Stephen Spender: A Literary Life

by John Sutherland

Book Overview

One of the leading poets and cultural icons of the 20th century, Stephen Spender was a prominent writer, literary critic, and social commentator--and close friend of some of the best-know creative talents of his day. Now, in this penetrating biography, John Sutherland paints a vivid portrait of Spender and of the glittering literary world of which he was a part, drawing on exclusive access to Spender's private papers.
This briskly paced, compelling...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0195178165
• ISBN13: 9780195178166
• Release Date: January 2005
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
• Length: 656 Pages
• Weight: 2.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.9" x 6.5" x 9.7"

Customer Reviews

Excellent but slow biography

A figure who flourished in the Thirties, Stephen Spender is mostly forgotten today. Yet he possessed sufficient tension in his life - cultural, familial, sexual - to make him an appealing biographical figure. John Sutherland's account succeeds in identifying the man's essential qualities, especially his integrity as good friend and skilled artist; his tenacity in the face of hardship; and his ability to balance earning a living with writing brilliantly. But the book's enviable success comes at a cost. Written without much distinction of phrase and without the gift of brevity, unshapely in its organization, and sometimes badly edited, the book loses vitality as it slowly unfolds. Here's an example from page 170: "She was a colleague of Humphrey's and Margaret Low's (Humphrey's future wife) best friend at the Architectural Association." Sentences like it are not uncommon. Still, if one is willing to skim the dullest portions, the book's extensive research illuminates Spender's gifts and exalts his fierce commitment to a literary life. In many ways the choices Spender made seem very modern.