Light, Descending by Octavia Randolph

Light, Descending by Octavia Randolph

A Tale of Art and Obsession Brilliant illuminator of artistic truths. Failed lover. Provocative critic of social injustice. Raving lunatic. John Ruskin was all these things. Light, Descending brings to life Victorian art and social critic John Ruskin (1819-1900), a passionate and tormented genius whose career as art critic, social reformer, and benefactor and nemesis to some of the greatest names of 19th century art ended in near-universal public acclaim - and madness. Octavia Randolph, author of the best-selling The Circle of Ceridwen Saga, portrays Ruskin's artistic genius, political struggles, and frustrated private passions in a vivid and haunting recounting of the great man's life. From his life-long defence of the painter JMW Turner, to Ruskin's unconsummated marriage to Effie Gray, to his patronage of artists Dante Gabriel Rossetti and his fiancee, Lizzie Siddal, and Lizzie's death by self-administered drug overdose; to Ruskin's love affair with the teenaged Rose LaTouche, and her early death, which broke Ruskin's mind; and the infamous libel trial brought against Ruskin by James McNeill Whistler, Light, Descending sweeps the reader from bustling London to a decaying Venice to wild Alpine heights as it chronicles Ruskin's ecstatic triumphs and blighted happiness. Based on letters, diary entries, and Ruskin's own voluminous published writings, and peopled with some of the most compelling personalities of the 19th century, Light, Descending is a tour-de-force novel about the man Mohandas Gandhi said made me transform my life. Includes Book Group Discussion Guide.

Octavia Randolph has long been fascinated with the development, dominance, and decline of the Anglo-Saxon peoples. The path of her research has included disciplines as varied as the study of Anglo-Saxon and Norse runes, and learning to spin with a drop spindle. Her interests have led to extensive on-site research in England, Denmark, Sweden, and Gotland. In addition to the Circle Saga, she is the author of the novella The Tale of Melkorka, taken from the Icelandic Sagas, and the novella Ride, a retelling of the story of Lady Godiva, first published in Narrative Magazine. She has been awarded Artistic Fellowships at the Ingmar Bergman Estate on Fü¾–”¼rü¾¦˜¼, Gotland; MacDowell Colony; Ledig House International; and Byrdcliffe.

SKU	Nicht verfügbar
ISBN 13	9781942044017
ISBN 10	1942044011
Titel	Light, Descending
Autor	Octavia Randolph
Buchzustand	Nicht verfügbar
Bindungsart	Paperback
Verlag	Exemplar Editions
Erscheinungsjahr	2014-11-28
Seitenanzahl	354
Hinweis auf dem Einband	Die Abbildung des Buches dient nur Illustrationszwecken, die tatsächliche Bindung, das Cover und die Auflage können sich davon unterscheiden.
Hinweis	Nicht verfügbar