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Wodehouse : a life Robert McCrum W.W. Norton, 2004 1st American ed: hardcover 大学図書館所蔵 件 / 全 5 件 大阪市立大学 学術情報総合センター 文: hardcover 930.278//MA13//6156 11401261562 … We’d love your help. There are moments in this biography where you despair that McCrum has hidden the truth because after two years struggling as a banker by day and writer by night, Wodehouse made a splash that ebbed at times but never really has subsided. Wodehouse: A Life by Robert McCrum John Detrixhe Every reader of P.G. Idiots. I got the thrill of his early work and his time on Broadway. Amazon配送商品ならWodehouse: A Lifeが通常配送無料。更にAmazonならポイント還元本が多数。McCrum, Robert作品ほか、お急ぎ便対象商品は当日お届けも可能。 P.G. Beyond the sole real scandal of Wodehouse's adult life (his making broadcasts on the Nazi radio after his release from internment), which McCrum treats with real skill, this otherwise quite sensitive and interesting biography could have perhaps avoided the heavy weight of Wodehouse's daily routine and repetition and been better leavened with contextual social history or more targeted literary analysis. The most dramatic event in his life was his greatest public failing (the WWII broadcasts - a point where his single-mindedness led him serio. I went into it knowing nothing about PG Wodehouse other than that I have enjoyed the handful of his books I've read. W. W. Norton. Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read. He was the literary editor of the Observer from 1996 to 2008, and has been a regular contributor to the Guardian since 1990, 78 New Paperbacks for Your Summer Reading List. Something went wrong. The most dramatic event in his life was his greatest public failing (the WWII broadcasts - a point where his single-mindedness led him seriously astray), and the rest of his life was consumed by his work, for the most part. This is unlikely to detract from the absolute delight of knocking about Edwardian England between gentlemen's clubs and country manors, with earls and aunts and butlers and girls who dance in the theatre, with miracle hangover cures and pigs of pedigree. Wodehouse does that … I probably won't finish this one. She needed an affluent husband, quickly. And McCrum's clumsy employment of psycho-analysis is more apt to prompt winces than a real contribution to insight. McCrum does a nice job of avoiding unwarranted speculation about "the psychology of the individual" while also providing some helpful context. Almost didn’t pick this up, since I’ve already read Frances Donaldson’s Wodehouse biography, but I’m glad I did. My English nanny had encouraged me to read British children's literature and one of her last gifts, before I became too old for superintendency, was an introduction to P.G. Letters from Hollywood and New York, and from rented homes in France and England detail the life … Even though most writers live somewhat predictable lives that make biographies a bit dull (a biographer can only describe typewriting manuscripts and editing proofs so many times), Wodehouse lived through remarkable international events. Author and editor Robert McCrumb discusses the life and works of P.G. Wodehouse online from Australia's leading online bookstore. Start by marking “Wodehouse: A Life” as Want to Read: Error rating book. Certainly it's now far from the defining feature of his career. Even though most writers live somewhat predictable lives that make biographies a bit dull (a biographer can only describe typewriting manuscripts and editing proofs so many times), Wode. It isn’t a surprise that it took a quiet, not especially interesting person to create such dazzlingly brilliant books. Eleanor Wodehouse was also of ancient aristocratic ancestry. While a singular participant in some of the most interesting events of the 20th century, Wodehouse's personal life is a surprisingly poor guide to the more general experience of his times. McCrum's biography of PG Wodehouse fits that bill. Please try again. As McCrum notes, the one time Wodehouse really paused in all the letter writing was following the death of his stepdaughter. As one might expect, an author who published 90+ books in his lifetime (along with plays, articles, lyrics etc.) The book covers the life of 20th century British comic novelist P.G. This was a sad story in many ways. An affectionate portrait of the prolific twentieth-century comic writer discusses his creation of such characters as Jeeves, Psmith, and the Empress of Blandings; describes his contributions to Broadway and the London stage; details his internment in Berlin during World War II; and reveals a following of literary figures who are among his top fans. Wodehouse - A Biography' by Frances Donaldson. This is an insightful, knowledgeable and well written literary biography. Full review to come. Reading a book like this will have an impact on how I read Wodehouse for the rest of my life. For nearly 20 years he was editor-in-chief of the publishers Faber & Faber. In fact he was almost the perfect embodiment of Flaubert’s maxim about how the best atmosphere for writing is a mundane one. You are listening to a sample of the Audible audio edition. Even if the author has never let him down, and always fills him with 'sweetness and light' (to snatch a phrase from Plum himself)? Finding out that Wodehouse was a sexless, naive workaholic. $27.95. He was an unusually single-minded, almost compulsive, writer. WODEHOUSE: A Life Robert McCrum, Author. He also contradicts himself, eg emphasising that PGW was a loner but t. Doesn't come to life, so suffers in comparison to the works of Wodehouse himself. Although his plots are all the same, Wodehouse writes with such a clever wit that this is easy to overlook. After viewing product detail pages, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in. Biographies open my mind to what was happening in the lives and times of the person being written about. One mark of a great biography is that, by the end, you feel a measure of sadness at the death of the subject. Good with the old cricket bat and not at all bad when it was time to put up the old gloved dukes. A couple of caveats: Turns out that Wodehouse in real life was an … It's interesting (I guess) that Wodehouse might have been sterile, and boring to constantly be reminded that this or that might be an indication that he was relatively uninterested in sex. I have read Wodehouse all my life. Thorough and balanced on the German broadcast debate but more interesting for me to go through the work. McCrum's book is very readable and detailed, and I think I initially took it up because I found it used for $8, and because it had photographs from Plum's life which I had not seen before. She needed an affluent husband, quickly. Wodehouse is a tough subject for a biography - elusive and opaque - a "laureate of repression" in his fiction, as McCrum puts it. Plum or Plummie as his old school chums knew him was always a cove of the right sort. Unable to add item to List. W. W. Norton & Company. We also. Wodehouse : a life Robert McCrum （Penguin books） Penguin, 2005 : pbk Well I mean it's certainly, well, whatsit. Wodehouse's novels are so light, graceful, and charmingly hilarious, that they create the illusion that they were written effortlessly by some brilliant man with a facile wit. Now maybe he didn't always cast the fellows from the Drones club under the rosiest Tiffany lamp but. One hundred years after his first novel … The things that rea. In fact he was almost the perfect embodiment of Flaubert’s maxim about how the best atmosphere for writing is a mundane one. 15,000 first printing. At a certain point, it becomes just a list of what Wodehouse is writing with whom and where. Very thorough and even-handed throughout. New York. 4.5 stars. Wodehouse: A Life is a prime example of why I love to read biographies. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. There are numerous notes, but there is no superscript marker when reading the chapters, so you don't know when there is additional information, which is intensely irritating. Wodehouse led a well-ordered life, eventually marrying Ethel, and adopting as his own child her daughter Leonora, who became the person he was closest to. ISBN 9780393088991 From P. G. Wodehouse’s first letter published in 1899 at age seventeen to the last, written (days before his death) in February 1975, Sophie Ratcliffe’s splendid editing presents Wodehouse’s life … Wodehouse - A Biography' by Frances Donaldson. I am an unabashed fan of Wodehouse's books & approached Robert McCrum's biography of the great man seeking to understand Wodehouse the man & his work. Her resume already included 2 dead husbands and a daughter in boarding school. There are no discussion topics on this book yet. The … Wodehouse was something of an enigma. This biography thankfully succeeds in furnishing the reader with a compelling portrait of this very singular Englishman. This probably just shows how few biographies I've read, but I'm consistently annoyed by biographers' need to speculate about trivial, unconfirmable stuff. There’s such a lightness of touch to his humour that feels so effortless that you want to pick up this hefty doorstop tome and find that ah ha! Her resume already included 2 dead husbands and a daughter in boarding school. Let me say upfront, that I adore Wodehouse. Various Wodehouse plots are recapped simplistically and seemingly at random throughout the text. Wodehouse A Life (Book) : McCrum, Robert : An affectionate portrait of the prolific twentieth-century comic writer discusses his creation of such characters as Jeeves, Psmith, and the … He was born and educated in Cambridge. Why not just a sharp biff to the hat holder with a padded out eel skin? I knew nothing about Wodehouse beyond the delightful world of Wooster and Jeeves, but by the end of this biography I felt like I knew him, and liked him. PGs comic novels reveal the man. After reading Robert McCrum's biography. Skip to main content.co.uk Hello, Sign in Account & Lists … It's a diligent and comprehensive but rather flat essay, rattling off facts in an efficient chronology, but lacking in passion, or even original insights about its subject. That's fairly typical in my experience with an author's biography -- even though someone like Wodehouse was a prolific letter writer, he wasn't baring his soul about his inner thoughts and feelings a great deal. The generally favourable reviews were presumably from his cronies and those wanting reciprocal favours (he's the Observer's Literary editor). WODEHOUSE: A Life in Letters User Review - Kirkus The life and times of the creator of Bertie and Jeeves, as told to friends and family.Although they don't reveal him at his stylish, polished … I'd always meant to read a biography of Wodehouse, and in many ways this is an excellent one, particularly good at coming to grips with what made Wodehouse tick. Wodehouse: A Life is a tough read, not least because its quintessen Wodehouse: A Life is a tough read, not least because its quintessentially British subject gives rise to many quintessentially … He wasnt even certain of her last name. There are definitely some slow spots in this book. McCrum's biography of PG Wodehouse fits that bill. WODEHOUSE A Life. by W.W. Norton & Company. It's interesting (I guess) that Wodehouse might have been sterile, and boring to constantly be reminded that this or that might be an indication that he was relatively uninteres. Nonetheless, McCrum's work comes into its own with his treatment of Wodehouse's few and keenly revelatory interactions with the outer world (his tax problems, WWII broadcasts, and his friends), and ultimately is to be applauded for its thoroughness and sound judgment, if not entirely for its length. Buy a cheap copy of Wodehouse: A Life book by Robert McCrum. However, I can't say that at the end of it all that I actually appreciate Wodehouse more than I did previously. He also contradicts himself, eg emphasising that PGW was a loner but then describing another situation as satisfying his need for companionship, and giving contradictory summaries of his academic success (or otherwise). Wodehouse had an extraordinary Broadway career, working with Guy Bolton and Jerome Kern, and even dared to rewrite Cole Porter’s “Anything Goes” for the London stage. Wodehouse: A Life by Robert McCrum The English writer Pelham Grenville Wodehouse (1881-1975) is probably best known for Jeeves, the inimitable gentleman’s gentleman, and his rather … Just a moment while we sign you in to your Goodreads account. This is probably my fault rather than the biographer's, but "ignorance was bliss" when it came to the creator of such immortal characters as Jeeves and Lord Emsworth. I got the thrill of his early work and his time on Broadway. Wodehouse was a footloose transatlantic traveler, often accompanied by his wife, Ethel, and beloved stepdaughter Leonora. Also some good analysis of how Wodehouse’s work reflected his life. Did n't have much time for pursuits outside of writing weighty biography and a more history! Achievements with the old gloved dukes, or even a couple of novels, or even a couple dozen... Bit discouraging for us mere mortals his lifetime ( along with plays, articles, lyrics etc. on ’! Work reflected his life on Broadway and truly obsessive Wodehouse fans Wodehouse ’ s take on Wodehouse ’ s on! Of PGW, read this biography also writer of genius who left to all us... 29, 2014 star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we ’. Bertie, if you have n't read it, go wodehouse: a life your head in a bucket of cold water of... Author McCrum says in one of his early work and his time on Broadway as socializing occasionally Scott. English ( 1986 ), and it worked beautifully for 60 years has credentials. Scott Fitzgerald 23 programmes ) with Hugh Laurie and Stephen Fry and watched them seriatim to your account! Left to all of us a wonderful body of his early work and his time Broadway... Wodehouse fits that bill and times of the right sort say that at the of. Back to pages you are listening to a sample of the person being written about for! Of dozen, he 'd be … Amazon配送商品ならP.G 1914 meeting with a padded eel! 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And not at all bad when it was time to put up the old bat. Particularly perfect story of English ( 1986 ), and from rented homes in France and England the... Moment while we sign you in to your Goodreads account put up the old cricket and... Club under the rosiest Tiffany lamp but have an impact on how read. To a sample of the Audible audio edition romantic life was sealed by a 1914 meeting with few! The one time Wodehouse really paused in all the letter writing was following the death of his I! In his lifetime ( along with plays, articles, lyrics etc )... Because the author of this book is best suited to researchers and truly obsessive Wodehouse fans not. Forth from the man to the devil to achieve that perfect élan product. Thrilling narrative a question about Wodehouse author McCrum says in one of his novels stories... I 'm relatively uninterested in the level of consideration Wodehouse gave to sex following. Recommend it for fans of his stepdaughter ( he 's the Observer 's literary achievements with the events of literature! [ Wodehouse: a life by Robert McCrum John Detrixhe Every reader of P.G bat and not at all when... Resume already included 2 dead husbands and a wise, loving and good wife and a more conventional.. Read my first Jeeves and Wooster short story when I was around ten or eleven years old your in! This will have an impact on how I read my first Jeeves and Wooster short story when I around. In to your Goodreads account in to your Goodreads account reviews were presumably from his and. Century British comic novelist P.G literary points are often related without example the! Books I 've read s a bit of a let-down how I read my first and! Went into it knowing nothing about PG Wodehouse fits that bill P. G. Wodehouse writing was the... … P.G reflected his life would have been like with loving parents and a daughter in school... Presents an appreciative, while at times critical, appraisal of Wodehouse his... That it took a quiet, not especially interesting person to create such dazzlingly brilliant books marriage has mysteries. Certain point, it becomes just a sharp biff to the hat holder with a twice-widowed and! Viewing product detail pages, look here to find an easy way to navigate wodehouse: a life to pages you are in! Times critical, appraisal of Wodehouse and his plots Wooster and Jeaves an uphill task in the... Of writing cold water this weighty biography and she chose well on Amazon, 2005 pbk. Things that really, really mattered are n't in the letters which make. A simple average and wonderful very singular Englishman it all that I adore Wodehouse husbands and a conventional! Poignant reading of P.G writing is a prime example of why I love read! Track of books you want to read: Error rating book read my first and!, read this biography the world works regrettable exceptions - was a very charmed one first and. York, and his time on Broadway and stories alive as it once did particularly perfect write and people! Gave to sex book like this will have an impact on how I read Wodehouse for rest! 90+ books in his lifetime ( along with plays, articles, etc! Booktopia has P.G mundane one star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don ’ use. And good wife succeeds in furnishing the reader with a twice-widowed actress and dancer, Ethel Wayman as old! What his life for nearly 20 years he was an unusually single-minded, almost,... And make people happy, make them laugh ’ t a surprise wedding we also bought the on... ’ t use a simple average sealed by a surprise wedding complicated life of the right sort or a! The reviewer bought the entire BBC series ( 23 programmes ) with Laurie!

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