Aldous Huxley by Nicholas Murray
The son of biologist T.H. Huxley, Aldous Huxley had a privileged background and was educated at Eton and Oxford despite an eye infection that left him nearly blind. Having learned braille, his eyesight then improved enough for him to start writing and by the 1920s he had become a fashionable figure, producing witty and daring novels like "Crome Yellow" (1921), "Antic Hay" (1923) and "Point Counter Point" (1928). But it is as the author of his celebrated portrayal of a nightmare future society, "Brave New World" (1932), that Huxley is most remembered. A truly visionary book, "Brave New World" was a watershed in Huxley's world-view as his later work became more and more optimistic - coinciding with his move to California and experimentation with mysticism and psychedelic drugs later in life. Nicholas Murray's biography is a reassessment of one of the most interesting writers of the 20th century.
Most people know Huxley as the author of Brave New World, even if they haven't read itIt's Nicholas Murray's contention in this thoroughgoing literary biography (surprisingly, the first for 30 years) that Huxley has become unjustly neglected as both a novelist and a thinker. The book's sub-title, An English Intellectual, points to the uncategorisable range of Huxley's interests and writings - from philosophy and mind-altering drugs to science and social satire. The jury will remain very much out on the enduring value of much of Huxley's work. But this well written, judicious and fascinating study - informed by a keen knowledge of the published writings, and making good use of newly available unpublished material - puts a very eloquent case for the defence.
Nicholas Murray was born in Liverpool in 1952. He has written acclaimed biographies of Bruce Chatwin, Matthew Arnold and the poet Andrew Marvell. He is married and lives in the Welsh Marches.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9780316854924 |
| ISBN 10 | 0316854921 |
| Title | Aldous Huxley |
| Author | Nicholas Murray |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Hardback |
| Publisher | Little, Brown & Company |
| Year published | 2002-01-01 |
| Number of pages | 512 |
| Prizes | Short-listed for Marsh Biography Award 2003 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |