1. Target
  2. Movies, Music & Books
  3. Books
  4. All Book Genres
  5. Fiction
  6. Poetry

Dweller in Shadows - by Kate Kennedy (Hardcover)

Dweller in Shadows - by  Kate Kennedy (Hardcover)
Store: Target
Last Price: 35.00 USD

Similar Products

Products of same category from the store

All

Product info

<p/><br></br><p><b> About the Book </b></p></br></br>"Ivor Gurney (1890-1937) was a composer and poet. Originally a student of music, he took up poetry in the trenches of the First World War, and was working on what would be his first volume of verse when, in 1917, he suffered wounds to the shoulder; and it was just before publication of this volume, Severn & Somme, that he was gassed at Passchendaele. After his return to Britain he resumed his musical studies, availing himself briefly of the tutelage of Ralph Vaughan Williams, and quickly found outlets for his compositions. There is some debate about whether or not his subsequent mental illness was a consequence of the horrors and sufferings of the war; but mental illness marked the rest of his life, and indeed from about 1922 until his death he was institutionalised. In his last years he literally believed that he was William Shakespeare. He nevertheless continued to produce poems and musical compositions in prolific fashion, and his works in both areas are read and performed, respectively, to this day"--<p/><br></br><p><b> Book Synopsis </b></p></br></br><p><b>The first comprehensive biography of an extraordinary English poet and composer whose life was haunted by fighting in the First World War and, later, confinement in a mental asylum</b> <p/>Ivor Gurney (1890-1937) wrote some of the most anthologized poems of the First World War and composed some of the greatest works in the English song repertoire, such as "Sleep." Yet his life was shadowed by the trauma of the war and mental illness, and he spent his last fifteen years confined to a mental asylum. In <i>Dweller in Shadows</i>, Kate Kennedy presents the first comprehensive biography of this extraordinary and misunderstood artist. <p/>A promising student at the Royal College of Music, Gurney enlisted as a private with the Gloucestershire regiment in 1915 and spent two years in the trenches of the Western Front. Wounded in the arm and subsequently gassed during the Battle of Passchendaele, Gurney was recovering in hospital when his first collection of poems, <i>Severn and Somme</i>, was published. Despite episodes of depression, he resumed his music studies after the war until he was committed to an asylum in 1922. At times believing he was Shakespeare and that the "machines under the floor" were torturing him, he nevertheless continued to write and compose, leaving behind a vast body of unpublished work when he died of tuberculosis. Drawing on extensive archival research and spanning literary criticism, history, psychiatry and musicology, this compelling narrative sets Gurney's life and work against the backdrop of the war and his institutionalisation, probing the links between madness, suffering and creativity. <p/>Facing death in the trenches, Gurney hoped that history might not "forget me quite." This definitive account of his life and work helps ensure that he will indeed be remembered.</p><p/><br></br><p><b> Review Quotes </b></p></br></br><br>Written with enormous empathy, Kennedy's account is heart-wrenching in places. A compelling work<b>---Elizabeth Fitzherbert, <i>The Lady</i></b><br><br>This is an impeccably and thoroughly researched biography, carefully analytical and elegantly presented. Kate Kennedy has left no stone unturned in her endeavours. It certainly makes for rewarding reading. Although Gurney has long dwelt on the shadowy periphery of musical life, this outstanding biography does much to redress the balance. It has to be one of the most heart-rending books I've ever read.<b>---Stephen Greenbank, <i>MusicWeb International</i></b><br><br>This substantial and, for the most part, unusually readable biography gives us a rich picture of the world and terrible existence of an astonishing, multitalented artist whose true time is long overdue.<b>---Lachlan Mackinnon, <i>Times Literary Supplement</i></b><br><br>[A] poignant biography of Gurney. . . In <i>Dweller in Shadows</i>, [Kate Kennedy] captures not only her subject's melancholy and angst but also his unique artistic accomplishments. For this Ms. Kennedy is particularly well-suited. . .Her longtime interest in the intersection of words and music is evident in her sensitive analysis of Gurney's songs and her careful, probing readings of his verse.<b>---David Yezzi, <i>Wall Street Journal</i></b><br><br>[In] Kate Kennedy's admirably detailed and perceptive biography . . . . [she] examines in some detail the extraordinary depth and talent of Gurney's creative genius - she is particularly illuminating in talking about his poetry - while being candid about his erratic behaviour and impractical approach to adult life.<b>---Daniel Jaffé, <i>BBC Music Magazine ​​​​​​​</i></b><br><br>Kate Kennedy finally does justice to the neglected poet, whose musician's ear for the sounds of the war captures the reality of trench life like no other . . . . enthralling, meticulously researched and deeply sympathetic.<b>---Andrew Motion, <i>Spectator</i></b><br><br>The most comprehensive [biography] to date...<i> Dweller in Shadows</i> has many virtues. . . . The deepest impress of [the] book, however, is that it grows into the portrait of a hero.<b>---Anthony Lane, <i>New Yorker</i></b><br><br>Gurney deserved much better treatment. He deserved a much better society. His work began to give expression to his incipient sense of the need for social change. It's to be hoped this thorough, sympathetic book will bring him the attention he was denied while he lived, and perhaps also prevent today's or tomorrow's Gurney suffering a similar fate.<b>---Alan Dent, <i>Penniless Press</i></b><br><br>[A] fine, well-researched and intelligent biography. . . . This painstaking biography will do much to enhance [Gurney's] reputation.<b>---Simon Heffer, <i>Literary Review ​​​​​​​</i></b><br><br>It is compelling and extraordinary.<b>---Sean Rafferty, <i>BBC Radio 3 'In Tune'</i></b><br><p/><br></br><p><b> About the Author </b></p></br></br><b>Kate Kennedy, </b> a writer and broadcaster, is the Associate Director of the Oxford Centre for Life-Writing and a Research Fellow in Music and English at Wolfson College, Oxford. She has published widely on early twentieth-century music and literature, and is a regular contributor to BBC Radio 3. She lives near Oxford, England. Website drkatekennedy.com Twitter @DrKKenned

Price History

Cheapest price in the interval: 35 on November 8, 2021

Most expensive price in the interval: 35 on December 20, 2021