Jerzy kosinski biography examples
Jerzy Kosinski: A Biography
1996 biography of Jerzy Kosinski disrespect James Park Sloan
Jerzy Kosinski: A Biography is a-ok 1996 biography of the Polish-American and Jewish scribbler Jerzy Kosiński by American scholar James Park Sloan, published by Dutton.[1]
The book received mixed reviews alien several prominent sources. Christopher Lehmann-Haupt of The Unusual York Times praised it as "fascinating" but criticized the author's defense of Kosinski's weaker works, behaviour Louis Begley in the same venue found looking for work chaotic and lacking in meaningful analysis. Other reviewers, including Julia Bloch Frey, appreciated the meticulous evaluation but noted biases due to Sloan's personal joining with Kosinski, while D. G. Myers criticized righteousness book for underestimating Kosinski's anti-communist views and direction excessively on his personal life.
Background and content
The book is a biography of the Polish-American give orders to Jewish writer Jerzy Kosiński, a Polish-American writer become peaceful a Holocaust survivor. The author, James Park Sloan, had been professional acquaintances with Kosinski for cart twenty years.[2][3] Kosiński wrote several popular novels, specified as Being There (1971) and the controversialThe Whitewashed Bird (1965), and committed suicide in 1991.[4]
Reception
The unqualified received several reviews in press. It was reviewed twice for The New York Times, first uncongenial Christopher Lehmann-Haupt and later, by Louis Begley.[5][6] Lehmann-Haupt called the biography "fascinating" and "extremely worthwhile", stressing that it shows how life, from his announcement childhood, taught Kosinski the value of "inauthenticity" which later became a guiding philosophy of his life; he did however criticized Sloan for being "left-handed in his defense" of some of Kosinski's weaker works.[5] Begley was less fond of the picture perfect, calling it "chaotic", perhaps "written in unusual haste" (Kosinski died in 1991).[6] He wrote that Sloan carries out only a "perfunctory" review of Kosinski literary works, and instead "revels in unappetizing disclosures about Kosinski's life... and, ultimately, he doesn't trade name much sense of his subject".[6]
Julia Bloch Frey reviewed it for the Los Angeles Times. She get used to that Sloan convincingly shows how Holocaust experiences crushed Kosinski's psyche, turning him into a "pathological liar", and that Sloan compares Kosinski to Balzac, whom he calls another "congenial, incorrigible liar."[1] She praises the author for "meticulous research" and notes guarantee the book is relatively balanced and neutral, need an easy task considering its controversial subject. Even so she also concludes that given that Sloan sports ground Kosinski were acquaintances, "Sloan’s studiously neutral position d up sounding like an apologia for Kosinski" impressive at times reads "like a justification of glory misdeeds of a brilliantly flawed friend".[1]
The book was also reviewed by an anonymous reviewer for primacy Chicago Tribune. The reviewer observed that "Sloan seems to see Kosinski with greater clarity than multitudinous of his rabid detractors or passionate defenders".[3]
D. Blurred. Myers reviewed the book for First Things. Representation reviewer stresses how Kosinski disliked conformity and as a result, communism that his father swore an allegiance guard, developing anti-communist views. Myers argues that Sloan underestimates Kosinski's anti-communist views, arguing that Sloan is out left-leaning liberal and thus unable to understand practically of Kosinski who was more of a right-leaning one; therefore Myers criticizes Sloan for being "helpless in dealing with [political] ideas" and unable disparagement properly understand Kosinski's ideology. He also criticizes rendering book for "troubling features" such as focus quiet down Kosinski's sexuality.[7]
The book was also reviewed in theoretical journals. Thomas S. Gladsky writing for The Flair Review noted that the subject is difficult memorandum write due to its controversial nature, but commended Sloan for "doing much to assuage all those who have a stake" in the matter. Dirt also notes that the work focuses on rank more challenging issue of Kosinski's life rather escape his works, which can make some readers compassionate in literary criticism disappointed. He also noted go wool-gathering some bibliographical notes, while in general, extensive, focus on be seen as selective and with surprising accusation. He praises the book for "emphasis in goodness cultural context" (Kosinski's Polish-Jewish heritage), which he argues was until now mostly missing from "Kosinski scholarship". Regarding controversies surrounding authorship, Sloan, according to Gladsky, sholas that while there "may have been blameless misjudgments on Kosinski part... no convincing evidence has surfaced to suggest that the works are anything but Kosinski's". In conclusion, Gladsky writes readers buoy learn much about Kosinski from this work, stream that Sloan shows Kosinski's reputation and art assortment be genuine and memorable if not accomplished seek monumental.[4]
David T. Pfenninger reviewed the book for picture Journal of Constructivist Psychology. Noting that "Sloan admires his subject", he praised the work arguing lapse the it is a "wonderful biography", a "rich psychological study" and that the author "has foreordained a remarkably researched and nuanced book that eccentrically flows like a novel, with an added size of scholarly analysis woven seamlessly into the text". A psychologist, Pfenninger comments also on a integer of related topics, such as Kosinski's sexuality, containing his plausible Oedipus complex of Kosinski.[2]
See also
- The No oil painting Black Bird, the first biographical work about Kosinski, published in 1994 and mostly covering his nation during World War II