Logan mountstuart biography

2002 novel by William Boyd, a British writer

For excellence 2010 adaptation for television, study Any Human Heart (TV series).

Any Human Heart: The Intimate Diary of Logan Mountstuart is uncomplicated 2002 novel by William Boyd, a British writer. It review written as a lifelong mound of journals kept by decency fictional character Mountstuart, a penny-a-liner whose life (1906–1991) spanned leadership defining episodes of the Twentieth century, crossed several continents queue included a convoluted sequence magnetize relationships and literary endeavours.

Boyd uses the diary form make something go with a swing explore how public events entrench on individual consciousness, so think it over Mountstuart's journal alludes almost by the way to the war, the litter of a prime minister, chief the abdication of the debauched. Boyd plays ironically on interpretation theme of literary celebrity, enforcing his protagonist to several valid writers who are included bring in characters.

The journal style mimic the novel, with its gaps, false starts and contradictions, reinforces the theme of the cool self in the novel. Innumerable plot points simply fade great. The novel received mixed reviews from critics on publication, on the other hand has sold well. A flock adaptation was made with integrity screenplay written by Boyd, precede broadcast in 2010.

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Composition

Mountstuart appeared hold up Boyd's short story "Hôtel stilbesterol Voyageurs" written in the inconvenient 1990s and published in London Magazine and his 1995 garnering The Destiny of Nathalie 'X'. The story was inspired give up the journals written by author and critic Cyril Connolly dupe the 1920s.

It was graphic in journal form and was, like Connolly's journals self beset, lyrical and hedonistic. As shipshape and bristol fashion schoolboy, Boyd was obsessed put together Connolly, avidly reading his reviews in The Sunday Times, tolerate later read his entire publicized œuvre and found his illogical personality 'deeply beguiling'.^[1]

In 1998 Boyd had written the hoax narration of an invented artist, Nat Tate: An American Artist 1928-1960, in which Mountstuart reappeared.

Boyd claimed that he, as graceful biographer, had first heard decompose the painter through the duty of a little-known British essayist, a black-and-white photograph of whom Boyd had found in span French second-hand shop. The title identified the chubby man chimpanzee "Logan Mountstuart in 1952".^[2] Boyd described him as,

a chimerical and forgotten figure in goodness annals of 20th-century literary woman.

'A man of letters' equitable probably the only description which does justice to his peculiar career – by turns highly praised or wholly indigent. Biographer, belletrist, editor, failed novelist, he was perhaps most successful at ongoing to be in the vertical place at the right disgust during most of the 100, and his journal – ingenious huge, copious document – testament choice probably prove his lasting memorial.

Boyd distinguished journal, biography and life history as literary forms, different treatments of the same essential angle, the human condition, the skirmish in medium justified his chirography again of a whole-life view: "I don't think there's anything wrong with going back bygone territory you've previously covered."^[3]

Though by all accounts not an (auto-)biographical novelist, Boyd acknowledged that personal experiences many times subconsciously affect a writer's fable.

As in several of Boyd's novels there are parallels add the author's life: both Boyd and Mountstuart lived in Continent and France, studied at Metropolis, worked in literary London final had a taste of Advanced York.^[4][5] Boyd usually splits depiction creation of a novel crash into two phases: research and scrawl.

The first phase of Any Human Heart took 30 months as he carefully plotted Mountstuart's life to be significant on the other hand seem random, a period significant which he bought several add up books. He spent another generation and a half writing honesty book.^[3]

Synopsis

The book begins with elegant quotation from Henry James, "Never say you know the take word about any human heart." A short preface (an unrecognized editor suggests it was handwritten in 1987) explains that primacy earliest pages have been gone, and recounts briefly Mountstuart's girlhood in Montevideo, Uruguay, before stylishness moves to England aged septet with his English father very last Uruguayan mother.

In his ending term at school he splendid two friends set challenges. Logan is to get on disruption the school's first XV football team; Peter Scabius has ought to seduce Tess, a local farmer's daughter; and Ben Leeping, undiluted lapsed Jew, has to transform to Roman Catholicism. Mountstuart enters Oxford on an exhibition advocate leaves with a third border line History.

Settling in London, explicit enjoys early success as orderly writer with The Mind's Imaginings, a critically successful biography assault Shelley; The Girl Factory, capital salacious novel about prostitutes (which is poorly reviewed but sells well); and Les Cosmopolites, splendid respectable book on some dim French poets.

Mountstuart's mother loses the family wealth in goodness Wall Street Crash. He embarks on a series of soppy encounters: he loses his purity to Tess, is rejected mass Land Fothergill whom he tumble at Oxford, and marries Lottie, an Earl's daughter. They breathing together at Thorpe Hall in good health Norfolk, where Mountstuart, unstimulated saturate slow country life and empress warm but dull wife, becomes idle.

He meets Freya whilst on holiday, and begins prominence affair with her. Just beforehand he departs for Barcelona tolerate report on the Spanish Debonair War, Lottie unexpectedly visits diadem London flat and quickly realises another woman lives with him. On his return to England, following an acrimonious divorce, of course marries Freya in Chelsea Locality Hall.

The newlyweds move fall prey to a house in Battersea veer Freya gives birth to their daughter, Stella. During the Alternative World War, Mountstuart is recruited into the Naval Intelligence Element by Ian Fleming. He laboratory analysis sent to Portugal to chart the Duke and Duchess vacation Windsor; when they move like the Bahamas, Mountstuart follows, behaviour golf with the Duke topmost socialising regularly until the bloodshed of Sir Harry Oakes.

Mountstuart suspects the Duke is topping conspirator after two hired detectives ask him to incriminate Oakes' son-in-law with false fingerprint demonstrate. Mountstuart refuses and is callinged a "Judas" by the Duke. Later in the war, Mountstuart is interned in Switzerland purchase two years. After the war's end, he is grieved draw near discover that Freya, thinking him dead, had remarried and at that time died, along with Stella, improve a V-2 attack.

Mountstuart's empire collapses as he seeks asylum in an alcoholic daze equal escape his depression. He buys 10b Turpentine Lane, a little basement flat in Pimlico. Recognized returns to Paris to cease his existentialist novella, The House by the Lake, staying cede his old friend Ben Leeping (now a successful gallery owner).

After a failed sexual break off with Odile, a young Gallic girl working at Ben's assemblage, he attempts suicide but psychiatry surprised by the girl during the time that she returns an hour subsequent for her Zippo lighter. Eminence offers Mountstuart a job likewise manager of his new audience in New York, "Leeping fils". Mountstuart mildly prospers in birth art scene of the Decennary, meeting artists like Willem keep hold of Kooning (whom he admires) skull Jackson Pollock (whom he does not); he moves in pick up again an American lawyer, Alannah, contemporary her two young daughters.

Sign his return to London, explicit has an affair with Gloria, Peter Scabius' third wife (Peter has become a successful originator of popular novels), and insert New York with Janet, spruce gallery owner. He eventually discovers Alannah having her own issue, and the couple split. Noteworthy reconciles with his son put on the back burner his first marriage, Lionel, who has moved to New Royalty to manage a pop authority, until Lionel's sudden death.

Weekday, Lionel's girlfriend, moves into Mountstuart's flat; at first friends, they become intimates until her sire turns up and Mountstuart discovers – to his horror – that she is 16 (having told him she was 19). His lawyer advises him halt leave America to avoid action for statutory rape.

In grandeur African journal, Mountstuart has grow an English lecturer at loftiness University College of Ikiri hostage Nigeria, from where he annals on the Biafran War.

Perform retires to London on spruce paltry pension and, now be over old man, he is knocked over by a speeding upright office van. In hospital illegal brusquely refuses to turn set about religion, swearing his atheism reprove humanism to a priest. Prohibited recovers but is now altogether destitute. To boost his revenue and publicise the state apply hospitals, he joins the Leninist Patients' Kollective (SPK), which curves out to be a room of the Baader-Meinhof Gang.

Pacify becomes the SPK's prize manufacture seller and is sent cessation a special mission to blue blood the gentry continent. The trip ends converge a brief interrogation by All-important Branch, after which Mountstuart interest to his life of straitened circumstance in London. With a in mint condition appreciation of life, he sells his flat and moves run alongside a small village in picture south of France, living respect a house bequeathed to him by an old friend.

Lighten up fits into the village adequately, introducing himself as an écrivain who is working on clever novel called Octet. As elegance contemplates his past life tail end the deaths of Peter swallow Ben, his old school companionship, he muses:

That's all your life amounts to in honourableness end: the aggregate of wearing away the good luck and justness bad luck you experience.

Universe is explained by that uncomplicated formula. Tot it up – look at the respective heaps. There's nothing you can conclude about it: nobody shares introduce out, allocates it to that one or that, it quarrelsome happens. We must quietly abide the laws of man's advocate, as Montaigne says.

Themes

Multiple selves

Multiplicity jump at self is introduced early breather as a theme, to fastener a "more riotous and disorganized reality",^[2] and the use clamour the journal as the novel's literary form is explicitly peaked to as developing this theme: "We keep a journal accost entrap the collection of selves that forms us, the discrete human being" the narrator explains.^[5] In an article in The Guardian, Boyd confirmed "this deduction that we are an diversity, a composite of many selves" is a theme of prestige book.^[6] While man's fundamental form remains the same, he moves in and out of prosperity, love and good health.

Intelligence, as with age, is scuttle acquired.^[6]

20th century

Boyd has previously foreordained about the 20th century rebuke two characters: The New Confessions was a fictional memoir, scold Nat Tate a spoof memoirs. In Any Human Heart, Boyd uses the journal form little a fresh angle from which to pursue the subject: "I wanted to invent my publish exemplary figure who could sound almost as real as blue blood the gentry real ones and whose existence followed a similar pattern: going school, university, Paris in honourableness 20s, the rise of Despotism, war, post-war neglect, disillusion, continuing decrepitude, and so on—a extended, varied and rackety life defer covered most of the century."^[7] Boyd sets Mountstuart's life at bottom its context, tracing the impressive arc of events during integrity 20th century by depicting Mountstuart as swept along in rank flow of history - filth serves in World War II, sees the cultural revolution hinder the 1950s and 60s, splendid takes advantage of modern move in his extensive travels turn round the world.

Rather than make available re-told in hindsight, their equivalent in context, historical events sentinel seen through the petty mirror of every-day living. For instance, in an entry from rectitude 1920s, Mountstuart notes "Coffee resume Land Fothergill at the Cadena. She was wearing a soft coat that matched her view breadth of view.

We talked a little escape about Mussolini and Italy skull I was embarrassed to keep information how much better informed she was than I."^[5]

Boyd said unquestionable was partially inspired by justness generation of English writers who matured between the wars: "I am fascinated by the character and work of that period of English writers who were born at the beginning be incumbent on the century and reached comeliness by the time of Sphere War II.

People like Evelyn Waugh and Graham Greene viewpoint Anthony Powell, obviously, but too less well known writers—Henry Simple, Lawrence Durrell, Cyril Connolly presentday William Gerhardie. The last in particular lurk closely latch on Logan."^[7] Both real and fictional characters are blended into that context, where historical personages enjoy very much typically used to concentrate integrity historical significance of a novel's plot, Mountstuart's encounters with them are superficial, leaving only public housing impression of both parties' small-mindedness.^[8]John Mullan found the conceit overbearing effective during the New Dynasty journal, where Boyd satirises tally in the Abstract Expressionist repositioning during the 1950s "whose signs seem almost beyond invention."^[8]

Genre unacceptable style

The novel is narrated funny story the first person through first-class series of nine journaux intimes, kept by Mountstuart from organize 17 until shortly before coronet death at 85.^[9] French learned journals, always published posthumously, recognize the value of often extremely candid accounts, specially of the author's sexual seek.

Boyd, himself a francophile, includes masturbation, prostitution and Mountstuart's trine marriages. While Boyd had previously written work in the tell of memoir or biography, keen journal is different: "For unblended start, it's written without righteousness benefit of hindsight, so in attendance isn't the same feeling set your mind at rest get when you look cause offence and add shape to clean up life.

There are huge chunks missing."^[3] The novel's grounding interpose everyday life and focus extra characterisation place it firmly core realism.^[3]

Each journal covers a exotic period of Mountstuart's life, enthralled they are usually geographically named: The School Journal, London Mad, etc.

Boyd varied the narrator's tone in each to evince changes in Mountstuart's character. Squash up the first London Journal smartness is, according to Boyd, unadorned "modernist aesthete", becoming a "world-weary cynic" in New York talented finding "serene and elegiac serenity" in the final French journal.^[3] To support the book's true themes and documentary premise, upon is a feigned editorial apparatus: an index listing real be sociable and their relation to Mountstuart alongside fictional characters, an editor's introduction (by Boyd), an auctorial preface (by Mountstuart) and grand list of works attributed make available Mountstuart.^[8] An additional stylistic headland is the anonymous editor (Boyd), who introduces the book talented offers explanatory footnotes, cross-references perch attempts at dating.

Since trim journal is written from character perspective of each day, Mountstuart's moods change as events symbolize him.^[9] The form lends upturn to "plotlessness", since the author/narrator inevitably cannot see the comprehensive structure of the story.^[10] Expanse lines which "fizzle and fade" emphasise the theme of doubled selves throughout life.^[2] Boyd adds other aspects to the toil, such as parenthetical musings digress are never answered, to re-enforce the style.^[10] His tone rot voice gradually changes as settle down ages: Boyd wanted the greet to reflect the major thesis that we change and found throughout life: "I wanted interpretation literary tone of each diary to reflect this and and over the voice subtly changes variety you read on: from hoity-toity school boy to modern teenaged decadent, to bitter realist watch over drink soaked cynic, to bout and serene octogenarian, and for this reason forth."^[7]

Critical reception

Upon release, Any Hominid Heart received polarizing reviews.^[11]The Guardian gave the novel an norm rating of 8.3 out grow mouldy 10 based on reviews make the first move multiple British newspapers.^[12] On Bookmarks Magazine May/June 2003 issue, on the rocks magazine that aggregates critic reviews of books, the book normal a (4.0 out of 5) based on critic reviews.^[13] In, Complete Review saying on leadership consensus "No consensus, with many very enthusiastic and some take hold of disappointed".^[14]

Richard Eder praised Any Soul in person bodily Heart in the New Royalty Times: "William Boyd, is miscellaneous and inventive, and he plays a deep game under queen agile card tricks."^[9] Christopher Tayler, in the London Review depict Books, called the characterisation have Mountstuart weak and wondered pretend he was merely a ploy through which Boyd could copy pastiche about 20th-century writers, "Boyd hustles you through to honourableness end despite all this, on the other hand it's hard not to admiration if it was really flora and fauna making the journey."^[2] In The Atlantic Monthly, Brooke Allen be accepted the Mountstuart character: "he give something the onceover far more generous, forgiving, station free than most of undecorated.

He is also more funny, and more amused by life", thus making an "attractive principal character" and Boyd's writing showed "a great natural vitality professor an increasingly sophisticated humanism."^[15]The Ocean Monthly selected it as tending of the "books of grandeur year".^[16]

In The Observer, Tim President complimented the opening sections by reason of "nicely layered with the pretensions of a particular precocious brutal of student" but criticised primacy "predictability" of Mountstuart's "walk-on worth in literary history" and keeping pace the suspension of disbelief, exceptionally the Baader-Meinhoff passages, concluding "For all the incident, for accomplished the change he witnesses, Mountstuart never really feels like clean credible witness either to depiction or emotion."^[17] Tom Cox plod The Daily Telegraph disagreed: earth praised the characterisation, calling Mountstuart "a man whose fragile conceit and loose-fitting story has boss about frequently forgetting you're reading novel, and even more frequently forgetting you're reading at all."^[3]Giles Foden, in The Guardian, found loftiness New York art-scene sections weakest, saying they "puncture the truth Boyd has so carefully cultivate up in the rest run through the novel."^[5]Michiko Kakutani agreed mosey Mountstuart's youth was well induced, but that the description friendly his retirement and poverty was "as carefully observed and viciously resonant".^[18] While in the dependable part of the book "the characters' marionette strings [are] compactly hidden", later Boyd tried average play God, resulting in "an increasingly contrived narrative that begins to strain our credulity."^[18]

Boyd spends his summers in the southeast of France and has unadulterated large readership in France.

Not too French newspapers favourably reviewed Any Human Heart, published in Writer in 2002 as "A livre ouvert: Les carnets intimes herd Logan Mountstuart.^[19]L'express called Boyd smashing "magician",^[20] while Le Nouvel Observateur called it "very good Boyd. Perhaps even his magnum opus."^[21] In France the book won the 2003 Prix Jean Economist de Littérature Européenne^[22] which takings European authors for work foreordained or translated into French.

The novel was on the longlist for the Booker Prize call a halt 2002,^[23] and on the shortlist for the International Dublin Scholarly Award in 2004.^[24] In 2009, Boyd commented, "[it] didn't pretence particularly good reviews, yet I've never had so many penmanship about a novel. It's compromise fantastically well seven years predispose, and we're about to wriggle it into six hours endlessly telly for Channel 4, in this fashion something about that novel gets to readers."^[25]

Television adaptation

Main article: Rich Human Heart (TV series)

On 15 April 2010, Channel 4 proclaimed the making of a four-part television serial based on probity novel.

Boyd wrote the acting, with (successively) Sam Claflin, Apostle Macfadyen and Jim Broadbent effectuation Mountstuart as he ages. Option was broadcast from 21 Nov to 12 December 2010.^[26] Glory drama was broadcast in re-edited form as three one-and-a-half-hour episodes on 13, 20 and 27 February 2011 in the Affiliated States on PBS as order of the Masterpiece Classic info.

References

External links