Flame into Being: The Life and Work of D.H. Lawrence

by Anthony Burgess

Cover worn, page edges tanned. Shipped from the U.K. All orders received before 3pm sent that weekday.

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction

224 pages, paperback

First published January 1, 1985

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Anthony Burgess was a British novelist, critic and composer. He was also a librettist, poet, playwright, screenwriter, essayist, travel writer, broadcaster, translator, linguist and educationalist. Born in Manchester, he lived for long periods in Southeast Asia, the USA and Mediterranean Europe as well as in England. His fiction includes the Malayan trilogy (The Long Day Wanes) on the dying days of Britain's empire in the East; the Enderby quartet of novels about a poet and his muse; Nothing Like the Sun, a recreation of Shakespeare's love-life; A Clockwork Orange, an exploration of the nature of evil; and Earthly Powers, a panoramic saga of the 20th century. He published studies of Joyce, Hemingway, Shakespeare and Lawrence, produced the treatises on linguistics Language Made Plain and A Mouthful of Air, and was a prolific journalist, writing in several languages. He translated and adapted Cyrano de Bergerac, Oedipus the King, and Carmen for the stage; scripted Jesus of Nazareth and Moses the Lawgiver for the screen; invented the prehistoric language spoken in Quest for Fire; and composed the Sinfoni Melayu, the Symphony (No. 3) in C, and the opera Blooms of Dublin.
-Wikipedia

Reviews

[Burkhard Schirdewahn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ich vermute, daß ich nicht der einzige sehr junge Mann gewesen bin, der von ›Lady Chatterley‹ enttäuscht wurde: zu plakativ die Reklame für dieses lange indizierte ›erotische Meisterwerk‹, das erst 1961 offiziell erscheinen durfte, im Vergleich zur dort gemachten Beute: meiner mittlerweile verblassten Erinnerung nach gab es dort ein, zwei Stellen, die das Attribut ›erotisch‹ verdienten. Wie viel ergiebiger war dagegen Henry Miller: bei ihm gab es praktisch nur ›Stellen‹, und Paris war auch ein ungleich spannenderer Schauplatz als die englische Provinz.
Wie schön, daß nun dieser Zufallsfund aus dem Antiquariat wieder den Blick auf Lawrence lenkt & die hormongesteuerte Wahrnehmungsstörung eines Siebzehnjährigen in ein anderes Licht rückt. Burgess’ biographischer Essay hält die perfekte Balance zwischen Werk-Analyse und Lebensbildnis; er ist sehr gut geschrieben und übersetzt, und trotz der profunden Gelehrsamkeit des Autors von gänzlich uneitler Haltung. Integriert in diese Werk- & Lebensbetrachtung ist auch eine kleine Geschichte des englischen Geisteslebens und seiner intellektuellen Zirkel von der Jahrhundertwende bis zum Vorabend des Zweiten Weltkriegs. Er macht gleichermaßen Lust, den Portraitierten (neu) zu entdecken, als auch den Autor selbst, dessen ›Clockwork Orange‹ die bisher einzige Lektüre war.

[Sheffner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly readable, an admirable and admiring (but not uncritical) book that combines analysis of Lawrence's writing (poetry, novels, travel, letters, etc) with biographical details. I haven't read anything by Lawrence, except for a couple of memorable poems, but this book helped me understand Lawrence's place in the pantheon of great (but not flawless) writers.

I recommend for both the amateur enthusiast, the Lawrence fan, the what's-all-the-fuss-about-this-writer sceptic as well as the scholar. Really brought Lawrence to life for me as well as explaining his psychology and what he was trying to do.

[Bohdan Pechenyak · Rating 5 out of 5]

One excellent writer provides an insightful biography of another genius, delving into the multiple intricate ways that Lawrence’s work and life intertwine and interpenetrate. Both critical and admiring, this account shines a warm, sympathetic light on the shooting literary star that was D.H.Lawrence.

[Ed Teja · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some interesting insights into one writer, made by another. Not so much a biography as a story of the literary journey of the man.

[Steve Clark]

Edition: 1st