|
|
Article: A Biography of the Biography.(Culture; Books)(Samuel Johnson and James Boswell)
- Article from:
- Newsweek
- Article date:
- November 9, 2009
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2009 Newsweek, Inc. All rights reserved. Any reuse, distribution or alteration without express written permission of Newsweek is prohibited. For permission: www.newsweek.com. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
|
Byline: Malcolm Jones
When was the last time a notable person with lots to hide (obsessive-compulsive disorder, a refusal to bathe, the fact that he wore wigs that didn't fit) insisted that his biographer measure and record every fault with seismographic precision? It may well have been a good 236 years ago, on the morning in 1773 when Samuel Johnson divulged his theory on biography to James Boswell: "I well remember that Dr. Johnson maintained, that 'If a man is to write A Panegyrick, he may keep vices out of sight; but if he professes to write A Life, he must represent it as it really was:' And in the Hebrides he maintained, as appears from my Journal, that a ...
Related newspaper, magazine, and journal articles:
|
|
Article: Books: The fool's vindication James Boswell's reputation in ...
The Independent - London;
October 29, 2000 ;
700+ words
... ... first single-volume biography for many years. But ... Boswell's Life of Johnson - has a lot going ... scholarly edition of Johnson's works was recently ... s friendship with Johnson, the writing of the biography, its triumphant publication ...
|
|