R.I.P. Henry James
Today
was the 97th anniversary of Henry James' death. He is by far my
favorite "classic" writer. To Mr. James, I lift a glass of port and say,
"Well lived, well written, well read, dear Mr. James!"
This
famous portrait of Henry James was painted by (who else?) John Singer
Sargent, in 1912. There is an earlier sketch by Sargent, too. The two
met in 1883 and James was very taken by the young, handsome and talented
Euro-American artist, and was instrumental in helping Sargent find many
clients in England after he'd "fled" from France. I couldn't resist
writing more than one scene in my novel that featured James.
Two recent books for James fans: The Master, a novel by Colm Toibin, and
Portrait of a Novel, non-fiction about one of James's most famous
novels, by Michael Gorra.
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