Hazel Rowley (1951–2011)

As the title of this readable biography suggests, Franklin and Eleanor focuses on the dynamics of their marriage. Hazel Rowley does a good job of untangling the chronologies of the husband and wife's romantic involvements with one another and with other people, though given the nature of the sources there is inevitably much that cannot be known. I knew only the vague outline of their lives before reading this book, and was fascinated to see the evolution of Eleanor from a shy and diffident show more young woman to a much more outgoing person who felt confident in shirking social norms and addressing the UN General Assembly.

This is rather a rosy account of the Roosevelts, though. Both were clearly people of great personal charisma, but while Rowley seems to think that attribute inherently a virtue, I am not so certain. How they used that charisma on others frequently seems to have been informed by an immense narcissism and emotional need, and a disregard for the needs and feelings of others. While Rowley acknowledges that in passing, she doesn't seem inclined to explore that too deeply. show less

How does a desperately poor, half-educated black man in 20th century America transcend the brutality and racism of his childhood to become one of the most notable writers of his era? The Australian biographer Hazel Rowley (1951-2011) set out to unravel this story forty years after the death of Richard Wright (1908-1960) and this biography is the result.

Richard Wright, The Life and Times (2001) was Hazel Rowley's second biography after her award-winning biography of Christina Stead (1994, see show more my review). She went on to write Tête-à-tête: The Lives and Loves of Simone de Beauvoir & Jean-Paul Sartre (2005) and Franklin & Eleanor: An Extraordinary Marriage (2010, see my review) before her untimely death in 2011. In the obituary by Margalit Fox for the New York Times, her attraction to writing the lives of charismatic outsiders is explained:

Ms. Rowley was often asked what united the seemingly diverse subjects of her books. “For those who have read all four, the thread is clear,” she wrote in an introductory passage on her Web site, (hazelrowley.com). “They were courageous people, who all, in some way, felt ‘outsiders’ in society. Above all, they were passionate people who cared about the world and felt angry about its injustices.” (NYT obituary, 19/3/2011)

The portrait of Richard Wright in Rowley's bio tells that story in fascinating detail. I haven't read Wright yet, though I have a copy of his memoir Black Boy on the TBR. Wright is a significant figure in American literature, transcending the trauma of his grandparents' slavery, a dysfunctional hyper-religious childhood, and limited education to become internationally famous and influential in changing attitudes. His writing made people realise the extent of racism in America and the damage that it caused to individuals and society.

He is most famous for his novel Native Son which was chosen as a Book of the Month in 1940 and became a best seller. Rowley tells the story of the passion which drove the portrayal of Bigger Thomas, a hoodlum from the black ghetto in Chicago, an unlikeable, tough bully who was full of fear and hate. Wright felt he had been naïve in his bestselling first book, Uncle Tom's Children, and had decided to write a book "so hard and so deep that they [Americans] would have to face it [racism] without the consolation of tears". So there is no idealism or sentimentality in Native Son. It features the angriest, most violent antihero ever to appear in black American literature.

Wright wanted to show that youths like Bigger were not inherently bad, that their intense frustration, hatred, and their crimes were a result of being shut out of American society. (p.151)

To read the rest of my review please visit https://anzlitlovers.com/2022/06/12/richard-wright-the-life-and-times-by-hazel-r... show less

As a former history major, one might assume that I frequently pick up nonfiction to read for fun. Not true...at all. Actually, there are very few nonfiction books that I have picked up for fun. I think something about the plethora of history reading as an undergrad might have disillusioned me a bit on nonfiction reading. But I digress. I picked this book up on a whim and did not once regret it--start to finish.

In this book, Rowley takes on the Roosevelt marriage: it's ups and downs and all show more the eccentricities in between. The Roosevelt marriage has taken on a shroud of mystery over the years that many have attempted to uncover. Rowley does a fantastic job not (blatantly) "taking a side" in the discussion of the relationship that FDR and Eleanor had. Their marriage was definitely non-traditional and what we know about them is today (still) clouded and incomplete. Rowley, I think, would lead us to believe that such a mystery was intentional. The conventions of yesterday and today would still look down upon a marriage such as Eleanor and FDR had. They weren't the perfect couple, as many want to believe, but they had a successful marriage built on mutual trust and understanding. Rowley takes the reader from the very beginnings of their relationship through the end, with FDR's death and Truman's swearing in.

Rowley's writing makes this read like a novel. It is enjoyable and fast-paced--not a dull moment (which, I suppose, one might expect when talking about the Roosevelt marriage). This is probably the first time that a non-fiction biography has actually moved me to tears. I would definitely recommend this book to history fanatics, mild history fans, WWII fans, avid readers...everyone! show less

An very worthwhile biography..... very interesting on so many levels (psychological, historical/context, ethical/moral, spiritual/existential). As Irvin D. Yalom has so well pointed out, all of us struggle with some basic existential issues (e.g., life, death and anxiety), and Simone and Jean Paul were no exception. In fact, it seems they struggled with these universal questions more than most of us. I found the book exceptional and many of the critics come to the biography with what seems show more so clear to an outsider - preconceived notions and biases about these 2 extraordinary people. I found it interesting that Sartre struggled with "guilt" over the suicide of one of his girl friends. He was also very "deceitful" (intentionally choose to not be completely honest) when it came to his concurrent lovers.
In the end, I found Simone's life story to be the much more interesting.... as one of the first feminists of her generation. Just goes to show you what an education in philosophy can do...... powerful individuals, powerful message and an excellent author. This review is for the 2006 paperback edition by Hazel Rowley. 4 1/2 stars. Paul Floyd, Mpls, MN show less