Letters to Isabella Stewart Gardner

by Henry James, Rosella Mamolli Zorzi (Translation)

Surrounded by artists, writers and musicians who constituted her court in Boston as in Venice, Isabella Stewart Gardner, a passionate art collector with enormous funds, was as revered and sought after as royalty. Henry James had a real affection for her, and was inspired by the rich and powerful Mrs Gardner and her magnificent pearls, as well as by the Palazzo Barbaro in Venice, for his novel The Wings of the Dove made into a film in 1997. Mrs Gardner was to recreate a larger than life version of Palazzo Barbaro in Boston, which is now the Isabella Gardner Museum. These letters add another dimension to what we know of Henry James long relationship with Venice and the Palazzo Barbaro.

Pushkin Collection editions feature a spare, elegant series style and superior, durable components. The Collection is typeset in Monotype Baskerville, litho-printed on Munken Premium White Paper and notch-bound by the independently owned printer TJ International in Padstow. The covers, with French flaps, are printed on Colorplan Pristine White Paper. Both paper and cover board are acid-free and Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified.

Genres: History, Art, Nonfiction, Biography, Art History

336 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1914

About the author

Henry 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."

Reviews

[Julianne]

Work book club. Successful meeting! ISG has a great deal of fans in the modern day. Everything I might need to say I’ve said elsewhere.

But! I am inspired anew to dash off some notes to friends. As my dear friend Colette says, every letter is a gift.

[michal k-c]

Well researched volume, James is so charming; was hoping, however, for more discussion re: Gardner’s art collection. Did love whenever James would refer to any of his novels as “silly little volumes”

[Caitlin Fisher]

Worth it for the story about Isabella Gardner throwing her silk cape on Oscar Wilde, who was hiding in the coat room at a party

[Samuel Biddlestone]

More revealing of James than Gardner, slightly disappointingly but I suppose unsurprisingly - what is really interesting though is what James doesn’t say.

[Jeff]

These letters are a real treat for anyone who admires Isabella Stewart Gardner and the great museum she created here in Boston, as well as for fans of Henry James. The introductory chapters by Rosella Zorzi and Gardner Museum curator Alan Chong, plus the very extensive footnotes, are a mine of information about not just writer and recipient but the cultural and artistic world of the Gilded Age. We see the author both fascinated by Mrs. Gardner and determined to keep a degree of distance from her flamboyant personality. To be honest, I find her to be the more interesting of the pair and think she led a more interesting life, too. The letters also make it plain that James’s inability or unwillingness to write a simple declarative sentence without several subordinate clauses was by no means confined to his fiction!

-Alan.

[Patricia Lane]

A wonderful little book of letters that Henry James wrote to ISG. A must for my fellow Gardner Geeks! And quite wonderful for the sheer language; James makes me want to write more letters.........

[Olivia]

An interesting peek into Isabella Stewart Gardner through Henry James’ eyes. James’ voice (which is, at times, dramatic and quite funny) also makes this an enjoyable read.

[Annarella]

Two persons who were larger than life, lived in a very exciting historical moments and met other great characters.
I loved this letters as they tell a story and talk about a fascinating and lost world
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

[Hannah Sofia]

Henry James, you dramatic little simp of a man, bless you.