Irving Stone is an American playwright and screenwriter. The writer is the founder of the biographical novel. The author has created 25 life stories of great people.
Quotes of legendary personalities, the novels of which were written by Irving Tennenbaum (Stone), are relevant to this day. The writer's literary works are recognized by reliable sources, his work has been awarded many prestigious awards.
The path to the vocation
The biography of the future famous writer began in 1903. The boy was born on July 14 in San Francisco. In the family, from an early age, the child was taught to be independent. The son sold newspapers, worked as a messenger, delivered vegetables. The writing career attracted the kid from the age of six.
At nine, the composing of the first works began. The child's talent was appreciated by the teachers, freeing him from 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, salesman, was a musician in an orchestra.
The 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 out on top. The author's plays did not find recognition among readers and critics. In the early thirties, Stone traveled to Paris to study writing. The visitor was greatly impressed by the exhibition of paintings by Vincent Van Gogh.
The canvases shocked Irving so much that he decided to find out as much as possible about the painter. The correspondence between the artist and his brother showed the writer the real tragedy of a man abandoned by all. Stone decided to write a work about the life of Van Gogh. In the process of creating the book, the author carried out a real investigation.
He traveled to all addresses connected with the artist, looked for his acquaintances, communicated with them, studied the painter'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 turned into a kind of portal to the world of the famous painter.
Iconic creations
The success of the debut work inspired the author. He began work on a new biographical book. Its main character is Jack London. Even before the publication of "The Sailor in the Saddle" in 1938, the writer set the goal of a minimum amount of literary fiction. A huge number of documents and works of London were examined. As a result, Stone's book became the best and most detailed life story written about Jack London.
In 1940, the next piece of fiction was The False Witness. Stone considered in a 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 was not successful, 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 humiliated. The book demonstrated that intolerance of injustice, adherence to principles, striving for freedom made him a worthy defender of the hero. The opinions of the writer himself were distinguished by a fair amount of courage.
In 1943, political essays were published "They, too, participated in the race." The book told about the presidential candidates who failed in their election campaigns, published the author's reflections on the fate of his native country. The work was met with approving criticism.
New discoveries
The Immortal Wife is a new creation of the writer. The book was distinguished from previous works by its narration not only about the life of the explorer and pioneer John Fremont, but also the fate of his wife Jesse. The writer founded a new kind of genre, the family portrait. The source of inspiration for the author was the relationship between husband and wife, in which there was always room for exploits.
The work "Passionate Journey" 1949 does not belong to biographical works. The main character is a fictional character. However, all the representatives of art with whom the painter meets in the course of the novel are real historical personalities.
The main goal of the story was to familiarize readers with the history of American art, its legends. A collection of autobiographies about talented Americans was released at the beginning of the new decade. It was called "We speak for ourselves about life."
A special place in the author's work is given to essays about the spouses of celebrities. So, the work about Rachel Jackson, the ex-wife of the seventh president of the country, became a real discovery for readers. The book examined the transformation of an understanding, kind and sociable woman due to public bullying into a wary and suspicious person. The novel about Abraham Lincoln's wife Mary was called "Love is Forever." After its publication in 1954, the author received the American Women's Golden Trophy.
Family and literature
Among the best works of Stone include his novel-biography "Torment and Joy". The book about the great Michelangelo became not only a recreation of the portrait of the famous artist and sculptor, but an excellent description of his era. The writer collected so much material that it was more than enough to write three more works about the life of the painter. Successively published "I, Michelangelo, the sculptor", "The history of the creation of the sculpture Pieta" and "The great adventure of Michelangelo."
In 1971, critics met the biography of Sigmund Freud, The Passion of the Mind, in a rather reserved manner. The author took into account all the mistakes in 1980 when creating the novel about Charles Darwin "Origins". The dynamic composition turned out to be very convincing and capacious.
Five years later, Irving's new work, Deeps of Glory, came out. It told about the French painter Camille Pizarro. This novel became the final creation of the author.
In his personal life, Stone was happy. In early 1934, Irving and his chosen one Jean officially became husband and wife. The family had two children, son Kenneth and daughter Paul. The wife became a real inspirer and assistant to her husband.
The writer passed away in 1989, on August 2.
