Irving Stone is an American playwright, screenwriter. The writer is the founder of a biographical novel. The author has created 25 life stories of great people.
Quotes from legendary personalities whose novels were written by Irving Tennenbaum (Stone) are still relevant today. The writer's literary works are recognized as reliable sources, his work has been awarded many prestigious awards.
Way to Vocation
The biography of the future famous writer began in 1903. The boy was born July 14 in San Francisco. In a family from an early age, the child was accustomed to independence. My son sold newspapers, worked as a delivery man, delivered vegetables. Writing career attracted the kid from the age of six.
At nine, the composition of the first works began. The talent of the child was appreciated by the teachers, having released from school at the school for full-fledged literary activity. Irving decided to continue his education at the University of California. He passed the exams perfectly, becoming a student of the chosen university. The young man moonlighted as a clerk, a salesman, and was a musician in an orchestra.
A graduate with a bachelor's degree taught economics. However, this kind of activity, like science, did not attract the future writer. In 1926, literature came first. Author's plays did not find recognition among readers and critics. In the early thirties, Stone went to Paris to learn the skills of a writer. The visitor was greatly impressed by the exhibition of paintings by Vincent Van Gogh.
The paintings so shocked Irving that he decided to find out about the painter as much as possible. The correspondence of the artist with his brother showed the writer the real tragedy of the man left by everyone. Stone decided to write a work about the life of Van Gogh. In the process of creating the book, the author made a real investigation.
He traveled to all addresses associated with the artist, sought out his acquaintances, talked with them, studied the artist’s notes, read letters and documents. The result of the work - the novel "Lust for Life" - was published in 1934. Readers instantly appreciated the novelty. The book has become a kind of portal to the world of the famous painter.
Significant creations
The success of the debut work inspired the author. He began work on a new biographical book. Her main character was Jack London. Even before the publication of The Sailor in the Saddle in 1938, the writer set as his goal the minimum amount of literary fiction. A gigantic amount of documents and works of London were examined. As a result, Stone's book became the best and most detailed of all biographies written about Jack London.
In 1940, the next work of art was the work of the Perjury. Stone considered in the life-affirming book the most pressing problems at any time. He talked about the lack of justice and the destructive power of money. The novelty did not gain success, and the author again returned to the genre of literary biography. 1941 was marked by the release of the new novel, Defense - Clarence Darrow.
His character is a talented lawyer who has dedicated his life to protecting the disadvantaged and the humiliated. The book demonstrated that the intolerance of injustice, integrity, the desire for freedom made him a worthy defender of the hero. Judgments of the writer himself were distinguished by a fair amount of courage.
In 1943, political essays "They also participated in the race" were published. The book described the presidential candidates who failed in the election campaign, published the author’s thoughts on the fate of his native country. The work was welcomed by critics.
New discoveries
"Immortal wife" - a new creation of the writer. The book was distinguished from previous works by the narrative in it, not only about the life of the researcher and pioneer John Fremont, but also the fate of his wife Jesse. The writer founded a new kind of genre, a family portrait. The source of inspiration for the author was the relationship between husband and wife, in which there was always a place for exploits.
The work “Passionate Journey” of 1949 does not apply to biographies. The main character was a fictional character. However, all the representatives of art with whom the painter meets in the course of the novel are real historical figures.
The main purpose of the story was to familiarize readers with the history of American art, its legends. A collection of autobiographies about talented Americans saw the light at the beginning of a new decade. It was called "We speak for ourselves about life."
A special place in the author’s work is devoted to works on the spouses of celebrities. So, the work about Rachel Jackson, the ex-wife of the seventh president of the country, was a real discovery for readers. The book examined the transformation of an understanding, kind and sociable woman due to public harassment into a wary and suspicious person. The novel about Abraham Lincoln’s wife Mary was called Love is Eternal. After its publication in 1954, the author received the Golden Trophy of American Women Award.
