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Description
A captivating collection of pieces about the art of narration by Britain's finest biographer, Michael Holroyd
In this collection of pieces, Michael Holroyd reflects on the eccentricities of the art of writing about others. With characteristic playfulness and guilefulness, he considers the ways in which lives can be written about (and painted), with all the subtle differences of design and intention that this entails.
From Kipling to forgetfulness, Princess Diana's butler Paul Burrell to fellow biographers like Richard Holmes and the fathers of British biography, Boswell and Johnson, Holroyd tackles a rich and vibrant array of topics. He discusses his life at the mercy of subjects who have led him all over the world – and often into other people's families uninvited. With wit, warmth and humour, he reflects on the unlikely ways he arrives at his subjects, and how the process of building their narratives is often a disturbing experience: so consuming that, when completed, he feels as if he has had a holiday from himself.
Featuring writing originally published in the Times Literary Supplement, the Guardian, the Telegraph and elsewhere, Facts and Fiction provides unique insight into the mind of a master.
Product details
Published | 14 Jun 2018 |
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Format | Ebook (Epub & Mobi) |
Edition | 1st |
Extent | 240 |
ISBN | 9781408897362 |
Imprint | Bloomsbury Publishing |
Publisher | Bloomsbury Publishing |
About the contributors
Reviews
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These glancing encounters show biographer Holroyd at his versatile best … He breathes life and intrigue into every subject he alights on … A joyous collection
Hephzibah Anderson, Observer
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As deft and devastating as a piece of non-fiction writing in miniature as you're ever likely to read, and it illustrates not only the biographer's power to shape perceptions of his or her subject but also the artistry that underpins what sometimes masquerades as elegant reportage: truly, as this collection's title indicates, facts and fiction … A collection to be savoured, its urbanity, wisdom and humorous probing best digested at leisure
Matthew Dennison, Daily Telegraph
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Holroyd navigates the stories behind the books that made his name with a sensitive humour, delving deeply into the art of writing about others. A charming and engaging collection, Facts and Fiction reflects warmly on the intricacies and eccentricities of the most personal form of writing
New Statesman
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Masterly, full of new insight
Praise for 'Lytton Strachey: The New Biography', Sunday Express
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Holroyd has a wonderful eye for detail ... an entirely captivating biography ... one of the glories of the form
Praise for 'A Strange Eventful History', Guardian