Henry James: The Young Master

Henry James #1

by Sheldon M. Novick

As if Henry James himself were guiding us, we visit old Calvinist New York in the mid-nineteenth century, and share the coming-of-age of a young man whose boldness of spirit and profound capacity for affection attract both men and women to him. We journey with James through Italy and France, witness his first love affair in Paris, and settle with him in London at the height of Empire in the Victorian Age. We scale the heights of London society with him, and as the world opens to James we share with him the experience of writing a series of celebrated and successful novels, culminating with Washington Square (on which the play The Heiress i s based) and his masterpiece The Portrait of a Lady. The Washington Post Book World “It is no small ambition to write a biography of James that is commensurate with that master, and Sheldon Novick has done it.”

“Splendidly written . . . Novick has aimed to bring James back to life and he has succeeded brilliantly.”
–The Washington Post Book World

“Like a movie of James’s life, as it unfold moment to moment.”
–The New York Times

“Masterful in bringing James and his world to life.”
–San Francisco Examiner-Chronicle

“Beautifully written, with a grace that enables [Sheldon Novick] to weave his subject’s words in and out of his own with a properly Jamesian suavity . . . Novick’s account gives one a profound respect for James’s persistence and power of will.”
–The New Republic

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction, History, American, Literary Criticism

592 pages, Paperback

First published October 8, 1996

Reviews

[Justin Evans · Rating 4 out of 5]

A easy to read, non-Freudian biography is my favorite kind, so thanks for that Mr. Novick. This is nicely structured, it flows beautifully, it includes some nice little tidbits of literary history, and exhaustive research. On the downside, Novick isn't much good at talking about James's actual writing: he focuses far too much on the ostensible content (in his view, essentially, bourgeois inwardness), and not nearly enough on James's technical feats (a little bit on his use of close third-person, but not much else). That's fine; it would be much less easy reading if there were huge chunks of narratology in there. But the absence of narratology does make it seem like the books are mainly ways for James to write about people he knows, rather than works of art. There's an awful lot of "character x is based on/is really person y." Most people in James's early works, apparently, are William or Henry James. Not my experience, I'll be honest.

But that really isn't all that much of a complaint, and I'm excited for volume two. It's astonishing that this book is no longer in print. Get on that, NYRB or whoever.

[Leslie Roper · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first biography I have read of Henry James--I have not read any of the 5 vol Leon Edel--so I have nothing to compare it with. The author uses new material that has come to light in the last several years, which is why a newer biography is not unwelcome. He says he wants to dispel the notion of James being cold, bloodless, a prude. I thought he meant in his personal life but I think it is more evident in his writings. An previous reviewer of this first of two vol bio was disappointed more detail was not given of James' early works. I thought a great amount of detail was given to his works up to A Portrait of a Lady, which is where the first vol ends. I thought Novick did an excellent job of showing how James' life experiences and the people he knew influences and informs all of his work.
I think of Henry James as a modern--that is 20th century novelist. But he was born in 1843, vey much in the 19th century. It is a tribute to hs writing that it is timeless.

[Gayla Bassham · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oh, how I wish we could give half stars. Three stars feels too low, four stars too high.

This is a perfectly fine book if you're yearning to learn about Henry James's youth and you know nothing about him. For myself, I have reservations about Novick's writing -- too much narrative, not enough insight or interpretation. The writing and research are solid -- but to my mind it is really only suitable for people who already know little about James, and if you don't know much about James are you really going to pick up a two-volume biography?

[Mary Stephanos · Rating 5 out of 5]

This lushly detailed biography (or rather the first of a two-part biography) traces the life and career of Henry James from birth to the publication of "The Portrait of a Lady." Author Sheldon Novick wonderfully recounts the events of James's life and in the process manages to draw very clearly the world in which James lived and worked. The reader comes away knowing not only what James accomplished but also how and why. Highly recommended for fans of Henry James, would-be writers, and anyone interested in the creative life.

[John]

I read this book when it first appeared - over a decade ago. I need to re-read in order to recall any distinct impression of the book at all. I will say that Novick's second volume, The Mature Master, is marvelously evocative of the man, the time and the social and intellectual context in which he lived, to which he chose to confine himself.

[Andrew Rostan]

A magnificent biography, evocative, cinematic, and very moving...a real portrait of how a writer develops into a mature, brilliantly creative person, and unlike several books about James is unflinchingly honest about his personal life. MAGIC.

[Mark Stephenson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Has much interesting information, but ignores so much of the actual work of the young HJ that I was somewhat disappointed.