Go Book Yourself published a list of 9 books inspired
by art. I would add a tenth: Lust for
Life by Irving Stone. I am not a visual person, but my wife was an Art History
major and docent, so I spend a lot of time in museums. When I look at a
painting on my own, I usually stifle a yawn, but with her by my side, the art
and artist become intriguing. It reminds me of NASCAR racing. If you know
nothing about the sport, it's boring. Just a bunch of left turns at high speed
in heavy traffic. But once you learn about the teams, drivers, cars, and rules,
the sport becomes fascinating, as well as thrilling. Like my wife, Irving Stone
had a knack for making something interesting that might otherwise be dull. Ever since reading Lust for Life,
Vincent van Gogh has been my favorite artist.
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| Irving Stone |
Irving
Stone is also one of my favorite authors. He popularized the biographical novel
by turning the lives of great people into great stories. You
can read his New York Times obituary here. The obituary quotes Stone as
saying, ''My books are based 98 percent on documentary evidence. I spend
several years trying to get inside the brain and heart of my subjects,
listening to the interior monologues in their letters, and when I have to
bridge the chasms between the factual evidence, I try to make an intuitive leap
through the eyes and motivation of the person I'm writing about.''
The
reason I feel an emotional connection to Irving Stone and Lust for Life is that this novel was the inspiration for Tempest at Dawn. I believed the Constitutional Convention was a spellbinding
story. Dozens of history books had already been written, and
I had read many of them, but there was a nail-biting story filled with enigmatic
characters that somehow eluded these academic examinations. Like Stone, I felt
the novel form would bring the story and people to life. I may not have reached
the literary heights of Stone, but I enjoyed the writing immensely and most
readers have been highly positive in their reviews and ratings. (462 Goodreads ratings for 3.9 stars and 155 Amazon reviews for 4.4 stars..)
Try either book. If you enjoy history, you may find the novel a great form for gaining additional insight.
Try either book. If you enjoy history, you may find the novel a great form for gaining additional insight.
