The Selected Letters of Henry James - (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Legend has tended to preserve Henry James as "The Master" that Joseph Conrad called him, a rather long-winded Olympian given to great utterances on the art of fiction and the writing of profound psychological studies. The real-life figure revealed in these letters is more terse, and even astringent, a professional writer, an eager observer of life, a man who delighted in meeting people and who made an art of friendship, but who did not hesitate to descend into the marketplace of letters and get the best possible price for his wares.Leon Edel designed this selection to show the kinds of letters James wrote--to his family, his contemporaries, to would-be writers--letters injected with irony and obdurate truth. Here are letters to Conrad, Wells, Galsworthy, Henry Adams, Howells, Edith Wharton, Fanny Kemble--to great Victorians as well as those who bridged that era and the modern one.

About the Author

Henry James (1843-1916) was an iconic figure of nineteenth century literature. Among his many masterpieces are The Portrait of a Lady, The Bostonians, The Europeans, The Golden Bowl, and Washington Square. As well as fiction, James produced several works of travel literature and biography, and was one of the great letter writers of any age. A contemporary and friend of Robert Louis Stevenson, Edith Wharton, and Joseph Conrad, James continues to exert a major influence on generations of novelists and writers.