Although I am very interested in the lives of historical, literary, political and other people, somehow I struggle to read biographies; somehow, so often the writing offers a rather flat, two-dimensional picture of the interesting man or woman whose life is being chronicled. Maybe I read too much fiction, but somehow the biographies I’ve read seem dull… the lives are fascinating, but the written record just seems… dull.
I was so excited some years ago when a major biography of Dickens was published by a very eminent author; oh dear… maybe it was me, but I just failed to engage in the work which had so many ‘… and maybe Dickens walked down this street…’ and ‘maybe young Charles saw this very interesting item…’ It was factual, it was without doubt detailed and well-researched, but somehow all the imaginings and supposings irritated me and I felt as if the biographer was there in front of me waving his arms and pen around putting his spin on the life of this fascinating man.
Not last Christmas but the Christmas before I had dropped heavy hints about another biography; this one was also written by an eminent person, about a man with a truly extraordinary and amazing life, full of strange encounters and heroic episodes. My hints were picked up and I was delighted to receive the biography. I plunged in… and oh how tedious, oh how hackneyed… In the end I just didn’t care, and once again I have to confess, I didn’t finish it.
Now I am reading the biography of writer I much admire… I actually am getting through this one but it reads more like a textbook or a prescribed task for coursework. It is telling me much I didn’t know about this man, and I’m leaning a great deal, but I feel as if I am reading it dutifully not joyfully. I will at least finish this one, but for all his exciting life, I don’t feel very excited by it.
It is not the detail in any of these, nor the quality or the depth of research, or the dedication or time spent on writing these lives. All three of these books have been written by the most well-respected authors who in turn respect their subjects… somehow, though, I am not enjoying them as I should… it must be me!
By the way, my featured picture is of my great-granddad, Tom, an ordinary man who worked hard all his life and died in his nineties… maybe I should try to tell his story and see how hard it actually is!
Lois Elsden 