Edmund Wilson: A Biography

by Jeffrey Meyers

This comprehensive biography of prolific critic, essayist, historian, and novelist Edmund Wilson (1895-1972) posits, quite successfully, that the subject lived a life as romantic and chaotic as his friend F. Scott Fitzgerald's. Wilson suffered a nervous breakdown and the tragic death of his second wife (he was married four times, among them, Mary McCarthy); had affairs with numerous beautiful women, including Edna St. Vincent Millay; and was friend to literary giants such as John Dos Passos, Vladimir Nabakov, and W.H. Auden.

Genres: Biography

592 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 1995

About the author

Jeffrey Meyers, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, has recently been given an Award in Literature by the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Thirty of his books have been translated into fourteen languages and seven alphabets, and published on six continents. He lives in Berkeley, California.

Reviews

[Caitlin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Didn't finish, but gave it to about 15% of the book. I might just be biased, because I tend not to like biographies, so certainly take my thoughts on this as non-expert. I really struggled to feel a connection with the subject, and it was mostly because the author had a sincere "this happened, and then this other thing happened, and then yes, this happened, and therefore the conclusion is that Edmund turned out like this" which seemed somehow simplistic and overly detailed at the same time. I didn't get a sense that we'd be learning any of the nuance of his life, so I stopped early.

[JerryDeanHalleck · Rating 2 out of 5]

Another one of those boring biographies where the Author feels the need to correct the subject. If Wilson has Political view X, then Myers has to inform us that Wilson is wrong and the correct view is Y. Or we get shock and horror that Wilson didn't like revered author Z, or had cultural view ABC, that "We" all know is wrong in the current year.

Plus, there's too much chronological narrative and not enough interersting analysis of Wilson as Literature critic or his relations with the Literary heavyweights of the 20th century.

I'd recommend skipping this book, and reading Wilson's journals and notebooks edited by Leon Edel.