Isak Dinesen: The Life of a Storyteller

by Judith Thurman

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A biography of the Danish author who was twice nominated for the Nobel Prize.

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8 reviews
Very good biography. It has to be both rewarding and challenging to write about someone who felt that her life was one big narrative project, and this was really well done and thorough -- you got a feeling for the sense of Dinesen's life, both her own and from those around her, not just the details and dates. Which is what I really want from a biography, and this one definitely captured her whole dramatic, messy essence.
This was an absolutely wonderful book. Judith Thurman really gives us a feel for Isak Dinesen and the world she lived in. It's an amazing story of love, loss, and life. Anyone remotely interested in Out of Africa, or Africa in general, would find this a most intriguing read.
½
Fills you in on some of the things you might not get from Dinesen's _Out of Africa_ and her other work. Since most of Dinesen's work tends to be fictionalized and autobiographical, it's good to have another source. Makes you appreciate the many challenges Dinesen faced and makes one even more grateful for her many gifts.
The writing style didn't really work for me. It references how her work reflects her life. I felt like I would have enjoyed this more if I had already read the works be referenced.
Read Beryl Markham instead- this prose is a little purple.
I tried for over a year to finish this book and just could not, though I love Isak Dinesen's writings.

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16+ Works 1,681 Members
Judith Thurman is a staff writer at The New Yorker.

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Common Knowledge

Canonical title*
Karen Blixen
Original title
Isak Dinesen : the life of a storyteller
People/Characters
Karen Blixen (Isak Dinesen); Bror Blixen; Denys Finch-Hatton; Idina Sackville; Hugh Cholmondeley, 3rd Baron Delamere; Beryl Markham (show all 10); Berkeley Cole; Prince Wilhelm, Duke of Södermanland; Thomas Dinesen; Ingeborg Dinesen
Important places
Africa; Copenhagen, Denmark; Denmark; East Africa; Europe; Kenya (show all 11); Lake Naivasha, Kenya; Muthaiga Country Club, Nairobi, Kenya; Nairobi, Kenya; Ngong Hills, Kenya; Rungsted, Zealand, Denmark
Related movies
Out of Africa (1985 | IMDb)
First words
Isak Dinesen was born to two people who embodied very different attitudes to life.
*Some information comes from Common Knowledge in other languages. Click "Edit" for more information.

Classifications

Genres
Biography & Memoir, Literature Studies and Criticism
DDC/MDS
839.81372Literature & rhetoricGerman & related literaturesOther Germanic literaturesDanish and Norwegian literaturesDanishDanish fiction1900–2000Early 20th century 1900–1945
LCC
PT8175 .B545 .Z89Language and LiteratureGerman, Dutch and Scandinavian literaturesDanish literatureIndividual authors or works1900-1960
BISAC

Statistics

Members
790
Popularity
35,158
Reviews
8
Rating
(3.99)
Languages
11 — Danish, English, Finnish, French, German, Italian, Norwegian (Bokmål), Polish, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish
Media
Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
ISBNs
36
ASINs
10