I’ve only read two or three of Patrick White’s novels, but even ‘The Tree of Man’ alone would have been enough to draw me to the life of the genius who created it. I rarely read non-fiction, and even more rarely biography (obviously). It could be that this is only the second literary biography I’ve read – the other that I can recall being Edmund White’s ‘Genet’. The commonality between the two is that they are about great writers written by great writers. Both books are impeccably written, and exhaustive. the difference being that ‘Genet’ was exhausting, whereas ‘Patrick White: A Life’ is simply riveting. That’s as much to do with me and my interests as it is to do with the quality of either of the books.
It’s not surprising that Patrick White is such a genuinely complex man, but it is very satisfying to come across a character who is as fascinating as any that leaped from his pen. The thing that excited me the most was his evolution as a man, both politically and spiritually. The idea of someone so clearly blessed with brilliance learning and adapting and changing over a lifetime is exceedingly exciting. That the art, but not the artist, can be fully formed at any given time. I found the great questions of my life reflected in Patrick White’s, and this is not to say that I am comparing myself to him in any way other than that greatness does not endow one with all the answers, and that life remains a beautiful mystery to us all, and in that we are equal. – Scott (Goodreads)
Condition: good used condition. Some scuffing on dust jacket. Inscription inside to someone.
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