Summary

In this concise but pointed volume of ruminations on writers, literary icon Louis Auchincloss considers the inextricable link between a writer's personality and the fiction he or she creates. The acclaimed novelist examines the works of two dozen writers from his canon of personal favorites, ranging from the seventeenth century's Pierre Corneille and Jean Racine to the twentieth-century's E. M. Foster and Ernest Hemingway. Auchincloss suggests that great art flows from the expression of a writer's unique personality - and that, in keeping with this, the stifling of the personal self, as in the case of Anne Bronte, may forestall consummate artistic achievement. Taking an expansive approach to the notion of ""personality,"" Auchincloss provides concise assessments of the lives, temperaments, obsessions, and interests of his subjects. He explores how their personalities materialize in the fiction they produce. He proposes that even Gustave Flaubert, who believes in a strict separation between novelist and story, can be seen lurking behind the pages of Madame Bovary. In lively prose as engaging as the best conversations we may be privileged to enjoy, Auchincloss's observations offer an expanded appreciation of these vaunted writers and of the acuity that has earned the author his dedicated following. His commentary testifies not only to his affection for the writers but also to his astute understanding of what constitutes effective fiction.