Synopses & Reviews
Shakespeare wrote with a feather quill and ink; Emily Dickinson wrote with a fountain pen; Isaac Bashevis Singer wrote on a Yiddish typewriter. But what did such writers do when they weren't writing? What did Jane Austen eat for breakfast? What could make Mark Twain throw his shirts out the window? Why would Zora Neale Hurston punch a fellow elevator passenger? Lives of the Writers tells all that and more, including plenty about writing, how these writers viewed the world of literature--and how their neighbors viewed them. In this offering from the highly praised Lives Of . . . series, Kathleen Krull and Kathryn Hewitt offer the inside schoop on twenty literary luminaties. Even famous writers are real people with odd habits, secret hopes, dismal failures, and wild successes; Lives of the Writers reveals it all with wit and style.
Review
* “Theres enough substance here for a quick report or to enliven a longer one. Lets hope this team continues through all the arts. An irresistible package.”--
School Library Journal, starred review
"Another colorful, enthralling excursion into our cultural heritage."—Kirkus Reviews
Review
* and#8220;Thereand#8217;s enough substance here for a quick report or to enliven a longer one. . . . An irresistible package.and#8221;and#8212;School Library Journal, starred review
and#160;
and#8220;The stories Krull tells will be enough to whet readersand#8217; appetites for more biography and for the writersand#8217; actual works.and#8221;and#8212;Booklist
and#160;
"This compendium of brief biographies of literary luminaries is as much fun as a tete-a-tete with a gossipy friend. Krull knows exactly how to captivate her audience; she goes right for the juicy stuff, adding to historical fact the kind of chatty incidentals and amusing anecdotes that put flesh and blood on dry literary bones. . . .These exuberant thumbnail sketches are ably matched by Hewittand#8217;s sophisticated caricatures, which will delight sharp-eyed readers with their many visual references to particulars and oddities about each of the subjects. A must-have for the reference shelf.and#8221;and#8212;Publishers Weekly
and#160;
and#8220;Another colorful, enthralling excursion into our cultural heritage.and#8221;and#8212;Kirkus Reviews
Synopsis
Here are inside views of twenty writers--people of all shapes, sizes, temperaments, and lifestyles, from various countries and historical periods. Included are William Shakespeare, Edgar Allan Poe, Mark Twain, Zora Neale Hurston, Isaac Bashevis Singer, and many others. “Theres enough substance here for a quick report or to enliven a longer one. Lets hope this team continues through all the arts. An irresistible package.”--
School Library JournalSynopsis
History comes to life in this dynamic volume! Here are inside views of twenty writers—people of all shapes, sizes, temperaments, and lifestyles, from various countries and historical periods. Included are William Shakespeare, Edgar Allan Poe, Mark Twain, Zora Neale Hurston, Isaac Bashevis Singer, and many others.
Synopsis
In a dynamic offering from the Lives of . . . series, Krull and Hewitt tell all in an assortment of brief biographies of some of literature's most famous and intriguing personas. Read all about the ins and outs of the daily lives of such characters as William Shakespeare, Louisa May Alcott, and Mark Twain in this irresistible installment of a much-loved series.
Synopsis
Shakespeare wrote with a feather quill and ink; Emily Dickinson wrote with a fountain pen; Isaac Bashevis Singer wrote on a Yiddish typewriter. But what did such writers do when they weren't writing? What did Jane Austen eat for breakfast? What could make Mark Twain throw his shirts out the window? Why would Zora Neale Hurston punch a fellow elevator passenger? Lives of the Writers tells all that and more.
Description
Includes bibliographical references (p. 96) and index.
About the Author
Kathleen Krull has written much innovative nonfiction for young people, including all of the books in the
Lives of . . . series, and has made a chatty, accessible approach to biography her hallmark. She lives in San Diego, California. Visit her website at
www.kathleenkrull.comTable of Contents
Rice cakes and moonlight : Murasaki Shikibu -- One disaster after another : Miguel de Cervantes -- "Curst be he that moves my bones" : William Shakespeare -- Chocolate for breakfast : Jane Austen -- Ugly duckling or litte mermaid? : Hans Christian Andersen -- Imp of the perverse : Edgar Allan Poe -- From raisin pudding to oysters and champagne : Charles Dickens -- Currer and Ellis Bell : Charlotte and Emily Brontèe -- Hide-and-seek : Emily Dickinson -- Paddling her own canoe : Louisa May Alcott -- Killingly funny : Mark Twain -- The fairy godmother : Frances Hodgson Burnett -- Into the mountains of the moon : Robert Louis Stevenson -- Cannibal sandwiches : Jack London -- Potato face blind man : Carl Sandburg -- On the farm : E.B. White -- She jumped at the sun : Zora Neale Hurston -- The perfect companion : Langston Hughes -- Blintzes stuffed with cheese : Isaac Bashevis Singer.