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Chargement... Edward Abbey: A Life (2001)par James M. Cahalan
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Inscrivez-vous à LibraryThing pour découvrir si vous aimerez ce livre Actuellement, il n'y a pas de discussions au sujet de ce livre. Kind of long and fact-filled. The author used many interviews to write this. I just wanted to know the difference between the true Ed Abbey and the legend, like the reference librarian that I am. This does provide that. He mostly played a role and was not quite the character most people thought he was, but he was a good writer and I have liked the two books of his I've read (Brave Cowboy and Monkey Wrench Gang). I recommend this if you want a whole account of his life, his five marriages, friends, etc. ( ) During the Spring of 1977 I skipped my college semester and headed to the southwest with girlfriend to explore uncharted territories of the desert and canyons. On the way, she bought a copy of The Monkey Wrench Gang and was laughing out loud and reading passages of it to me as I drove through empty spaces. I couldn't wait to read it and and when I did, I loved it. Since then, I've been an aficionado of Edward Abbey and read many of his books. This biography fills in many of the gaps in my knowledge -- some good and some not so good. In all, I have more respect for Abbey as an author and his dedication to writing. I have less admiration for Abbey as the person in that he was an unabashed womanizer, went through five marriages, abandoned children to divorced wives, and simply had a mean streak in him. I guess the bottom line is that you don't have to fully like someone to love their art. Overall, this biography gave me what I wanted: a fairly comprehensive overview of Abbey the man and Abbey the writer/public speaker (two distinct personas). However, I felt that Cahalan bent over backwards to address some of what he clearly believes are unfair judgments of Abbey, namely that he was both a misogynist and a racist. The fact is that Abbey was human like all the rest of us, and as such, he was imbued with contradictions. His love life was a constant wreck until the last few years of his life due to his inability to remain monogamous and his tendencies to ignore and/or abandon his wives and children. He also made inflammatory comments here and there, some of which may have been misconstrued and blown out of proportion. But Abbey was not the kind of guy to let things lie so he needled his accusers and he publicly defended his statements and his behavior. So be it. Cahalan, though, insists on bringing up the same ammunition over and over to support his view that Abbey was neither a misogynist nor a racist, despite the fact that he provides plenty of factual information to allow readers to form their own educated opinions without being nudged by him. All I'm saying is I thought it was unnecessary and slightly annoying, as I prefer a minimum of authorial intrusion in biographies. That caveat aside, though, Cahalan had his work cut out for him (considering his subject), and he delivered the goods via extensive research and interviewing. Recommended for anyone with more than a passing interest in Abbey and/or his important role, albeit somewhat reluctant, in the environmental movement. aucune critique | ajouter une critique
"The best biography ever about Ed. Cahalan's meticulous research and thoughtful interviews have made this book the authoritative source for Abbey scholars and fans alike." --Doug Peacock, author, environmentalist activist and explorer, and the inspiration for Hayduke in The Monkey Wrench Gang He was a hero to environmentalists and the patron saint of monkeywrenchers, a man in love with desert solitude. A supposed misogynist, ornery and contentious, he nevertheless counted women among his closest friends and admirers. He attracted a cult following, but he was often uncomfortable with it. He was a writer who wandered far from Home without really starting out there. James Cahalan has written a definitive biography of a contemporary literary icon whose life was a web of contradictions. Edward Abbey: A Life sets the record straight on "Cactus Ed," giving readers a fuller, more human Abbey than most have ever known. It separates fact from fiction, showing that much of the myth surrounding Abbey--such as his birth in Home, Pennsylvania, and later residence in Oracle, Arizona--was self-created and self-perpetuated. It also shows that Abbey cultivated a persona both in his books and as a public speaker that contradicted his true nature: publicly racy and sardonic, he was privately reserved and somber. Cahalan studied all of Abbey's works and private papers and interviewed many people who knew him--including the models for characters in The Brave Cowboy and The Monkey Wrench Gang--to create the most complete picture to date of the writer's life. He examines Abbey's childhood roots in the East and his love affair with the West, his personal relationships and tempestuous marriages, and his myriad jobs in continually shifting locations--including sixteen national parks and forests. He also explores Abbey's writing process, his broad intellectual interests, and the philosophical roots of his politics. For Abbey fans who assume that his "honest novel," The Fool's Progress, was factual or that his public statements were entirely off the cuff, Cahalan's evenhanded treatment will be an eye-opener. More than a biography, Edward Abbey: A Life is a corrective that shows that he was neither simply a countercultural cowboy hero nor an unprincipled troublemaker, but instead a complex and multifaceted person whose legacy has only begun to be appreciated. The book contains 30 photographs, capturing scenes ranging from Abbey's childhood to his burial site. Aucune description trouvée dans une bibliothèque |
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Google Books — Chargement... GenresClassification décimale de Melvil (CDD)813.54Literature English (North America) American fiction 20th Century 1945-1999Classification de la Bibliothèque du CongrèsÉvaluationMoyenne:
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