Hazel RowleyRezensionen

An excellent, insightful, informative biography. Definitely worth reading for anyone who has enjoyed Stead's work.

How does a desperately poor, half-educated black man in 20th century America transcend the brutality and racism of his childhood to become one of the most notable writers of his era? The Australian biographer Hazel Rowley (1951-2011) set out to unravel this story forty years after the death of Richard Wright (1908-1960) and this biography is the result.

Richard Wright, The Life and Times (2001) was Hazel Rowley's second biography after her award-winning biography of Christina Stead (1994, see my review). She went on to write Tête-à-tête: The Lives and Loves of Simone de Beauvoir & Jean-Paul Sartre (2005) and Franklin & Eleanor: An Extraordinary Marriage (2010, see my review) before her untimely death in 2011. In the obituary by Margalit Fox for the New York Times, her attraction to writing the lives of charismatic outsiders is explained:

Ms. Rowley was often asked what united the seemingly diverse subjects of her books. “For those who have read all four, the thread is clear,” she wrote in an introductory passage on her Web site, (hazelrowley.com). “They were courageous people, who all, in some way, felt ‘outsiders’ in society. Above all, they were passionate people who cared about the world and felt angry about its injustices.” (NYT obituary, 19/3/2011)

The portrait of Richard Wright in Rowley's bio tells that story in fascinating detail. I haven't read Wright yet, though I have a copy of his memoir Black Boy on the TBR. Wright is a significant figure in American literature, transcending the trauma of his grandparents' slavery, a dysfunctional hyper-religious childhood, and limited education to become internationally famous and influential in changing attitudes. His writing made people realise the extent of racism in America and the damage that it caused to individuals and society.

He is most famous for his novel Native Son which was chosen as a Book of the Month in 1940 and became a best seller. Rowley tells the story of the passion which drove the portrayal of Bigger Thomas, a hoodlum from the black ghetto in Chicago, an unlikeable, tough bully who was full of fear and hate. Wright felt he had been naïve in his bestselling first book, Uncle Tom's Children, and had decided to write a book "so hard and so deep that they [Americans] would have to face it [racism] without the consolation of tears". So there is no idealism or sentimentality in Native Son. It features the angriest, most violent antihero ever to appear in black American literature.

Wright wanted to show that youths like Bigger were not inherently bad, that their intense frustration, hatred, and their crimes were a result of being shut out of American society. (p.151)

To read the rest of my review please visit https://anzlitlovers.com/2022/06/12/richard-wright-the-life-and-times-by-hazel-r...

think this a wonderful book

An excellent biography - of both Roosevelts. Their marriage was complicated by illness, world events, affairs but also partnership and warm friendship. They both had amazing stamina for public life. I am looking forward to visiting their home and FDR's library when in NY.

Biografia de la vida de Beauvoir amb Sartre i les seves relacions

Deixada a la Maite

It’s taken me a long time to read Hazel Rowley’s biography of Christina Stead – and I made heavy weather of it towards the end. It was just so depressing reading about the last years of this great writer…

Christina Stead was born into a dysfunctional family in 1902; endured a miserable childhood immortalised forever in The Man Who Loved Children; escaped abroad in 1928 and fell in love with a married man whose divorce took decades to come through; and spent much of her life with him in grim financial straits. Now recognised as a major writer of the twentieth century, her brilliance was unrecognised for most of her life, especially in Australia, and she spent the last years of her life ‘humping her own bluey’ because while not destitute, she had no home of her own. She died in 1983, with 16 novels to her credit, and four collections of short stories.

The honours, when they came, were all too late to make up for the neglect. She was 72 when she won the Patrick White Literary Award and (perhaps understandably) barely acknowledged it, not even mentioning it in a letter to a friend, though the money was welcome. The NSW Premier’s Award for Services to Literature came in 1982, the year before her death, and so did an Honorary Membership of the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters. She was on her death bed when the University of Sydney offered her a doctorate. For decades her work was out of print, and her name was as good as forgotten.

Stead TBRI’ve read two of her novels, The Little Hotel, (see my review), and The Man Who Loved Children, (see my review) listed in 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die and as a must-read in Geordie Williamson’s The Burning Library. On my TBR I have her short story collection Ocean of Story: Uncollected Stories of Christina Stead; Seven Poor Men of Sydney; House of All Nations; The Beauties and Furies; and For Love Alone. I think I’m going to get more out of these latter novels since reading the biography, partly because I now understand so much more about the author’s ‘modus operandi’ and partly because Hazel Rowley analyses these books and places them in the context of Stead’s life.

To read the rest of my review please visit https://anzlitlovers.com/2013/11/22/christina-stead-a-biography-by-hazel-rowley/

As the title of this readable biography suggests, Franklin and Eleanor focuses on the dynamics of their marriage. Hazel Rowley does a good job of untangling the chronologies of the husband and wife's romantic involvements with one another and with other people, though given the nature of the sources there is inevitably much that cannot be known. I knew only the vague outline of their lives before reading this book, and was fascinated to see the evolution of Eleanor from a shy and diffident young woman to a much more outgoing person who felt confident in shirking social norms and addressing the UN General Assembly.

This is rather a rosy account of the Roosevelts, though. Both were clearly people of great personal charisma, but while Rowley seems to think that attribute inherently a virtue, I am not so certain. How they used that charisma on others frequently seems to have been informed by an immense narcissism and emotional need, and a disregard for the needs and feelings of others. While Rowley acknowledges that in passing, she doesn't seem inclined to explore that too deeply.

A very well-written book based on the long-accomplished relationship between Simone de Beauvoir and Jean-Paul Sartre. Quite an amazing story of collaboration detailing their mutual pursuit of every experience including writing, travel, politics, love, deceit, and sexual conquests. A very insightful and enjoyable read.

This story of the relationship of Sartre and Beauvoir and their circle was a marvel of research and story-telling. Fascinating lives, well told.

After listening to the author on NPR, I realized how little I knew about this president and his wife. This biography is partly based on letters that both Franklin and Eleanor sent and received, yet the author does not reduce it to merely copying the texts of the letters. To say that their marriage was "unconventional" is putting it mildly. The President and First Lady were two very independent individuals who obviously loved each other but lived a style of marriage that would be considered scandalous even by today’s standards. I have seen many memorable quotes by Eleanor Roosevelt, so I was aware that she was somewhat of a radical, but I was amazed by the number of issues she embraced which were often at odds with her husband. Looking at the family dynamics of the Roosevelts made me wonder how such an arrangement, replete with affairs and scandals, would be handled by the media in today’s world. I was aware that, although Franklin spent much of his presidency in a wheel chair, he was rarely, if ever, photographed in that chair. In today’s world, can you imagine the press agreeing to put their cameras away while someone carried the president from a train to his car? Or while someone carried him to a stage and literally propped him up behind a podium and microphone to give a speech? Times have changed!
Read the book! I learned a lot about American history in the 30's and 40's and I enjoyed it.

As an Anglophile one must acknowledge that FDR was one of the greatest friends of England prior to and during our (the American) time fighting WWII. He skirted the law of the land to give as much as possible to help England before we entered the war. Finishing the book on the story of FDR and Eleanor's romance I am filled with sadness for them. Eleanor found out after he passed away that one of the women he had an affair with after they married was visiting him the day he died and her family and White House staff hid that visit and several previous from her. For many years this story (and other indiscretions) were hidden by people in the know. Eleanor had several affairs herself. The two of them were affectionate to each other and frequently made a good team but love was lost somewhere in the first decade of their marriage.

The author makes it clear that Eleanor and others journals, letters, and interviews were often scrubbed to present the truth as they wished it to be presented. Eleanor wrote a long three volume autobiography but was very circumspect in protecting the FDR's and her personal legacy. The history of her and FDR's affairs are frequently preserved in their love letters to their lovers and some tell all testimony years after FDR passed away. They both achieved greatness but never contentment in love with each other. A sad indictment on a life lived less fully than it should be. I am a bit jealous of his large collection of books and living room filled with shelves full of books but hope for more faithful fulfilled living in my personal love life.

The author briefly mentions the falsehood that Charles Lindbergh was an anti-Semite Nazi sympathizer which is not accurate. She does not mention one of FDR's first public embarrassment with the Air Mail situation in 1934 choosing instead to identify the court packing effort to grow the Supreme Court as his first great set back as president. Towards the end of the book the author went from telling the story of the relationship of FDR and Eleanor to the story of their deeds and legacy. Not a bad end but I feel like she started to soon as the last few years together could have been fleshed out more.

I feel I must add that though I felt the author approved and admired Eleanor she was very fair with both FDR and Eleanor to record both their good qualities and bad and let their story tell the story of who they were. Stylistically well written and put together with a smooth flow to the story.

עוד ספר רכילות על הזוג המלכותי. נהנה מחומרים וגילויים חדשים אבל לא מוסיף לעומקן של הדמויות. למען האמת, כמה שקוראים עליהם יותר ככה פחות טוב הם נראים.

An very worthwhile biography..... very interesting on so many levels (psychological, historical/context, ethical/moral, spiritual/existential). As Irvin D. Yalom has so well pointed out, all of us struggle with some basic existential issues (e.g., life, death and anxiety), and Simone and Jean Paul were no exception. In fact, it seems they struggled with these universal questions more than most of us. I found the book exceptional and many of the critics come to the biography with what seems so clear to an outsider - preconceived notions and biases about these 2 extraordinary people. I found it interesting that Sartre struggled with "guilt" over the suicide of one of his girl friends. He was also very "deceitful" (intentionally choose to not be completely honest) when it came to his concurrent lovers.
In the end, I found Simone's life story to be the much more interesting.... as one of the first feminists of her generation. Just goes to show you what an education in philosophy can do...... powerful individuals, powerful message and an excellent author. This review is for the 2006 paperback edition by Hazel Rowley. 4 1/2 stars. Paul Floyd, Mpls, MN

I just devoured this book. I am not an historian, so I cannot debate the veracity of the facts. However, assuming this story sprung from research with integrity, it was a fascinating read. Indeed, a remarkable relationship existed between Franklin & Eleanor. It was based on acceptance of one another which stemmed from them being accepting of people in general. Superficial traits and public opinion had little to do with their loyalties, although they did require secrecy to live as their true selves. I like the idea that they both retained their humanity, the good, the bad, and the ugly, despite their public lives. Who are we to judge? As seems to be true for many memorable leaders, it seemes to me that the children probably suffered more than either parent. In this case, both parents were great leaders, so I would be interested to learn more about the impact their life choices had on their five children. Most interesting to me: their love of communal living combined with their fierce independence and their personal insecurities.

Well-researched and highly readable exploration of a fascinating marriage, see my review full review at Whisperinggums: http://whisperinggums.wordpress.com/2011/09/30/hazel-rowley-franklin-and-eleanor...

As a former history major, one might assume that I frequently pick up nonfiction to read for fun. Not true...at all. Actually, there are very few nonfiction books that I have picked up for fun. I think something about the plethora of history reading as an undergrad might have disillusioned me a bit on nonfiction reading. But I digress. I picked this book up on a whim and did not once regret it--start to finish.

In this book, Rowley takes on the Roosevelt marriage: it's ups and downs and all the eccentricities in between. The Roosevelt marriage has taken on a shroud of mystery over the years that many have attempted to uncover. Rowley does a fantastic job not (blatantly) "taking a side" in the discussion of the relationship that FDR and Eleanor had. Their marriage was definitely non-traditional and what we know about them is today (still) clouded and incomplete. Rowley, I think, would lead us to believe that such a mystery was intentional. The conventions of yesterday and today would still look down upon a marriage such as Eleanor and FDR had. They weren't the perfect couple, as many want to believe, but they had a successful marriage built on mutual trust and understanding. Rowley takes the reader from the very beginnings of their relationship through the end, with FDR's death and Truman's swearing in.

Rowley's writing makes this read like a novel. It is enjoyable and fast-paced--not a dull moment (which, I suppose, one might expect when talking about the Roosevelt marriage). This is probably the first time that a non-fiction biography has actually moved me to tears. I would definitely recommend this book to history fanatics, mild history fans, WWII fans, avid readers...everyone!

I read this after reading Carole Seymour-Jones's similar book A Dangerous Liaison. Both are well-written, informative books, and neither leaves me terribly impressed with Sartre and Beauvoir. In contrast to this book, A Dangerous Liaison weighs the moral character of the two subjects, finding them lacking in their propensity for seducing their minor students; their failure to put up a meaningful resistance to the Nazis (while afterwards claiming to have been defiant heroes); their willfully blind support of the USSR; and the lies and harm to third parties required to maintain their pact. With the exception of their behavior during World War II, which is dealt with only briefly, Hazel Rowley discusses these things, but pretty much without passing judgment.

I don't regard philosophers and intellectuals as people who necessarily deserve reverence. Like everybody else, they are as they do. They seriously undercut their moral pronouncements when even they can't live by them. It is fine to urge someone to do better than oneself if one admits one's own failings, or is attempting to pass on lessons learned the hard way. It is another to make lofty declarations of moral principles one doesn't even try to live by. Both of these books make it clear that Sartre and Beauvoir were liars and hypocrites, and their pact has only novelty to commend it. In fact, their freedom came at the cost of deceiving their "contingent" lovers, and the whole polyamorous throng was roiled by jealousy and back-biting. Asked how he dealt with his various women, Sartre admitted that he lied to all of them, especially to Beauvoir.

An interesting look at the realities of a much bally-hooed partnership.

In her preface Hazel Rowley clarifies that this is not a biography. For that we would do best to turn to another work on Simone de Beauvoir and Jean-Paul Sartre. Instead, Rowley is interested in constructing an intimate portrait of the romantic entanglements of de Beauvoir and Sartre, and in particular of the pact they had made to each other at the beginning of their own relationship. As Rowley writes:

'Sartre had made clear from the beginning that monogamy did not interest him. He liked women…and he did not intend to stop having affairs at the age of twenty-three. Nor should Beauvoir, he said. The love they had for each other was “essential,” and primary. They were “two of a kind,” each other’s double, and their relationship would surely last for life. But they should not deprive themselves of what he called “contingent” affairs, meaning secondary and more arbitrary' (p.28).

Rowley’s work reveals the strains that such “contingent” affairs put on their relationship, and the consequences for those other lovers, like the American writer Nelson Algren, who were thought to be “more arbitrary”. Overall it is an examination of de Beauvoir and Sartre’s attempt to maintain an unconventional partnership, and it raises questions about the reality of romantic love and individual freedom in the face of physical desire.

A look at the unique relationship between two great minds.

Covered on NPR: http://www.npr.org/2010/11/11/131253000/-franklin-and-eleanor-a-marriage-ahead-o...

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