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The Daily Henry James: A Year of Quotes from the Work of the Master
A strange and delightful memento of one of the most lasting literary voices of all time, The Daily Henry James is a little book from a great mind. First published with James’s approval in 1911 as the ultimate token of fandom—a limited edition quote-of-the-day collection titled The Henry James Year Book —this new edition is a gift across time, arriving as we mark the centenary of his death. Drawing on the Master’s novels, essays, reviews, plays, criticism, and travelogues, The Daily Henry James offers a series of impressions (for if not of impressions, of what was James fond?) to carry us through the year.
From the deepest longings of Isabel Archer to James’s insights in The Art of Fiction , longer seasonal quotes introduce each month, while concise bits of wisdom and whimsy mark each day. To take but one Isabel, in a quote from The Portrait of a Lady for September 30, muses, “She gave an envious thought to the happier lot of men, who are always free to plunge into the healing waters of action.” Featuring a new foreword by James biographer Michael Gorra as well as the original introductions by James and his good friend William Dean Howells, this long-forgotten perennial calendar will be an essential bibelot for James’s most ardent devotees and newest converts alike, a treasure to be cherished daily, across all seasons, for years, for ages to come.
From the deepest longings of Isabel Archer to James’s insights in The Art of Fiction , longer seasonal quotes introduce each month, while concise bits of wisdom and whimsy mark each day. To take but one Isabel, in a quote from The Portrait of a Lady for September 30, muses, “She gave an envious thought to the happier lot of men, who are always free to plunge into the healing waters of action.” Featuring a new foreword by James biographer Michael Gorra as well as the original introductions by James and his good friend William Dean Howells, this long-forgotten perennial calendar will be an essential bibelot for James’s most ardent devotees and newest converts alike, a treasure to be cherished daily, across all seasons, for years, for ages to come.
208 pages, Paperback
Published October 19, 2016
19 people are currently reading
32 people want to read
About the author
Henry James
4,646 books3,971 followersHenry James was an American-British author. He is regarded as a key transitional figure between literary realism and literary modernism, and is considered by many to be among the greatest novelists in the English language. He was the son of Henry James Sr. and the brother of philosopher and psychologist William James and diarist Alice James.
He is best known for his novels dealing with the social and marital interplay between émigré Americans, the English, and continental Europeans, such as The Portrait of a Lady. His later works, such as The Ambassadors, The Wings of the Dove and The Golden Bowl were increasingly experimental. In describing the internal states of mind and social dynamics of his characters, James often wrote in a style in which ambiguous or contradictory motives and impressions were overlaid or juxtaposed in the discussion of a character's psyche. For their unique ambiguity, as well as for other aspects of their composition, his late works have been compared to Impressionist painting.
His novella The Turn of the Screw has garnered a reputation as the most analysed and ambiguous ghost story in the English language and remains his most widely adapted work in other media. He wrote other highly regarded ghost stories, such as "The Jolly Corner".
James published articles and books of criticism, travel, biography, autobiography, and plays. Born in the United States, James largely relocated to Europe as a young man, and eventually settled in England, becoming a British citizen in 1915, a year before his death. James was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1911, 1912, and 1916. Jorge Luis Borges said "I have visited some literatures of East and West; I have compiled an encyclopedic compendium of fantastic literature; I have translated Kafka, Melville, and Bloy; I know of no stranger work than that of Henry James."
He is best known for his novels dealing with the social and marital interplay between émigré Americans, the English, and continental Europeans, such as The Portrait of a Lady. His later works, such as The Ambassadors, The Wings of the Dove and The Golden Bowl were increasingly experimental. In describing the internal states of mind and social dynamics of his characters, James often wrote in a style in which ambiguous or contradictory motives and impressions were overlaid or juxtaposed in the discussion of a character's psyche. For their unique ambiguity, as well as for other aspects of their composition, his late works have been compared to Impressionist painting.
His novella The Turn of the Screw has garnered a reputation as the most analysed and ambiguous ghost story in the English language and remains his most widely adapted work in other media. He wrote other highly regarded ghost stories, such as "The Jolly Corner".
James published articles and books of criticism, travel, biography, autobiography, and plays. Born in the United States, James largely relocated to Europe as a young man, and eventually settled in England, becoming a British citizen in 1915, a year before his death. James was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1911, 1912, and 1916. Jorge Luis Borges said "I have visited some literatures of East and West; I have compiled an encyclopedic compendium of fantastic literature; I have translated Kafka, Melville, and Bloy; I know of no stranger work than that of Henry James."
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
February 21, 2025
When was the last time I read Henry James? I keep meaning to, but.... Thinking about those sentences, long and convoluted and complex, And even 8 years of nuns teaching me how to diagram a sentence does not always solve the issue. I break out in a sweat just thinking about reading "The Golden Bowl"!
But this popped up on sale on Kindle in late 2024, and I bought it.
An interesting history here from Michael Gorra's Foreward. This was compiled by the daughter, Evelyn Garnaut Smalley, of American London friends of James. She was having emotional and mental problems, and had even been placed in a private mental institution. It appears compiling this was part of her cure. A short Preface was written by James, and a short Introduction by W. D. Howells.
It was first published in 1911 (James died in 1916). Entries are short - think of a Henry James Quote of the Day flip calendar. A combination of excerpts from his fiction, and quotes from his critical writings on other authors. Some are humorous (in that Jamesian dry wit kind of way), and some are as complex as James can be.
But, over all, it has been enjoyable to start my 2025 late nights reading session with a James quotation.
While I bought this as an eBook, I am considering purchasing a physical copy of it. It is just that kind of thing you want in your hand, rather than on your screen. I hope it comes with a place-holder ribbon - it is the type of book that it should...... (But probably not, as this reprint is only in the paperback format.)
And, I have even been buying some of James' fiction - in hopes I can steel myself to actually read him again. A few titles which I had never heard of before sound interesting here. Maybe a place to begin.
5 out of 5.
But this popped up on sale on Kindle in late 2024, and I bought it.
An interesting history here from Michael Gorra's Foreward. This was compiled by the daughter, Evelyn Garnaut Smalley, of American London friends of James. She was having emotional and mental problems, and had even been placed in a private mental institution. It appears compiling this was part of her cure. A short Preface was written by James, and a short Introduction by W. D. Howells.
It was first published in 1911 (James died in 1916). Entries are short - think of a Henry James Quote of the Day flip calendar. A combination of excerpts from his fiction, and quotes from his critical writings on other authors. Some are humorous (in that Jamesian dry wit kind of way), and some are as complex as James can be.
But, over all, it has been enjoyable to start my 2025 late nights reading session with a James quotation.
While I bought this as an eBook, I am considering purchasing a physical copy of it. It is just that kind of thing you want in your hand, rather than on your screen. I hope it comes with a place-holder ribbon - it is the type of book that it should...... (But probably not, as this reprint is only in the paperback format.)
And, I have even been buying some of James' fiction - in hopes I can steel myself to actually read him again. A few titles which I had never heard of before sound interesting here. Maybe a place to begin.
5 out of 5.
December 31, 2017
Greet every day of a year with the Master!
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews