Lives of the Writers: Comedies, Tragedies (and What the Neighbors Thought)

"How can you print a piece of your own soul," Dickinson, p. 51This is the 2nd in the Krull and Hewitt's "Lives of ..." series. The book contains 19 chapters on 20 writers in birth order: Murasaki Shikibu (973?-1025?), Miguel de Cervantes (1547-1616), William Shakespeare (1564-1616), Jane Austen (1775-1817), Hans Christian Andersen (1805-1875), Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849), Charles Dickens (1812-1870), Charlotte & Emily Bronte (1816-1855 & 1818-1848), Emily Dickinson (1830-1886), Louisa May Alcott (1832-1888), Mark Twain (1835-1910), Frances Hodgson Burnett (1849-1924), Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894), Jack London (1876-1916), Carl Sandburg (1878-1967), E. B. White (1899-1985), Zora Neale Hurston (1901?-1960), Langston Hughes (1902-1967), Isaac Bashevis Singer (1904-1991)This is a perfect book for young adolescents and pre-teens who as they grow and mature frequently feel awkward. Krull introduces us to the idiosyncrasies of the literary. Some of the authors were loners, eccentric, a wee bit peculiar. Michael Jackson's behaviors might seem normal when held in comparison. Some retreated into themselves. Some sought out adventures. Some as adults were unsuccessful at the ordinary.Some worked at a young age to support the family. Some took daily walks, very long daily walks. Some were not healthy and therefore wrote in bed. There were some similarities and some differences, but they all shared a singular conviction to write and write they each did well.Hewitt's delightful portraits of the writers are precious. My favorite portrait is of Frances Hodgson Burnett of "The Secret Garden" fame. Her hat is the secret garden.Given the high price of the book, I was surprised that Krull did not include a list of the authors' books and/or poems and the publication years. END

I bought this for my 10 year old granddaughter. I think that it is a nice introduction to literature for children. It will encourage them to read and research more about these and other writers.

My daughter loves this series. I purchased on Amazon for Prime Shipping convenience.

Our family feels this series is very entertaining and informative. We ALL thoroughly enjoy them! They offer info. other books on the same topics don't.

Articles are usually 2-3 pages in length, sometimes including a little know fact. Use this for a brief introduction to a well-known composer. Suitable for all grades as a starting point, depending on level of students' previous knowledge

We enjoy these books very much, but this one came in in rough condition sadly.

The second book in Krull's "Lives of..." series covers an assortment of famous writers including de Cervantes, Shakespeare, Austen, Poe, Dickens, Dickinson, Sandburg and others. Rather than focusing on the dry details of their lives, Krull goes for what really interests us about other people: their foibles and quirks and oh-so-human idiosyncrasies. Although she covers the basic facts and dates about the authors in a brief opening summary, Krull primarily focuses on the juicier details of these authors' lives, including their unusual (and sometimes scandalous) marriages, preferences in food and dress and their more eccentric activities. Brief mention is made of each of their more important works at the end of each chapter in a short "bookmarks" section. Though I wish a few of my other favorite authors had been included, I found the lives of those that are covered (including a few with whose work I was not familiar including Shikibu, Langston Hughes and I.B. Singer) extremely interesting and, in some cases, was persuaded to order a few of their books. Though each is made as fascinating as the characters they themselves created, I found a few more amusing than others, including Mark Twain (who was almost as much of a rascal as his beloved Tom Sawyer), E.B. White (whose biggest compliment to his wife was "you smell of pencil shavings") and Miguel de Cervantes (whose life sounds very much like that of Don Quixote!) Krull ably brings each author alive and made me wish that I had been numbered among their neighbors and been able to witness these amazing (and sometimes quite farcical) characters myself!

Wonderful book! It makes the lives of the writers come alive.Nana

Libro interessante e ben fatto, purtroppo con una grave pecca: tra i "grandi" non compare nessun italiano....... Capisco che il libro è scritto in Gran Bretagna, ma ci sono fior di scrittori italiani che sono un bene prezuioso per l'umanità intera!!! Almeno DANTE!!!!!!!!!!