Leo Tolstoy
I own a sizable collection of literary biographies. These are some of my favourites:
Do you have a favourite?
Edna St. Vincent Millay was born on 22 February 1892.
Edna St. Vincent Millay.
“I am glad that I paid so little attention to good advice; had I abided by it I might have been saved from some of my most valuable mistakes.”-Edna St. Vincent Millay
Auden by Richard Davenport-Hines.
Acclaimed poet Wystan Hugh Auden was born on 21 February 1907.
W.H. Auden by Carl Van Vechten, 1939.
“Poetry might be defined as the clear expression of mixed feelings.”-W.H. Auden
André Breton, poet, writer, and father of Surrealism, was born on 19 February 1896.
André Breton, 1924.
“Let us not mince words…the marvelous is always beautiful, anything marvelous is beautiful, in fact only the marvelous is beautiful.”-André Breton
This is entirely unnecessary. No one in the world needs a Jane Austen cookie cutter. However, I give not one fig about practicality. I want one. I want one, like yesterday. Yes, please!
Curious? Go here to see it for yourself.
Children’s books from the late nineteenth century have the best illustrations. Here’s why:
They are charming.
From Round the Hearth [and other verses], 1889.
They are nonsensical.
From Lilliput Lyrics. Illustrated by Chas. Robinson, 1899.
There are many amazing, often obscure works of literature available as free e-books: small slices of earthly and intellectual paradise waiting to be uncovered. Finding dusty old gems can take a bit of work and patience, but this exercise is my kind of fun. I thought it would be nice to share my discoveries with you on a regular basis. First up:
Reminiscences of Tolstoy, by His Son by Graf Ilia Lvovich Tolstoi [Project Gutenberg]
Leo’s son Ilia as an older man.
A Small Press Life: Books. Art. Writing. Life. Tea. 