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The Art of Youth: Crane, Carrington, Gershwin, and the Nature of First Acts
The Art of Youth is a moving inquiry into the nature of artistic prodigies who did their major work at an early age. Renowned novelist Nicholas Delbanco gives us a triptych of indelible the American writer Stephen Crane (immortalized by The Red Badge of Courage ); British artist Dora Carrington (called “the most neglected serious painter of her time”); and the legendary composer George Gershwin ( Rhapsody in Blue, Porgy and Bess ).
All three lived colorful, productive lives before dying early, at an average age of thirty-five. In this learned and elegant book, Delbanco discovers what it is we mourn in authors who pass away so young, and muses on his own life—one marked by both early success and longevity.
All three lived colorful, productive lives before dying early, at an average age of thirty-five. In this learned and elegant book, Delbanco discovers what it is we mourn in authors who pass away so young, and muses on his own life—one marked by both early success and longevity.
205 pages, Hardcover
First published November 19, 2013
3 people are currently reading
182 people want to read
About the author
Nicholas Delbanco
98 books18 followersNicholas Delbanco is the Robert Frost Distinguished University Professor of English Language and Literature at the University of Michigan and Chair of the Hopwood Committee. He has published twenty-five books of fiction and non-fiction. His most recent novels are The Count of Concord and Spring and Fall; his most recent works of non-fiction are The Countess of Stanlein Restored and The Lost Suitcase: Reflections on the Literary Life. As editor he has compiled the work of, among others, John Gardner and Bernard Malamud. The long-term Director of the MFA Program as well as the Hopwood Awards Program at the University of Michigan, he has served as Chair of the Fiction Panel for the National Book Awards, received a Guggenheim Fellowship and, twice, a National Endowment for the Arts Writing Fellowship. Professor Delbanco has just completed a teaching text for McGraw-Hill entitled Literature: Craft and Voice, a three-volume Introduction to Literature of which he is the co-editor with Alan Cheuse; in 2004 he published The Sincerest Form: Writiing Fiction by Imitation. His new non-fiction book, Lastingness: The Art of Old Age will be published by Grand Central Publishing in 2011.
Full Biography
NOTE: The following biography was composed in 2000 by Jon Manchip White and reflects information only up to and including that year.
Nationality: American. Born: London, England, 1942. Education: Harvard University, B.A. 1963; Columbia University, M.A. 1966. Career: Member of Department of Language and Literature, Bennington College, Bennington, Vermont, 1966-84, writing workshop director, 1977-84; professor of English, Skidmore College, Saratoga Springs, New York, 1984-85; Robert Frost Professor of English Language and Literature, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, 1985—. Awards: National Endowment for the Arts creative writing award, 1973, 1982; National Endowment of Composers and Librettists fellowship, 1976; Guggenheim fellowship, 1980; Woodrow Wilson fellowship; Edward John Noble fellowship; New York State CAPS Award; Vermont Council of the Arts Award; Michigan Council of the Arts Award. Agent: Brandt & Brandt Literary Agents, Inc., 1501 Broadway, New York, New York 10036, U.S.A.
As a novelist, Nicholas Delbanco can be considered doubly fortunate in that he has always been able to draw inspiration and sustenance from two continents and two cultures.
Of Italian and German descent, he was born in London at the height of the German Blitz, and his family did not depart for America until he was six, and he was not naturalized as an American citizen until he was eleven. It is not surprising that, though later he would anchor himself firmly in New England and particularly in Vermont, and more recently in Michigan as the Robert Frost Professor of English Language and Literature, the influence of his European origins would play a consistent part in his fiction and non-fiction alike.
The cultural ambivalence, if such it may be called, manifested itself early. At Harvard, his B.A. thesis was devoted to a joint study of Rilke and Heredia, two noteworthy wanderers, and the subject of his M.A. thesis was that tragic outcast, Malcolm Lowry. Examining the numerous novels Delbanco has published to date, one finds that only five are set exclusively in the United States and that the majority are set, either in whole or part, in Provence, Tuscany, Greece, Switzerland, or as far afield as Barbados and Mexico. Several of his non-fiction books are concerned with Europe, one of them a study of that remarkable group of literary exiles, including Conrad, Crane, and James, who lived and worked together in a small corner of England at the turn of the last century. Indeed, one of the courses Delbanco has taught over the years is specifically entitled “Exiles,” and is devoted to Becket, Conrad, and Nabokov, while other courses have featured a gallery of roving and displaced novelists such as Joyce, Lawrence, Forster, Ford, Mann, Fitzgerald, and He
Full Biography
NOTE: The following biography was composed in 2000 by Jon Manchip White and reflects information only up to and including that year.
Nationality: American. Born: London, England, 1942. Education: Harvard University, B.A. 1963; Columbia University, M.A. 1966. Career: Member of Department of Language and Literature, Bennington College, Bennington, Vermont, 1966-84, writing workshop director, 1977-84; professor of English, Skidmore College, Saratoga Springs, New York, 1984-85; Robert Frost Professor of English Language and Literature, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, 1985—. Awards: National Endowment for the Arts creative writing award, 1973, 1982; National Endowment of Composers and Librettists fellowship, 1976; Guggenheim fellowship, 1980; Woodrow Wilson fellowship; Edward John Noble fellowship; New York State CAPS Award; Vermont Council of the Arts Award; Michigan Council of the Arts Award. Agent: Brandt & Brandt Literary Agents, Inc., 1501 Broadway, New York, New York 10036, U.S.A.
As a novelist, Nicholas Delbanco can be considered doubly fortunate in that he has always been able to draw inspiration and sustenance from two continents and two cultures.
Of Italian and German descent, he was born in London at the height of the German Blitz, and his family did not depart for America until he was six, and he was not naturalized as an American citizen until he was eleven. It is not surprising that, though later he would anchor himself firmly in New England and particularly in Vermont, and more recently in Michigan as the Robert Frost Professor of English Language and Literature, the influence of his European origins would play a consistent part in his fiction and non-fiction alike.
The cultural ambivalence, if such it may be called, manifested itself early. At Harvard, his B.A. thesis was devoted to a joint study of Rilke and Heredia, two noteworthy wanderers, and the subject of his M.A. thesis was that tragic outcast, Malcolm Lowry. Examining the numerous novels Delbanco has published to date, one finds that only five are set exclusively in the United States and that the majority are set, either in whole or part, in Provence, Tuscany, Greece, Switzerland, or as far afield as Barbados and Mexico. Several of his non-fiction books are concerned with Europe, one of them a study of that remarkable group of literary exiles, including Conrad, Crane, and James, who lived and worked together in a small corner of England at the turn of the last century. Indeed, one of the courses Delbanco has taught over the years is specifically entitled “Exiles,” and is devoted to Becket, Conrad, and Nabokov, while other courses have featured a gallery of roving and displaced novelists such as Joyce, Lawrence, Forster, Ford, Mann, Fitzgerald, and He
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
May 6, 2016
In Lastingness: The Art of Old Age, Nicholas Delbanco explored the creative lives artists like Monet Yeats, and Verdi who’s skills and talents lasted a lifetime. For The Art of Youth: Crane, Carrington, Gershwin, and the Nature of First Acts, Delbanco reverses focus. He instead presents short biographies of three artists who expired in their 30’s and yet whose work is still greatly respected.
Whereas Lasting was about the qualities that made artists endure and improve across the decades, in For the Art of Youth, Delbanco is interested in exploring if the artistic flames of author Stephen Crane, painter Dora Carrington, and musician George Gerswin were meant to last or were instead symptoms of a creativity soon to expire.
I think for me a book like this lives or dies almost totally due to one’s willingness to embrace the author’s thesis, and perhaps equally if one finds the author’s musing interesting enough to explore. From the reviews its clear many readers felt Delbanco’s musing, even rambling style off putting. For me it was never a distraction and if anything made the book even more enjoyable.
The book is divided into five sections-the introduction where Delbanco spells out his thoughts on young artists and the eternal unanswerable question of if an artist will continue to grow and evolve or flame out with age. The second, third and fourth sections are brief biographies of the three subjects; in the final section Delbanco revisits his own youth to question how his choices affected his creative life.
The biographies are the strongest part of the book as Delbanco is clearly able to summarize his subjects lives and accomplishments, while also exploring if the artistic flame was bound to last. I particularly liked the chapter on Dora Carrington, and Delbanco’s theory that her work was slowing in part due to a focus on her private life and the lack of other painters in her social relationships. The chapter on Gershwin was also very good, and I found myself agreeing that had he lived he would have likely continued to evolve and create in a variety of musical genres. Crane, though, was to me the big question mark. Whereas Gershwin continued to evolve…Crane seemed to be chasing his expenses and his work was becoming inconsistent, it’s unclear to me if he would have conquered that inconsistency enough to produce a work equal to the Red Badge of Courage.
In the final section of the book Delbanco explores his own past to apply his theory to himself. He writes of his early writing days with a typewriter in the predawn hours, of the summers he worked delivering seafood in the morning only to write by afternoon. He tells of developing the central arc of his first novel while walking with a friend. While many readers seemingly found this section mudane, I did not. Delbanco’s point is that he like the featured subjects had a golden beginning and somehow by a mishmash of choices he ended up having not only a fertile creative youth but also equally fertile decades that Crane, Carrington and Gershwin did not. Had his choices been different, he seems to argue, so to might have his creative life.
For The Art of Youth is definitely not well suited for everyone. A reader needs a keen interest in not only the artists featured, but also a interest in the art of creating be it writing, painting or composing. Likewise, the reader has to be open to following the written musings of a man clearly interested in creativity across the lifespan not only great figures but also his own. I know for myself I have found myself pondering deeply the questions Delbanco posed.
Whereas Lasting was about the qualities that made artists endure and improve across the decades, in For the Art of Youth, Delbanco is interested in exploring if the artistic flames of author Stephen Crane, painter Dora Carrington, and musician George Gerswin were meant to last or were instead symptoms of a creativity soon to expire.
I think for me a book like this lives or dies almost totally due to one’s willingness to embrace the author’s thesis, and perhaps equally if one finds the author’s musing interesting enough to explore. From the reviews its clear many readers felt Delbanco’s musing, even rambling style off putting. For me it was never a distraction and if anything made the book even more enjoyable.
The book is divided into five sections-the introduction where Delbanco spells out his thoughts on young artists and the eternal unanswerable question of if an artist will continue to grow and evolve or flame out with age. The second, third and fourth sections are brief biographies of the three subjects; in the final section Delbanco revisits his own youth to question how his choices affected his creative life.
The biographies are the strongest part of the book as Delbanco is clearly able to summarize his subjects lives and accomplishments, while also exploring if the artistic flame was bound to last. I particularly liked the chapter on Dora Carrington, and Delbanco’s theory that her work was slowing in part due to a focus on her private life and the lack of other painters in her social relationships. The chapter on Gershwin was also very good, and I found myself agreeing that had he lived he would have likely continued to evolve and create in a variety of musical genres. Crane, though, was to me the big question mark. Whereas Gershwin continued to evolve…Crane seemed to be chasing his expenses and his work was becoming inconsistent, it’s unclear to me if he would have conquered that inconsistency enough to produce a work equal to the Red Badge of Courage.
In the final section of the book Delbanco explores his own past to apply his theory to himself. He writes of his early writing days with a typewriter in the predawn hours, of the summers he worked delivering seafood in the morning only to write by afternoon. He tells of developing the central arc of his first novel while walking with a friend. While many readers seemingly found this section mudane, I did not. Delbanco’s point is that he like the featured subjects had a golden beginning and somehow by a mishmash of choices he ended up having not only a fertile creative youth but also equally fertile decades that Crane, Carrington and Gershwin did not. Had his choices been different, he seems to argue, so to might have his creative life.
For The Art of Youth is definitely not well suited for everyone. A reader needs a keen interest in not only the artists featured, but also a interest in the art of creating be it writing, painting or composing. Likewise, the reader has to be open to following the written musings of a man clearly interested in creativity across the lifespan not only great figures but also his own. I know for myself I have found myself pondering deeply the questions Delbanco posed.
January 9, 2014
I received this book as part of the Goodreads First Reads Giveaway.
Rating: 3 to 3.5 stars
In his work, The Art of Youth, author Nicholas Delbanco explores the history of three “artistic prodigies” who died young. The first chapter explores the idea that some people seem to be born to experience greatness while young but wonders whether, in the case of the three chosen artists, they would have burned out or continued if they had not died when they did. The next three chapters are devoted to succinct, informational and eloquently written biographies of Crane, Carrington and Gershwin. Although only about 40 pages long, I felt that each biography wonderfully explored each individual’s work, life and what made them great. Mr. Delbanco shows how each individual was only able to achieve their “First Acts” and considers what might have happened if they had lived longer. Obviously there is no way of knowing what their future might have held and these three artists may have benefited from the ancient Greek belief that to die young at your peak of achievement was a wonderful thing. If the book had ended there I might have given it five stars – I felt the analysis and biographies were that good. Unfortunately the rest of the book is a confusing mishmash of further analysis, along with examples and stories from the author’s own life and experiences. Although Mr. Delbanco’s life sounds fascinating and may even make a very interesting autobiography, I felt it had no place in this work and only muddied the waters.
Rating: 3 to 3.5 stars
In his work, The Art of Youth, author Nicholas Delbanco explores the history of three “artistic prodigies” who died young. The first chapter explores the idea that some people seem to be born to experience greatness while young but wonders whether, in the case of the three chosen artists, they would have burned out or continued if they had not died when they did. The next three chapters are devoted to succinct, informational and eloquently written biographies of Crane, Carrington and Gershwin. Although only about 40 pages long, I felt that each biography wonderfully explored each individual’s work, life and what made them great. Mr. Delbanco shows how each individual was only able to achieve their “First Acts” and considers what might have happened if they had lived longer. Obviously there is no way of knowing what their future might have held and these three artists may have benefited from the ancient Greek belief that to die young at your peak of achievement was a wonderful thing. If the book had ended there I might have given it five stars – I felt the analysis and biographies were that good. Unfortunately the rest of the book is a confusing mishmash of further analysis, along with examples and stories from the author’s own life and experiences. Although Mr. Delbanco’s life sounds fascinating and may even make a very interesting autobiography, I felt it had no place in this work and only muddied the waters.
December 10, 2013
I'm reviewing a copy received for free from Goodreads Giveaways.
This is a really interesting concept, and piggybacks off of the author's last work Lastingness (which I haven't read, but is interesting as well)--that book was about artists who have lasting careers, and this one was about genus that dies young. Besides Gershwin, the artists picked are kind of obscure--I couldn't name the guy who wrote The Red Badge of Courage off the top of my head before reading this, and in about 3 weeks I won't be able to do it again--but I think that actually added to the interest level. Because there's no "research" one can do into the author's theory--that is, that some forms of genius just can't last past a certain age--this was mostly good to me as a biographical study of the artists in question. I don't know how one would do research on this subject, but some kind of scientific backup for the theory would have been nice, speaking as a nerd. Also, the chapter on the author himself felt very self-indulgent and unnecessary, and I was REALLY distracted by all the semi-colons he decided to use in that one.
All in all, thought-provoking, but it could have used some back-up on the theory.
This is a really interesting concept, and piggybacks off of the author's last work Lastingness (which I haven't read, but is interesting as well)--that book was about artists who have lasting careers, and this one was about genus that dies young. Besides Gershwin, the artists picked are kind of obscure--I couldn't name the guy who wrote The Red Badge of Courage off the top of my head before reading this, and in about 3 weeks I won't be able to do it again--but I think that actually added to the interest level. Because there's no "research" one can do into the author's theory--that is, that some forms of genius just can't last past a certain age--this was mostly good to me as a biographical study of the artists in question. I don't know how one would do research on this subject, but some kind of scientific backup for the theory would have been nice, speaking as a nerd. Also, the chapter on the author himself felt very self-indulgent and unnecessary, and I was REALLY distracted by all the semi-colons he decided to use in that one.
All in all, thought-provoking, but it could have used some back-up on the theory.
March 8, 2014
I won this book from Goodreads.
To be honest here - I do not know enough about music to make a proper comment on Gershwin. Dora Carrington is also lost on me, never having seen or "experienced" her paintings.
I came to this book because of a lifetime of reverence of Stephen Crane. The many quotes and observations from others were enjoyed.
The author did a good job of bringing up snippets, showing insights and considerations about Crane. I had not read about his relationship with his lady friend, Cora (his fellow correspondent) and welcomed the opportunity.
How could such brilliance pass at 28? I continue to be both stunned and saddened.
I tried to compare the chapters on Gershwin and Carrington to Crane's contribution. Although amused at Carrington's lifestyle, I couldn't relate. (NOT the author's fault!)
Delbanco used 2 words that caught my attention about Gershwin: "Energy" and "Exuberance." Such a huge body of work - welcomed and worthy - amazed me.
(Perhaps the biggest thought I came away with is that "writing genius" usually requires the maturity that comes from increasing vocabulary and life experiences. So how did Crane..........?
A thoughtful and enjoyable read.
To be honest here - I do not know enough about music to make a proper comment on Gershwin. Dora Carrington is also lost on me, never having seen or "experienced" her paintings.
I came to this book because of a lifetime of reverence of Stephen Crane. The many quotes and observations from others were enjoyed.
The author did a good job of bringing up snippets, showing insights and considerations about Crane. I had not read about his relationship with his lady friend, Cora (his fellow correspondent) and welcomed the opportunity.
How could such brilliance pass at 28? I continue to be both stunned and saddened.
I tried to compare the chapters on Gershwin and Carrington to Crane's contribution. Although amused at Carrington's lifestyle, I couldn't relate. (NOT the author's fault!)
Delbanco used 2 words that caught my attention about Gershwin: "Energy" and "Exuberance." Such a huge body of work - welcomed and worthy - amazed me.
(Perhaps the biggest thought I came away with is that "writing genius" usually requires the maturity that comes from increasing vocabulary and life experiences. So how did Crane..........?
A thoughtful and enjoyable read.
November 24, 2013
Read my full review of The Art of Youth in The New York Journal of Books.
A list of recent reviews can also be found on Richard Cytowic's reviewer page.
Delbanco is the Robert Frost Distinguished professor at the University of Michigan. He is a prolific writer of fiction and nonfiction himself. He was a wunderkind, too, having published his first novel at the age of 24. Presumably, this makes him simpatico with his subjects. But no, he does not answer the questions he poses about the genesis of genius.
A list of recent reviews can also be found on Richard Cytowic's reviewer page.
Delbanco is the Robert Frost Distinguished professor at the University of Michigan. He is a prolific writer of fiction and nonfiction himself. He was a wunderkind, too, having published his first novel at the age of 24. Presumably, this makes him simpatico with his subjects. But no, he does not answer the questions he poses about the genesis of genius.
May 21, 2016
Readable but not wonderful
Rather more about the author than I cared for, but the specific chapters on each of his intended subjects were both more informative and more interesting. His subjects were well-chosen and the similarities and differences well-described.
It seems the author assumed that lengthy explanations of the whys and wherefore so of his choices would be interesting to the reader. I found them needlessly lengthy and convoluted.
My advice:go directly to the chapters on the artists; read those. Then close the book
Rather more about the author than I cared for, but the specific chapters on each of his intended subjects were both more informative and more interesting. His subjects were well-chosen and the similarities and differences well-described.
It seems the author assumed that lengthy explanations of the whys and wherefore so of his choices would be interesting to the reader. I found them needlessly lengthy and convoluted.
My advice:go directly to the chapters on the artists; read those. Then close the book
Want to read
June 26, 2023This was an amazing and insightful into the potential of youth, especially in the arts. Infused with both the empirical facts of artists's lives and Delbanco's ability to bring words to life, this book was gripping and easy to read.
I won this through Goodreads giveaways.
I won this through Goodreads giveaways.
October 8, 2014
Premise was interesting, but the author was repetitive and full of pretension. He has the temerity to say that if Carrington had killed herself "just 3 weeks later" the sum total of the 3 subjects ages would have been 105 years. He called it "arithmetically cute", I call it offense and pointless.
November 28, 2015
This was an alright book. The biographies of the artists were well done whereas the musings of the author were a bit tedious.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews