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John Buchan: The Presbyterian Cavalier
The major biography of one of Scotland's most enigmatic and underrated writers.
364 pages, Paperback
First published July 1, 1995
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
November 20, 2016
Very fine job of literary biography. Brings out much about Buchan I never knew: his wide circle of literary friends, for example. The man's intelligence, ambition and code of honor all shine through. I fear this book will not be of much interest, however, to anyone who does not know Buchan's writing well as either the fiction or the histories/biographies or both. The book is fuller than John Buchan and His World. The latter has more photos, however. Both have a place on the shelf of dyed-in-the-wool fans.
March 30, 2011
Unfortunately, this was nothing smashing as biographies go. A lot of dates and names, and plenty of information on Buchan's public career. But nobody cares about Buchan because he made a decent M.P. or Lord High Commissioner to the Scottish Kirk. Like Walter Scott, the concrete events of Buchan's life are nothing spectacular, but his inner life, his view of the world, and the writings that came out of it, are what really make the man. A really solid analysis of Buchan's mind (which at its best approaches CS Lewis) by someone who thoroughly understood him, would have been more to the point. Although Lownie does spend some time analyzing Buchan's major works, he rarely takes more than a paragraph on each book, and even that is mainly confined to brief citations from contemporary reviews.
Buchan himself,in his life of Sir Walter Scott, provided a brilliant model of the right way to write about this kind of life. Lownie would have done well to take a cue from his subject.
Most disappointing, perhaps, given the title, is how little the "Presbyterian Cavalier" duality of his life came into the biography. I was prepared for an analysis of the two streams of Buchan's inheritance, and perhaps even a discussion of how his character proved the fundamental unity between high romance and upright biblicism (so often set in opposition). But there was none of this: only the occasional reference to his Calvinist roots (Lownie uses "Calvinist" as a synonym for anything strict or guilt-ridden) and scattered notices of his move away from it in later life.
Nonetheless, though misdirected, the book was not a waste of time. I will admit it was intriguing, in a gossipy sort of way, to run across all the great names of the day and discover just how they intersected with Buchan's life. I was particularly interested in two spots: a letter from CS Lewis praising Witch Wood, and the fact that Buchan all his life wished to write a life of Robert E Lee. Realizing, during his American tour, that he simply did not have access to the necessary sources, he recommended the task to a certain Douglas Southall Freeman. The rest, as they say, is history.
Buchan himself,in his life of Sir Walter Scott, provided a brilliant model of the right way to write about this kind of life. Lownie would have done well to take a cue from his subject.
Most disappointing, perhaps, given the title, is how little the "Presbyterian Cavalier" duality of his life came into the biography. I was prepared for an analysis of the two streams of Buchan's inheritance, and perhaps even a discussion of how his character proved the fundamental unity between high romance and upright biblicism (so often set in opposition). But there was none of this: only the occasional reference to his Calvinist roots (Lownie uses "Calvinist" as a synonym for anything strict or guilt-ridden) and scattered notices of his move away from it in later life.
Nonetheless, though misdirected, the book was not a waste of time. I will admit it was intriguing, in a gossipy sort of way, to run across all the great names of the day and discover just how they intersected with Buchan's life. I was particularly interested in two spots: a letter from CS Lewis praising Witch Wood, and the fact that Buchan all his life wished to write a life of Robert E Lee. Realizing, during his American tour, that he simply did not have access to the necessary sources, he recommended the task to a certain Douglas Southall Freeman. The rest, as they say, is history.
March 22, 2016
This is a very detailed biography of an author that is not read much at this time. Buchan wrote The Thirty Nine Steps which became the basis for Alfred Hitchcock's movie, but in addition he wrote more thrillers and biographies. This is a well-written, albeit detailed biography of a man who wrote much and went to Canada.
March 6, 2019
A splendid biography of the multi-talented Scot - author, essayist, MP, government minister/administrator, GovernorGeneral. A splendid man.
The GR blurb:
'The major biography of one of Scotland's most enigmatic and underrated writers.'
The GR blurb:
'The major biography of one of Scotland's most enigmatic and underrated writers.'
February 24, 2024
Finishing this book is quite a milestone since I had been reading it on and off since 2003 or 2005 when it was given to me by my husband. Hitchcock’s film, The 39 Steps, based on Buchan’s novel, is one of my favorite Hitchcock movies.
For decades I found it difficult to stick with this book. While I was interested in Buchan's Scottish background and his relationship to the British empire, I found the author's descriptions of Buchan's writing and government activities to be formidable.
However, reading the Smiley Series after Le Carre's death rekindled my interest and so I started reading the biography in earnest. I appreciated the biographer's discussion of Buchan's work as Governor-General of Canada and his political views. While Buchan considered himself to be a conservative and a unionist, later in life he said that reading Gladstone could persuade him to be a liberal and he made a controversial statement encouraging Canada to be more independent and take an active part in international affairs.
I also got around to reading Buchan's The Thirty-Nine Steps and enjoyed it although I prefer the movie as did Buchan allegedly. I intend to read another Hanney novel called Greenmantle and Witch Wood, a story about a minister who visits a parish in 1644 where paganism still remains in force. It was Buchan's favorite novel and he wrote it while working on a biography of Montrose, a 17th century Scottish historical figure.
To conclude, I enjoyed the literary criticism and appreciated learning about more of Buchan’s works. I also thought the author did a good job with fleshing out Buchan’s character and world view. After the chapters on childhood and years as a student at Oxford, I had trouble getting through the chapters on his middle adult life because he wrote and did so much and I knew so little of the events and people of his time. To my surprise, reading John Le Carre’s novels helped orient me toward Buchan’s context. Another interesting fact about Buchan is that there were many writers in his immediate family, including his sister, Anna, wife, Susan, and children, Alice, John, William, and Alistair.
For decades I found it difficult to stick with this book. While I was interested in Buchan's Scottish background and his relationship to the British empire, I found the author's descriptions of Buchan's writing and government activities to be formidable.
However, reading the Smiley Series after Le Carre's death rekindled my interest and so I started reading the biography in earnest. I appreciated the biographer's discussion of Buchan's work as Governor-General of Canada and his political views. While Buchan considered himself to be a conservative and a unionist, later in life he said that reading Gladstone could persuade him to be a liberal and he made a controversial statement encouraging Canada to be more independent and take an active part in international affairs.
I also got around to reading Buchan's The Thirty-Nine Steps and enjoyed it although I prefer the movie as did Buchan allegedly. I intend to read another Hanney novel called Greenmantle and Witch Wood, a story about a minister who visits a parish in 1644 where paganism still remains in force. It was Buchan's favorite novel and he wrote it while working on a biography of Montrose, a 17th century Scottish historical figure.
To conclude, I enjoyed the literary criticism and appreciated learning about more of Buchan’s works. I also thought the author did a good job with fleshing out Buchan’s character and world view. After the chapters on childhood and years as a student at Oxford, I had trouble getting through the chapters on his middle adult life because he wrote and did so much and I knew so little of the events and people of his time. To my surprise, reading John Le Carre’s novels helped orient me toward Buchan’s context. Another interesting fact about Buchan is that there were many writers in his immediate family, including his sister, Anna, wife, Susan, and children, Alice, John, William, and Alistair.
February 9, 2023
Three and a half stars. I enjoyed this, but felt it could have been better. Lownie is good at the gossip - what Buchan achieved, didn't achieve, and who he knew (too many names!). But I also felt Lownie lacked any real appreciation of Buchan's Calvinist upbringing - what exactly was the theology of his father, and how did it inform, or form, Buchan's adult views on religion and politics?
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews