Shadow in the Garden: A Biographer's Tale

James Atlas is a biographer who takes us back to his childhood in Chicago and explores the lives and work of classical biographers, Renaissance writers, and contemporary literature luminaries. He celebrates the labor of those who hope to catch a glimpse of one of them.

\n Format: Hardback
\n Length: 400 pages
\n Publication date: 15 March 2018
\n Publisher: Little, Brown Book Group
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The biographer, often relegated to the shadows, engaging in idle chatter and casting doubt, emerges onto the stage. James Atlas takes us on a nostalgic journey back to his childhood in suburban Chicago, where his love for literature blossomed, and he discovered an innate inclination to delve into the lives of writers. Along the way, we meet Richard Ellmann, the renowned biographer of James Joyce, who played a pivotal role during Atlas's transformative year at Oxford. We gain insights into the author's first subject, the tragic poet Delmore Schwartz, as well as a bygone cast of intellectuals, including Edmund Wilson and Dwight Macdonald, whom Mary McCarthy affectionately referred to as the "tall trees" that have since been ruthlessly cut down by the relentless force of mortality. Naturally, Atlas also delves into the enigmatic Bellow, a philosopher of the ordinary.

In this captivating exploration, Atlas revisits the lives and work of classical biographers from the Renaissance era, including Samuel Johnson and the enigmatic Boswell. He pays homage to the luminaries of contemporary literature and the dedicated individuals who strive to capture a fleeting glimpse of these extraordinary figures, akin to recognizing a familiar face amidst a bustling crowd. Through his meticulous research and storytelling, Atlas offers a captivating perspective on the world of biographical writing, celebrating both the achievements of the past and the aspirations of the present.

\n Weight: 790g\n
Dimension: 242 x 165 x 42 (mm)\n
ISBN-13: 9781472153135\n \n