Deirdre Bair Ordine dei libri (cronologico)

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.

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.

Arguably the world's most famous diarist, Anaïs Nin drew much of her acclaim from her shocking accounts of artistic and sexual self-exploration within the avant-garde worlds of Paris, New York, and Hollywood. But who was this woman whose peccadilloes led to relationships of bigamy and incest, who freely offered her body and her husband's money to some of the most brilliant men of her era - including Henry Miller and Edmund Wilson and Otto Rank - whose desperate cravings for love, recognition, and approval from the intellectual elite remained unsatisfied until the end of her life? Deirdre Bair, who had exclusive access to Nin's complete, original diary and the full cooperation of her surviving husband, family, and friends, offers an enthralling portrait of a complex, perplexing writer whose most compelling subject was, unfailingly, herself.

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.

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.