Leon Edel Livres

This is the one-volume edition of a famous biography of Henry James, which includes new material. Born in America, Henry James was educated both there and in Europe before settling in London, where he was to spend most of his life, in 1876. His novels represent the culmination of the 19th-century realist tradition of Austen, George Eliot, Flauberty and Balzac, and a decisive step towards the experimental modernism of Woolf and T.S. Eliot. His works often focus upon an innocent American in Europe, and assess the qualities and dangers of both American and European culture at the time, as well as showing their vast differences.

Avon paperback. 1979. Crease at lower corner of front cover, otherwise fine. Same day shipping. Seller guarantees complete satisfaction.

A delightful period piece of Paris in the late 1880’s, We’ll to the Woods No More ( Les lauriers sont coupés ) retains its importance as the first use of the monologue intérieur and the inspiration for the stream-of-consciousness technique perfected by James Joyce. Dujardin’s charming tale, told with insight and irony, recounts what goes on in the mind of a young man-about-town in love with a Parisian actress. Mallarmé described the poetry of the telling as "the instant seized by the throat." Originally published in France in 1887, the first English translation (by Joyce scholar Stuart Gilbert) was published by New Directions in 1938. In 1957 Leon Edel’s perceptive historical essay reintroduced the book as "the rare and beautiful case of a minor work which launched a major movement."

The Complete Notebooks of Henry James offers an intimate glimpse into the creative process of America's master novelist. Edited by Leon Edel, James' acclaimed biographer, and Lyall H. Powers, this definitive volume includes the nine original scribbler-notebooks published in 1947, now updated with annotations that clarify the stories James developed and reveal the identities of notable Victorians he initially concealed. The editors have restored previously omitted sections and added over 20,000 words of new material, including James' pocket diaries, which capture his observations and ideas for fiction alongside personal reflections. The collection features dictated notes where James meditates on pivotal moments in his life and a story inspired by a passion murder involving an acquaintance in France. Additionally, it includes long-out-of-print statements for unfinished works like The Ivory Tower and The Sense of the Past, scenarios for unproduced plays, notes on financial matters, and his deathbed dictation. An appendix presents a significant fragment of Hugh Merrow, an incomplete story. Through these writings, we witness the artist's inner workings, making for an exhilarating reading experience.

Henry James was arguably the greatest practitioner of what has been called the psychological ghost story. This edition includes all ten of his tales in this genre.