Biographical novel
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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| + | "Early examples of the [[biographical novel]] include ''[[Simplicius Simplicissimus]]'' (1669) and ''[[The Conqueror, Being the True and Romantic Story of Alexander Hamilton]]'' (1902)."--Sholem Stein | ||
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| - | '''''Lust for Life''''' (1934) is a [[biographical novel]] written by [[Irving Stone]] and is based on the life of the famous Dutch painter, [[Vincent van Gogh]] and his hardships. | ||
| - | It was adapted into a [[Lust for Life (film)|film of the same name]] starring [[Kirk Douglas]], which was nominated for four [[Academy Awards]], winning one. | + | The '''biographical novel''' is a [[genre]] of [[novel]] which provides a [[fiction]]al account of a contemporary or historical person's life. This kind of novel concentrates on the experiences a person had during his lifetime, the people they met and the incidents which occurred. Like other forms of [[biographical fiction]], details are often trimmed or reimagined to meet the artistic needs of the fictional genre, the [[novel]]. These reimagined biographies are sometimes called '''semi-biographical novels''', to distinguish the relative [[historicity]] of the work from other biographical novels |
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| + | The genre rose to prominence in the 1930s with best-selling works by authors such as [[Robert Graves]], [[Thomas Mann]], [[Irving Stone]] and [[Lion Feuchtwanger]]. These books became best-sellers, but the genre was dismissed by literary critics. In later years it became more accepted and has become both a popular and critically accepted genre. | ||
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| + | Some biographical novels bearing only superficial resemblance to the historical novels or introducing elements of other [[Genre fiction|genres]] that supersede the retelling of the historical narrative, for example ''[[Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter (novel)|Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter]]'' follows the plot devices of a [[vampire fiction]] closely. Biographical fiction often also falls within the genres of [[historical fiction]] or [[alternative history]]. | ||
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| + | Some novels that are known best for their fictional prowess, but include extensive biographical information that is less obvious to readers. A very good example of this kind is Goldsmith's "[[The Vicar of Wakefield]]", believed to be the biography of a person the author had known and observed very closely. | ||
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| + | Biographical novels are frequently the foundation for [[film adaptations]] into the filmographic genre of [[biographical film]]. | ||
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| + | For more reflection on the different types of biographical information used in literature, see [[Biography in literature]]. | ||
| - | It is Irving Stone's first major publication and is largely based on the letters Vincent Van Gogh wrote to his brother Theo. Irving also conducted a large amount of "on-field" research as is mentioned in the afterword of the book. | + | ==Notable biographical novels== |
| + | * ''[[The Moon and Sixpence]]'' (1919) by [[W Somerset Maugham]] - [[Paul Gauguin]] | ||
| + | * ''[[I Claudius]]'' (1934) by [[Robert Graves]] - [[Claudius]] | ||
| + | * ''[[Lotte in Weimar: The Beloved Returns]]'' - (1939) by [[Thomas Mann]] - [[Johann Wolfgang von Goethe|Goethe]] | ||
| + | * ''[[The Agony and the Ecstasy (novel)|The Agony and the Ecstasy]]'' (1961) by [[Irving Stone]] - [[Michelangelo]] | ||
| + | * ''[[The Revenant (novel)|The Revenant]]'' (2002) by [[Michael Punke]] - US frontiersman [[Hugh Glass]] | ||
| + | * ''[[The Great Lover (novel)|The Great Lover]]'' (2009) by [[Jill Dawson]] - fictional woman's relationship with [[Rupert Brooke]] | ||
| + | * ''[[The Wettest County in the World]]'' (2008) by [[Matt Bondurant]] - author's grandfather and his brothers, [[Rum-running|bootleggers]] | ||
| - | The book is famous for the way it describes the origins of many of Vincent's famous paintings like ''[[The Potato Eaters]]'', ''[[Sunflowers (paintings)|Sunflowers]]'' and others. Irving Stone wanted to explain the ''difficult life'' and how he began, flourished, and died as a painter... | + | ==See also== |
| + | *[[Biopic]] | ||
| + | *[[Biography in literature]] | ||
| + | *[[Historical novel]] | ||
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"Early examples of the biographical novel include Simplicius Simplicissimus (1669) and The Conqueror, Being the True and Romantic Story of Alexander Hamilton (1902)."--Sholem Stein |
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The biographical novel is a genre of novel which provides a fictional account of a contemporary or historical person's life. This kind of novel concentrates on the experiences a person had during his lifetime, the people they met and the incidents which occurred. Like other forms of biographical fiction, details are often trimmed or reimagined to meet the artistic needs of the fictional genre, the novel. These reimagined biographies are sometimes called semi-biographical novels, to distinguish the relative historicity of the work from other biographical novels
The genre rose to prominence in the 1930s with best-selling works by authors such as Robert Graves, Thomas Mann, Irving Stone and Lion Feuchtwanger. These books became best-sellers, but the genre was dismissed by literary critics. In later years it became more accepted and has become both a popular and critically accepted genre.
Some biographical novels bearing only superficial resemblance to the historical novels or introducing elements of other genres that supersede the retelling of the historical narrative, for example Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter follows the plot devices of a vampire fiction closely. Biographical fiction often also falls within the genres of historical fiction or alternative history.
Some novels that are known best for their fictional prowess, but include extensive biographical information that is less obvious to readers. A very good example of this kind is Goldsmith's "The Vicar of Wakefield", believed to be the biography of a person the author had known and observed very closely.
Biographical novels are frequently the foundation for film adaptations into the filmographic genre of biographical film.
For more reflection on the different types of biographical information used in literature, see Biography in literature.
Notable biographical novels
- The Moon and Sixpence (1919) by W Somerset Maugham - Paul Gauguin
- I Claudius (1934) by Robert Graves - Claudius
- Lotte in Weimar: The Beloved Returns - (1939) by Thomas Mann - Goethe
- The Agony and the Ecstasy (1961) by Irving Stone - Michelangelo
- The Revenant (2002) by Michael Punke - US frontiersman Hugh Glass
- The Great Lover (2009) by Jill Dawson - fictional woman's relationship with Rupert Brooke
- The Wettest County in the World (2008) by Matt Bondurant - author's grandfather and his brothers, bootleggers
See also
