Jeffrey Meyers (1) (1939–)

Jeffrey Meyers is noted for his literary biographies and he succeeds with this biography of Edgar Allan Poe. The details of Poe's mysterious and tragic life are laid out with clarity. He explores Poe's contrariness that bordered on the pathological as he ruined every project he attempted. From journalism to friendship to marriage his life was a failure. I was impressed with the few sturdy friends who persevered in spite of Poe's stubborn behavior. If not for these few who hired him for show more journal's and at least temporarily lifted him out of the gutter he would have had an even shorter and more brutal life.
The wonder of it all was the stories, poetry, and criticism that he produced. It fills two volumes in the Library of America edition and it is mostly good and sometimes great. It is with his works that Meyers also proves an excellent guide, for he combines psychological insight and literary acumen in his brief precis and analysis of the stories and poems. The impact of Poe outside of the United States and on contemporary writers like Nabokov is also presented. The sum of Meyer's work is a complete portrait of Poe the American literary master. show less

With well-regarded studies of Katherine Mansfield, Somerset Maugham, D.H. Lawrence, and other literary giants to his name, Meyers is a distinguished academic, biographer, and editor. Writing about the impressionists is a perfect match for his talents because of the intimate relationship of art and letters in the late 19th century.
In his four-subject biography Meyers illuminates the intimacies of Edouard Manet, Berthe Morisot, Edgar Degas and Mary Cassatt. Their private ordeals and inner show more demons are used to accentuate the brilliance of their paintings and the revolutionary implications of their artistic vision. Many have speculated that the two male artists enjoyed sexual as well as artistic relationships with their female disciples. Meyers examines contemporary and modern secondary sources (the two couples’ letters were all burned), recording every connection. While he is not completely successful in this endeavor his journey is fascinating nonetheless.
An important aspect of nineteenth century art was the impact of Baudelaire. His concept of the modern painter was a charge of dynamite that Manet detonated in 1863 when he exhibited "Luncheon on the Grass." The enigmatic depiction of a nude woman lounging with fully dressed men in a forest glade was a frank admission of sexuality. It created a furor, as did his "Olympia," the even more arresting view of an unclothed (and visibly bored) prostitute viewing her next client. Both women look directly at the viewer, underscoring the complicity to be found in the eye of the beholder. Despite efforts to secure popular acclaim, Manet was never to rid himself of the notoriety provoked by "Luncheon" and "Olympia." Moreover, his inner torment affected his relationship with Berthe Morisot and found a counterpoint in the private lives of his friends Edgar Degas and Mary Cassatt.
There is much more in this educating and entertaining look at the lives of four Impressionist masters. show less

Brisk, readable (though frequently repetitive) bio of a difficult, conflicted man with a terrifically observant, curious, and passionate mind. Calls' em as he sees 'em, even if he sees different sides at different times. A political progressive who saw the evils of totalitarianism, and a doting father (to his credit), and who chased women and was reluctant to consent to his wife's hysterectomy for uterine cancer because it meant she'd not be able to have any more children (um, not so much, show more and she died on the table). A brilliant writer, whose essays read as crisp and fresh today as eighty years ago, and who would happily drink and talk till closing time with writers he had savaged in print the day before...and whose names he would turn around and send off to the British government's secret propaganda office as communist sympathizers, "homosexuals," or just "Stupid." Meyers glosses over this aspect (though to be fair the list wasn't made widely public till after this book was published), minimizing it as doing what he felt was a "patriotic duty."

Repeatedly described as a Gothic, guilt-ridden, "saintly" character (and more than a bit of a poseur as well), Orwell is still a cryptic and contradictory being... and one still worth reading. show less

Well written and detailed account of Fitzgerald’s life. The characters in his novels now make much more sense, knowing that they were mostly based in real people.