, a rough face, a prominent forehead, variegated eyes of green and black, and a combination of pale blond and black hair. He also lost most of his nose at the Battle of Blackwater. In the series, Tyrion is played by the rather handsome Peter Dinklage, and the only change in his appearance is the scar. Now, as with Emma Watson, I feel it necessary to point out that Peter Dinklage is absolutely fire as Tyrion and easily became my favorite casting choice on this show. The reason I see similarities in the portrayal of these two characters is because yes, unlike with Hermione, it would be hard to find examples in the seven seasons where Peter Dinklage's attractiveness would seriously change the story, so at first glance it's not a problem. it seems, no. However, with that said, I think the showrunners' failure to present a character with a truly unlikable appearance is a modest indicator that paints a bigger picture of how they want the audience to see the character as a whole. Anyone who has read the book series knows that they toned down not only his unpleasant appearance, but also several other aspects of the character's personality and actions. The complexity of this character and his moral dilemmas are thrown aside to create a sarcastic hero who is impossible to hate. Take his relationship with Shae: in the books it's obvious that she doesn't love him at all and that Tyrion wanted to be loved so desperately that he didn't allow himself to see how things really stood with their relationship, it was obvious that he should had to guess. Whereas in the series, it's more of a tragic love story than the pathetic one-sided love affair we see in the book. Also, in the series, she betrays him because she is a rejected woman, not because she is a woman who is helpless against the likes of Tywin and Cersei and is forced to do anything to survive. When he kills her in the book, even if you think he has the right to do it after her "betrayal", he still kills a defenseless woman who he should have gotten to know better before trusting and seeking love in an alliance with her. So what if she made a deal with Cersei after it was offered to her. Should she have refused? Saying no to Cersei Lannister is not an option if you want to stay alive. Tyrion is incredibly smart, he should have realized that. He realized this with Bronn, that Bronn is loyal to anyone who will pay him, and will ditch you for a more promising option. But Tyrion did not allow himself to see the same in the case of Shae due to his delusions that love was possible in their relationship. In the series, she is not a defenseless woman, she goes for a knife, because of which the murder will look like an act of self-defense. He even apologizes to her lifeless body later. They did their best to remove the character's moral dilemma and protect him from audience backlash in every possible way. Same with Sansa: in the book, he gropes her on their wedding night and goes further before stopping. In the show, he shuts it down right away because he's a hero and God forbid we let the drunken, sexually reckless aspect of his personality veer past the point of being entertaining and comical. And there are a lot of moments like this - when they go to great lengths to whitewash him and make him as friendly and nice as possible, they want to make him insanely cute, they want him to be a fan favorite who is very easy to love, because just like with Hermione, adaptive attractiveness here goes beyond appearance. That's why, even though the definition I gave at the beginning of the video says that adaptive appeal is about changing a character's appearance, I believe that too often embellishment of a character's appearance is just a symptom of a deeper problem with the way those who adapt a book. trying to change the character as a whole. If this affected only the appearance, then, perhaps, one could accept this as an addition to the adaptation of the text to the screen, but in those cases where these changes affect the personality or actions of the character, when the elimination of physical defects is accompanied by the elimination of any character defects at all, here in this case, I think those adapting the story are doing it a disservice and deserve to be held accountable.

Biography

Activity

Irving Stone is called a master of the biographical genre.

Irving Stone was the founder and member of a large number of literary and scientific veterans' societies, including:

• President of the California Writers Guild,
• Vice-President of the J. Debs Foundation,
• Honorary member of the Berkeley University Colleagues Association,
• Co-founder of the Academy of American Poets, member of the Association of Western American Writers,
• Academy of Political Sciences,
• Society of American Historians, etc.

Stone was regularly elected to the boards of trustees of a number of California educational institutions. Provided assistance to young writers writing biographical works.

Founded the annual Irving and Jean Stone Literary Prize, awarded for the best biographical or historical story.

In an interview, Irving Stone talked about his work:

Awards

• - Awarded the Spurs of the Society of Writers of Western America.
• - In Rome he was awarded the Italian Order of Merit.
• - American Women's Society Gold Trophy Award.

, playwright, screenwriter

novelized biographical novel

Irving Stone (Tennenbaum)(English) Irving Stone listen)) - American writer, one of the founders of the novelized biographical novel. In total, Irving Stone wrote 25 novels about the lives of great people.

Biography

Irving Stone is called a master of the biographical genre.

Irving Stone was the founder and member of a large number of literary and scientific veterans' societies, including:

• President of the California Writers Guild,
• Vice-President of the J. Debs Foundation,
• Honorary Member of the Berkeley University Peer Association
• Co-founder of the Academy of American Poets, member of the Association of Western American Writers,
• Academy of Political Sciences,
• Society of American Historians, etc.

During his life, Stone was regularly elected to the boards of trustees of a number of California educational institutions. Stone provided assistance to young writers writing biographical works.

Founded the annual Irving and Jean Stone Literary Prize, awarded for the best biographical or historical story.

In an interview, Irving Stone talks about his work:

Biography

• - After graduating from the University of California, he received a bachelor's degree.
• - Started teaching economics at the University of Southern California. Stone was the first graduate to be licensed to teach immediately after receiving his Bachelor's degree.
• - Travel to Europe, in particular to Paris.
• - Moves to New York, where he writes theatrical plays for six to seven years. In total, during this period, Stone wrote 18 plays, two of which were staged on Broadway, but were not successful.
• On February 11, Stone marries Jean Factor, who becomes his assistant in working on novels.
• January 7 - Speech at the Washington Library of Congress, in which Stone describes the goals and methods of studying the material, the principles of selecting documents and their analysis. This talk is often called the "Oxford Lecture". The speech was translated into Russian and published under the title “Biographical Tale.”
• - Member of the Western Writers of America.
• - Position of art critic at the Los Angeles Time Mirror newspaper.
• - Stone received honorary degrees of Doctor of Letters and Doctor of Laws from the University of Northern California.

The Stone family spent most of their life in Beverly Hill in Los Angeles. Stone's children are daughter Paula and son Kenneth.

Awards

• - Awarded spurs from the Society of Writers of Western America.
• - In Rome he was awarded the Italian Order of Merit.
• - Gold Trophy Award from the American Women's Society.

Stone's remarks

• “The biographer must be a fighter in order to recreate the true appearance of his hero.”
• “For the author of a biographical story, history is not a mountain, but a river. Even when it is no longer possible to find new facts, there is a new, fresh perception, a more modern interpretation that illuminates the old story with a new light and gives it a new meaning.”

• “Charity is not a bone thrown to a dog. Mercy is a bone that you shared with her, because you yourself are as hungry as a dog” - in the words of Jack London from the book “Sailor in the Saddle”.
• “I know that I will die immediately if I stop working” - in the words of Darwin from the book “Origin”.

Bibliography

1. - “Masquerade of Youth” (a collection of Stone’s early prose)
2. - “False Witness” (about the life of a remote Californian village, the power of money and the collapse of moral principles)
3. - "The Defense - Clarence Darrow" (about a lawyer who dedicated his life to defending the disadvantaged)
4. - “They were in the race too” (the book tells about 19 presidential candidates who were defeated in the elections)
5. - “The Immortal Wife, or Jessie and John Fremont” (dedicated to the Fremonts - John, pioneer and explorer of the Far West, and his wife Jessie Benton-Fremont)
6. - “The Furious Wanderer” (the title is sometimes translated as “Rival in the House”) (about the life of Eugene Debs)
7. - “Earl Warren” (biographical book about the life of Earl Warren, Governor of California and Chief Justice of the United States (1953 to 1969))
8. - “A Passionate Journey or the Life of an Artist” (about the life and creative quest of John Noble)
9. - “The First Lady, or Rachel and Andrew Jackson” (about the life of Rachel and Andrew Jackson)
10. - “Love is Forever” (about Mary Todd and Abraham Lincoln)
11. - “Worthy of My Mountains” (the hero of the book is not an individual human personality, but an entire geographical region - the Far West of the USA The discovery of the Far West 1840-1900)
12. - "Dear Theo: The Autobiography of Vincent Van Gogh" (Written and edited by Stone)
13. - “I, Michelangelo, sculptor” (Selection of documents about the life of Michelangelo)
14. - “The history of the creation of the Pietà sculpture” (a story about the work of Michelangelo)
15. - “Those Who Love” (dedicated to John Adams (1735-1826) - the second President of the United States, a participant in the War of Independence in North America 1775-1783, as well as about the fathers of the American nation: John Hancock, Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, Benjamin Franklin)
16. - “There was light here. Autobiography of Berkeley University" (a non-fiction book about Berkeley University)
17. - “Greek Treasure” (about the life of Heinrich Schliemann)
18. - "Origin" (about the life of Charles Darwin)

Stone also wrote the non-fiction book From Mud Flat Cove to Gold to Statehood - California 1840-1850.

About the early history of California “From mud flat cove to gold to statehood - California 1840-1850” in 1999, Non-Fiction about the history of the University of Berkeley There is light - autobiography of a university: Berkeley (1970), also Non-Fiction

Filmography

1. - Arkansas Judge - (based on the novel of the same name by Irving Stone)
2. - Magnificent Doll - (based on the novel of the same name by Irving Stone. Here Stone acted as the screenwriter of the film.)
3. - The President's Lady - (film story “The President’s Lady” based on Irving Stone’s book “The First Lady, or Rachel and Andrew Jackson.”)
4. - General Electric Theater - (Writer of two episodes in the television series “General Electric Theater.”)
5. - Lust for Life - (film story “Lust for Life” based on the book of the same name by Irving Stone.)
6. - The Agony and the Ecstasy - (film story “Torment and Joy” / “The Agony and the Ecstasy” based on the book of the same name by Irving Stone.)

• According to Stone himself, he himself became a writer thanks to Jack London's book "Martin Eden"
• Lust for Life, a novel about the life of Vincent van Gogh, was rejected by 17 publishers before it was published in 1934.
• In The Furious Wanderer (a literal translation of the novel's title, An Enemy in the House), Stone portrays Eugene Debs' wife Kate Debs as so hostile to her husband's socialist actions that it inspired the novel's title. Kate Debs believed that her husband's activities threatened the status of their family and contradicted her understanding of the respectability of the middle class, to which she considered her family.

Links

• Audio recording of an interview given by Irving Stone in 1985

Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

• Irving Langmuir
• Irving Washington

See what "Irving Stone" is in other dictionaries:

Stone, Irving- There are articles on Wikipedia about other people with this last name, see Stone. Irving Stone Irving Stone ... Wikipedia

STONE (Stone) Irving- (1903 89) American writer. The novelized biographies of W. Van Gogh (Lust for Life, 1934), J. London (Sailor in the Saddle, 1938), Michelangelo (Torment and Joy, 1961), Charles Darwin (Origin, 1980) are distinguished by historical and psychological... ... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary

Stone Irving- Stone (Stone) Irving (b. July 14, 1903, San Francisco), American writer. Graduated from the University of California. He began his literary activity in the 30s. His novelized biographies of van Gogh ("Lust for Life", 1934, Russian translation 1961), J... Great Soviet Encyclopedia

Irving Stone (Tennenbaum) is an American writer, one of the founders of the novelized biographical novel.

Irving Stone was born on July 14, 1903 in San Francisco (USA), in a family of children of emigrants (the son of Charles and Pauline (Rosenberg) Tennenbaum). He wrote about himself: “I am a bourgeois. My parents ran a store." Young Irving had to earn extra money by selling newspapers, delivering vegetables, or serving as a delivery boy.

After graduating from the University of California, he received a bachelor's degree and began teaching economics at the University of Southern California. Subsequently, he also taught courses in literary creativity at the universities of Indiana and Washington State, and at California State College.

Stone began his creative career with drama, but his plays were not successful, although he received an award for one of the plays. In 1926, he went to Europe - to Paris, which so attracted Americans in the 1920-1930s. There, Stone came across an exhibition of Van Gogh’s paintings, became interested in the artist and his life, and in 1934, the first of the writer’s books, “Lust for Life,” was published. Lust for Life). It became a bestseller, brought fame to the author, and was subsequently translated into 30 languages. After his first success, Stone began to actively develop the genre of novelized biographical novel.

The subsequent artistic biography of J. London “Sailor in the Saddle” ( Sailor on Horseback, 1938) captured the drama of another bright creative personality, this time a writer, romantic, socialist. In Stone's work of the 1930s and 1940s, who turned to historical material, there was a sense of connection with the era, and socially critical, anti-bourgeois motives were clearly evident. Stone makes a distinction between biographical novel and fictional biography. “Like all living things,” writes Stone, “the biographical novel is born in agony. He is called illegitimate, the child of an illicit affair between his two eminently respectable parents—a biography and a novel.” Here fiction and biographical basis are equal. In an artistic biography, where description prevails over image, the documentary element is more strongly represented.

Stone's interest in politics manifested itself in the novel Adversary in the House (1947), which recreated the life of Eugene Debs, labor leader, “the most popular leader of the American socialists,” “the American Bebel,” as V. I. called him. Lenin, a man of rare nobility and humanity, whose motto was the famous words: “As long as there are oppressed classes, I am with them. As long as there is a working class, I am with it. As long as there is at least one soul languishing in captivity, I am not free.”

In the late 40s - early 50s. Stone’s departure into the moral, ethical, family sphere became noticeable, the narrowing of his problematics in the novels “The Passionate Journey” (1949) about the American painter John Noble, “Love is Eternal” (1956), dedicated to Mary Todd, wife of President A. Lincoln. In the 60-70s. There is an intensification of Stone's creative activity. Great success came with his novel “The Agony and the Ecstasy” (1961) about Michelangelo. Stone also published a 2-volume volume of Michelangelo's letters.

In 1971, Stone published his seminal biography of Sigmund Freud, The Passions of the Mind.

The happiest time in the life of Heinrich Schliemann, the famous archaeologist, the time of his sensational excavations and finds in Troy, Mycenae, Tiryns, is highlighted in the novel “The Greek Treasure” (1975). The novel “The Origin” (1980) is dedicated to C. Darwin, and “Depths of Glory” (1985) to C. Pissarro. Introducing the reader to his creative laboratory in the essay “Biographical Novel,” Stone states, “One of the virtues of humanity is its ability to learn from the examples of the past.” History and biography, as if accumulating age-old wisdom and experience, help in “solving problems and eliminating the difficulties of the modern world.”

During his life, Irving Stone was regularly elected to the boards of trustees of a number of California educational institutions. Stone provided assistance to young writers writing biographical works.

Founded the annual Irving and Jean Stone Literary Prize, awarded for the best biographical or historical story.

Famous sayings of the writer:

• “The biographer must be a fighter in order to recreate the true appearance of his hero.”
• “For the author of a biographical story, history is not a mountain, but a river. Even when it is no longer possible to find new facts, there is a new, fresh perception, a more modern interpretation that illuminates the old story with new light and gives it new meaning.”
• “Charity is not a bone thrown to a dog. Mercy is a bone that you shared with her, because you yourself are as hungry as a dog” - in the words of Jack London from the book “Sailor in the Saddle”.
• “I know that I will die immediately if I stop working” - in the words of Charles Darwin from the book “Origin”.

Complete bibliography of the writer:

1933 — “Masquerade of Youth” (a collection of Stone’s early prose)

1934 - “Lust for Life” (about the life of Van Gogh)

1938 — “Sailor in the Saddle” (about the life of Jack London)

1940 - “False Witness” (about the life of a remote Californian village, the power of money and the collapse of moral principles)

1941 - “Defense - Clarence Darrow” (about a lawyer who devoted his life to defending the disadvantaged)

1943 - “They, Too, Were in the Race” (the book tells about 19 presidential candidates who were defeated in the elections)

1944 - “The Immortal Wife, or Jessie and John Fremont” (dedicated to the Fremonts - John, pioneer and explorer of the Far West, and his wife Jessie Benton-Fremont)

1947 - “The Furious Wanderer” (the title is sometimes translated as “Rival in the House”) (about the life of Eugene Debs)

1948 - “Earl Warren” (biographical book about the life of Earl Warren, Governor of California and Supreme Judge of the United States (1953 to 1969))

1949 — “A Passionate Journey or the Life of an Artist” (about the life and creative quest of John Noble)

1951 - “The First Lady, or Rachel and Andrew Jackson” (about the life of Rachel and Andrew Jackson)

1954 - “Love is Eternal” (about Mary Todd and Abraham Lincoln)

1956 - “Worthy of My Mountains” (the hero of the book is not an individual human personality, but an entire geographical region - the Far West of the USA. Discovery of the Far West 1840-1900)

1958 - "Dear Theo: The Autobiography of Vincent Van Gogh" (Writer and editor Stone)

1961 - “Torment and Joy” (about the life of Michelangelo)

1962 - “I, Michelangelo, sculptor” (Selection of documents about the life of Michelangelo)

1963 - “The History of the Creation of the Pieta Sculpture” (a story about the work of Michelangelo)

1965 - “Those Who Love” (dedicated to John Adams (1735-1826) - the second President of the United States, a participant in the War of Independence in North America 1775-1783, as well as about the fathers of the American nation: John Hancock, Thomas Jefferson, George Washington , Benjamin Franklin)

1970 - “There was light here. Autobiography of Berkeley University" (a non-fiction book about Berkeley University)

1971 — “Passion of the Mind” (about the life of Sigmund Freud)

1975 - “Greek Treasure” (about the life of Heinrich Schliemann)

1980 — “Origin” (about the life of Charles Darwin)

1980 — “The Deeps of Glory” (about the life of Camille Pissarro)

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1. In 1934, Irving married Jean Factor, who became his assistant in working on his novels.

Irving Stone is a master of literary biography. On the pages of his books, the characters live real lives. In adulthood, he found his calling and, thanks to his hard work and perseverance, created more than 25 novels about the lives of great people.

A little about the author

The writer was born in San Francisco on July 14, 1903 in a family of emigrants. Irving Stone said about his origin that he came from a bourgeois environment. His parents owned a store. Judging by the fact that as a child he worked as a child selling newspapers, delivering vegetables and being a delivery boy, most likely it was a small store or shop. Already at the age of six, the boy told everyone that he would become a writer, and at nine he began to compose his first stories.

His talent was appreciated at school, exempting him from class assignments so that Irving could write. After school I entered the University of California. While a student, he worked as a clerk, salesman, and played in an orchestra. After graduation, he taught economics. The young man was not attracted to science, and in 1926 he preferred literary creativity to it.

Debut novel

Irving's first attempt at writing was plays, but they did not bring success to the aspiring writer. In the early 30s, he went to Paris to study professional writing. To save on a ticket, he moved to Europe as a ship's navigator.

In Paris, he visited the exhibition of V. Van Gogh and wanted to know more about the artist. After reading the correspondence between the famous sculptor and his brother Theo, Irving Stone learned about the terrible tragedy of this abandoned man and decided to write a book about him. The writer traveled to places connected with the artist’s life, looked for people who knew him, studied letters, diaries, and documents. In 1934, a novel about the great artist “Thirst for Life” was published. Irving recreated Van Gogh’s thoughts, feelings, and motives for his actions so realistically that when reading the novel, you are completely immersed in the world of the great master.

About Jack London

Irving's next autobiographical book was A Sailor in the Saddle, about Jack London, published in 1938. While working on it, the author studied more than 200,000 documents and the writer’s works. The author imposed self-restraint on fiction, wanting to tell about it as truthfully as possible. Stone's book is considered the best description of D. London's life.

Gene Irving

While working on the biography of D. London, changes occurred in Irving's life - in February 1934 the writer got married. Jean Factor gave birth to his children - Paula and Kenneth. She became Irving's loyal assistant and inspiration. Almost every heroine of Irving, the companion of exalted personalities, has traits of her character.

Morality and justice

After the book about D. London, Stone again tries himself in the artistic genre; he publishes the novel “False Witness” (1940). It draws attention to the pressing problems of humanity - the destructive power of money, a world where justice loses its meaning. The novel, unfortunately, was not successful. The writer returned to the biographical genre.

In 1941, Irving Stone published a book about a lawyer who devoted his life to defending the disadvantaged - "The Defense - Clarence Darrow." The author shows that the hero’s love of freedom, his principles, could not help but lead him to the defense of the oppressed. His love of humanity and intolerance for injustice made him a lawyer. He stands up for trade unions and workers' rights. The writer raises quite bold themes in the novel and concludes that democracy is impossible in a country where people’s labor is exploited.

In 1943, the book “They Also Participated in the Race” was published. It is filled with the author's thoughts about the fate of America, stories about presidential candidates who lost the election campaign. The collection of essays was published at the height of the war, and critics responded quite favorably to them, comparing them with the latest works of S. Zweig.

America, America

Stone's next book, published in 1944, was the novel The Immortal Wife. Here the author writes not only a biography of a famous person, but also talks about his wife. Creates This work he dedicates to the pioneer and explorer John Fremont and his wife Jessie. Irving Stone elevates their relationship to an ideal, talking about great achievements that love inspires.

In 1947, another novel, “The Enemy in the House,” was published, the hero of which was Eugene Debs, one of the organizers of the Socialist Party of America. You can have any attitude towards the ideas that he preached, but the book was written with talent, and in addition, it required civic courage from the author to break through ridicule and preconceived opinions.

The novel "Passionate Journey", which appeared in print in 1949, is not biographical. His hero is a fictional artist. But those whom he meets during the course of the story, sculptors, artists, writers, are real people. The book was created to introduce readers to the history of painting and legends of America.

A year later, the writer released a collection of autobiographies of famous Americans, We Speak for Ourselves.

American women

Stone's next book also talks about a well-known personality in America - Rachel Jackson, the former wife of President E. Jackson. The woman became the object of persecution in the capital's society, and Stone shows how a kind, sociable, cheerful person can turn into a closed, suspicious and wary person.

The novel “Love is Eternal”, published in 1954, is filled with the same gloomy mood. The heroine of the book is Mary Lincoln. Judging by the reviews, Irving Stone created an image that has become one of the best portraits of women. This was noted not only by readers, but also by all American women - in 1968, Stone was given the American Women's Gold Trophy Award.

Best Novels

In the next book, the author goes even further; he describes not an individual person, but an entire region. The novel Worthy of My Mountains, published in 1956, tells the story of the people who colonized the Far West. On the pages of the book there are a variety of personalities - from the rogue "Captain" Sutter to the tramp D. Marshall, who found the first gold in California.

Stone's best biographical novel about Michelangelo, Pain and Joy, was published in 1961. The author not only recreates the portrait of the great artist, but also perfectly describes the time in which he lived. The material he collected turned out to be a lot for one novel, so a year later the book “I, Michelangelo, Sculptor” was published. The writer's research was highly appreciated in Rome and he was awarded the Order of Merit. He dedicated two more works to this hero: the novel “The History of the Creation of the Pieta Sculpture” (1963) and the children’s story “The Great Adventure of Michelangelo” (1965).

Other books

In 1965, the journalistic collection “Irving Stone - Reviewer” and the novel dedicated to President D. Adams “Those Who Love” were published. It goes beyond the biographical, because in it the author raises questions of duty to the country and society and turns to the origins of the nation and the American character.

In 1970, a book about the University of Berkeley, “Here Was the Light,” was published, and in 1971, a novel about Sigmund Freud, “Passion of the Mind,” was published, which, according to critics, was unsuccessful. The next work, “Greek Treasure,” about Henry and Sophia Schliemann, did not become a literary event either. The book itself is written with talent, it is fascinating and easy to read, but from the point of view of critics, the assessment of the hero’s activities is too contradictory.

In 1980, the novel “Origin”, which tells the story of Charles Darwin, was published. The book can be called a biography of evolution. The author took into account the mistakes made in the book about Freud, and the story about Darwin turned out to be capacious, convincing and dynamic.

Stone's next book was a novel about the French painter C. Pissarro, "The Deeps of Glory" (1985). The author managed to create a delightful portrait of a representative of the Impressionists. Critics have called Stone's work "a monumental work of genius." Thus, Irving Stone triumphantly completed his career as a creator of biographical novels. The writer died in August 1989.

About the lives of great people.

Biography