Deirdre Bair Libri

This biography of the Nobel Prize-winning novelist and playwright offers a monumental scholarly work that is also captivating reading. It explores Beckett's rich life, from his upper-middle-class Irish childhood to his early years in Paris and his complex relationship with Joyce. The narrative reveals Beckett's psychological struggles through over 300 previously unknown letters to his confidant, Thomas McGreevy, and highlights his heroic service in the French Resistance. It delves into the post-World War II period, during which Beckett created the masterpieces that established his fame, and examines his growing involvement in theater while he sought to maintain his privacy amidst increasing celebrity. The biography chronicles Beckett's tumultuous family relationships, the psychosomatic illnesses that hindered his writing, and the autobiographical elements in his work. It also details his interactions with publishers, actors, directors, and friends, ultimately portraying him as the enigmatic artist who transformed modern despair into artistic expression. Despite Beckett's initial refusal to authorize the project, Deirdre Bair conducted extensive research and interviews across multiple countries, resulting in a remarkable literary biography that is a significant contribution to the field. Bair, a scholar with a background in journalism and teaching, has crafted a work that scholars and readers alike will find invaluable.

Freud's 'crown prince', Carl Gustav Jung eventually abandoned Freud's theory to form his own. As Freud's influence has waned, Jung's ideas have gained currency. This biography considers his life and ideas, exploring the accusations of anti-Semitism and misogyny by examining his own writings.

This definitive biography is based on five years of interviews with de Beauvoir, and is written with her full cooperation. Bair penetrates the mystique of this brilliant and often paradoxical woman, who has been called one of the great minds of the 20th century, and surely, one of the most famously unconventional figures of her generation. "As a reference work . . . Simone de Beauvoir can be considered definitive."--The Atlantic. 16-page photographic insert.

Biography of controversial author Anaïs Nin, known for her erotic books and many affairs, especially the one with fellow writer Henry Miller, with information taken from Nin's extensive diaries and interviews with family, friends, and enemies

Award-winning biographer Deirdre Bair explores her fifteen remarkable years in Paris with Samuel Beckett and Simone de Beauvoir, painting intimate new portraits of two literary giants.

Deze biografie is tot nu toe de meest veelomvattende. In ruim 800 pagina's wordt het portret neergezet van de filosofie met 'een vrouwenhart en een mannenverstand' (blz. 153). Jeugd, studie, vriendschappen, liefdesrelaties, werk en bovenal haar symbiose met Sarte worden openhartig aan de orde gesteld. De achtergronden van de publieke zelfbespiegeling die haar leven en werk in zo sterke mate zou typeren krijgen ruime aandacht. Het existentialisme, het Sartriaanse ideaal zoals uiteengezet in L'Etre et le Néant (1943) was in essentie de hoeksteen van haar eigen werk, en had haar de basispricipes verschaft voor haar hele leven. De laatste vijftien jaar van haar veelbewogen leven voelde zij zich meer thuis in vrouwengroeperingen. De biografie is een boeiend en gedegen eerbetoon aan een groot fenomeen. Middenin is de obligate serie kiekjes opgenomen. Onlangs verscheen het proefschrift over De Beauvoir van Karen Vintges, "Filosofie als passie: het denken van Simone de Beauvoir"