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Keats
Andrew Motion's dramatic narration of Keats's life is the first in a generation to take a fresh look at this great English Romantic poet. Unlike previous biographers, Motion pays close attention to the social and political worlds Keats inhabited. Making incisive use of the poet's inimitable letters, Motion presents a masterful account. "Motion has given us a new Keats...more
Paperback, 656 pages
Published
April 15th 1999
by University of Chicago Press
(first published 1997)
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John Keats perhaps is my favorite of the Romantic poets. I favor Keats for the poetry and Chopin for the music- although they perhaps each alone bookmark the era. I see there are some similarities between him and Jim Morrison from our own era- however, differences perhaps outweigh the similarities.
Both men died young too young- Keats at 25, Morrison at 27. Both died foreign deaths, due to natural causes. Both were perhaps (arguably) the most talented of their peers, (and here I would argu...more
Both men died young too young- Keats at 25, Morrison at 27. Both died foreign deaths, due to natural causes. Both were perhaps (arguably) the most talented of their peers, (and here I would argu...more
The full disclaimer is, I have not read this whole book, and I'm never going to. I just watched the movie Bright Star, about Keats & Fanny Brawne, and it was great, so I thought, maybe I'll finally read more of that massive Keats biography I bought back in the day when I had a plan of reading all his letters and poems and a bio & a critical study (HA!) and I did read the first 100 pages, and they were...not very interesting. This is really a book for Keats scholars, not post-grad school people w...more
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"To John Keats - Whose Name Was Writ in Eternity' -quoting Dan Simmons' dedication at the start of his Keats' inspired novel 'The Fall of Hyperion'.
My own review written for Amazon UK:
I approached Andrew Motion’s biography of John Keats with some apprehension - I am no expert, academic or poet. Having read and struggled through Richard Ellmann’s biography of Oscar Wilde Oscar Wilde a few years ago, I did wonder if I was going to enjoy Motion’s book at all.
...more
My own review written for Amazon UK:
I approached Andrew Motion’s biography of John Keats with some apprehension - I am no expert, academic or poet. Having read and struggled through Richard Ellmann’s biography of Oscar Wilde Oscar Wilde a few years ago, I did wonder if I was going to enjoy Motion’s book at all.
...more
The book that inspired Jane Campion to make her ripper and heart-rending film, "Bright Star."
A tome of a work, detailed and sensitive to the genius of Keats and his story.
Took me forever but it was oh so worth it. The last of the Keats cycle for me.
A tome of a work, detailed and sensitive to the genius of Keats and his story.
Took me forever but it was oh so worth it. The last of the Keats cycle for me.
I spent about an hour today with my Keats. By age 15, Keats was an orphan -- and apprenticed to a doctor. I have a 15 year old, and we worry about her riding the train on her own!
Carol
marked it as to-read
Saw the movie Bright Star, loved it, now I want to read the book that inspired Jane Campion to make the movie.
Jane Campion on Charlie Rose said that when she turned 50 she felt that she needed to revisit and really understand poetry-referring to poetry as planting a garden in the mind. Keats being her focus and this biography being her first foray into understanding the poet.
This is a biography well worth delving into.
This is a biography well worth delving into.
Madeline
rated it
Shelves:
library-books,
biography,
books-about-books,
lit-crit,
non-fiction,
class,
family,
history,
2008
A dense, highly analytical look at Keats' life. I sometimes found Motion's style a little tough to follow (there were a couple of pages that my eyes kind of slid over and I had to go back), but it's a very fine biography of Keats.
An excellent, thorough biography interspersed with solid readings of the poems -- Keats died at age 26, and somehow Motion's biography runs to nearly 600 pages without ever seeming unnecessarily detailed.
Meagan
marked it as to-read
I've been picking through this biography for a paper, and can't wait to sit down and read the whole thing! Keats was a fascinating and tragic figure.
Rachel
marked it as to-read
Ah, just didn't have enough time to finish this before it needed to go back to the library. Will have to resume later...
Super fantastic. I really enjoyed it. If you like Keats' poetry you will love this biography.
Oh Keats!
Why did you have to die so young, with so many possibilities?
He is very inspiring.
Why did you have to die so young, with so many possibilities?
He is very inspiring.
library book. i ordered it after seeing a movie about him that was intriguing.
Jo
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Sir Andrew Motion, FRSL (born 26 October 1952) is an English poet, novelist and biographer, who presided as Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom from 1999 to 2009.
Motion was appointed Poet Laureate on 1 May 1999, following the death of Ted Hughes, the previous incumbent. The Nobel Prize-winning Northern Irish poet and translator Seamus Heaney had ruled himself out for the post. Breaking...more
More about Andrew Motion...
Motion was appointed Poet Laureate on 1 May 1999, following the death of Ted Hughes, the previous incumbent. The Nobel Prize-winning Northern Irish poet and translator Seamus Heaney had ruled himself out for the post. Breaking...more
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