Lust for Life (novel)
Lust
for Life (1934) is a biographical novel
written by Irving Stone
based on the life of the famous Dutch painter, Vincent
van Gogh, and his hardships.[1]
It
was adapted into a 1956 film of the same name starring Kirk
Douglas, which was nominated for four Academy
Awards, winning one.
It
is Stone's first major publication and is largely based on the collection of
letters between Vincent van Gogh and his
younger brother, art dealer
Theo van Gogh.[2] They lay the foundation for most of what is known about the
thoughts and beliefs of the artist.[3][4] Stone conducted a large amount of "on-field"
research as is mentioned in the afterword.
Lust
for Life is famous for the way it describes
the origins of many of the artist's famous paintings including The
Potato Eaters, Sunflowers and others. Stone wanted to explain Van Gogh's difficult
life and how he began, flourished, and died as a painter. People close to Van
Gogh's life, like Paul Gauguin,
are also characters in the novel.
The
book is separated into nine smaller 'books', titled based on the places he
lived: London (Prologue), the Borinage, Etten,
The
Hague, Paris, Arles,
St.
Remy, and Auvers.
References
· · Pomerans (1996), ix
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