Arnold Bennett

Broschiertes Buch

The Old Wives' Tale

With preface by the author (Aziloth Books)

Beschreibung

Arnold Bennett was born in England's heavily industrialised 'Potteries' district (his fictional 'Five Towns'), leaving for London in 1898, aged 21. Following the success of his first novel, in 1903 he moved to that mecca for all things avant-garde and artistic - Paris. Bennett was drawn to the French literary styles of naturalism and realism, evolving a brilliant synthesis of the two techniques that he uses with such effect in The Old Wives' Tales. In his journal, he speaks of having been inspired to write the novel by observing an old lady in a café in Paris and, looking past the rather uninspiring picture she presented, he thought of how her life might have been lived and the youthful aspirations and disappointments that she may have experienced. By turns sombre, uplifting and thought-provoking, the story follows the lives of two sisters, the adventurous, unconventional Sophia, and Constance, her more dour and custom-bound sibling. Sophia elopes with her lover to Paris, is ultimately abandoned by him, and survives the bloody uprising of the Paris Commune to establish a thriving boarding house. Constance never leaves her family home, marries locally, has a child, and continues the family business. In their declining years the sisters are brought together again and, despite their different paths, they share in their own ways the pride, pathos and banality of life - and their love for each other.

Autor

Enoch Arnold Bennett was an English author who lived from May 27, 1867, to March 27, 1931. He was best known for writing a lot of novels. From the 1890s to the 1930s, he wrote 34 books, seven collections of short stories, 13 plays (some with other writers), and a daily journal with more than a million words. He wrote stories and pieces for more than 100 newspapers and magazines. During the First World War, he worked in and briefly ran the Ministry of Information. In the 1920s, he wrote for movies. At the time, he was the most famous British author in terms of money made from book sales. Bennett was born in Hanley, in the Staffordshire Potteries, into a modest but highly mobile family. His father was a solicitor, and he wanted Bennett to follow in his footsteps and become a lawyer. Bennett first worked for his dad as a lawyer. When he was 21, he became a clerk at another law firm in London. He first worked as a junior editor and then as editor of a women's magazine. In 1900, he quit his job as an editor to just write full-time. He moved to Paris in 1903 because he loved French culture in general and French writing in particular. The laid-back atmosphere there helped him get over his severe shyness, especially around women.

Produktdetails

• Verlag: Aziloth Books
• Seitenzahl: 408
• Erscheinungstermin: 2. November 2016
• Englisch
• Abmessung: 234mm x 156mm x 22mm
• Gewicht: 617g
• ISBN-13: 9781911405146
• ISBN-10: 1911405144
• Artikelnr.: 46915188