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"'Beloved Boy' is a collection of letters tracing Henry James's fascination with and enduring devotion to a young, Norwegian-American artist. James was already 56 when, visiting Rome in 1899, he was introduced to the twenty-seven-year-old Hendrik Andersen. In an uncanny instance of life imitating art, Andersen bore an unmistakable resemblance to the title character of James's 1875 novel Roderick Hudson - a figure who, like Andersen, was a young sculptor venturing into life as an expatriate in Italy. Although his initial meeting with Andersen was brief, James was deeply moved by the young man. He wrote to Andersen almost immediately after his return to his Sussex home, and remained a faithful correspondent until his own death in 1915." "The two men met on only six occasions, and never for more than a few days, so their friendship was almost entirely epistolary. The letters assembled here, nearly half of which are previously unpublished, exhibit a voice decidedly more vulnerable than that which we usually associate with James. They also shed new light on the writer's homoerotic leanings, as he approaches Andersen with a passion, as well as a tenderness, typically reserved for a lover." "Even greater than his feelings for Andersen, however, was James's devotion to art. Despite an initially positive opinion, James was forced to reassess Andersen's work, which became increasingly grandiose - exhibiting "megalomania," as James bluntly diagnosed it. The sculptor's tendency towards monumentality, including plans for a utopian "World City," were at odds with James's commitment to observing reality in all its complexity and imperfection. Despite this, James's affection for his friend never wavered; his letters remained occasions to celebrate the youth and beauty personified for him by Andersen."--BOOK JACKET.
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Previews available in: English
Edition | Availability |
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1
Beloved boy: letters to Hendrik C. Andersen, 1899-1915
2004, University of Virginia Press
in English
0813922704 9780813922706
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2
Amato ragazzo: lettere a Hendrik C. Andersen, 1899-1915, con testo a fronte
2000, Marsilio
in English
- 1a ed.
8831774670 9788831774673
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3
Amato ragazzo: lettere a Hendrik C. Andersen, 1899-1915
2000, Marsilio
in English
8831774670 9788831774673
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cccc
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Book Details
Edition Notes
Includes bibliographical references (p. 305-310).
Letters in English and Italian on facing pages; introduction and notes in Italian.
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- Created November 3, 2008
- 4 revisions
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August 18, 2010 | Edited by IdentifierBot | added LibraryThing ID |
March 12, 2010 | Edited by WorkBot | merge works |
December 7, 2009 | Edited by WorkBot | add to work |
November 3, 2008 | Created by ImportBot | Imported from University of Toronto MARC record |