Lust for Life (novel)

Lust for Life
First edition
AuthorIrving Stone
PublisherGrosset & Dunlap
Publication date
1934

Lust for Life (1934) is a biographical novel by Irving Stone about the life of the Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh and his hardships.[1] It was Stone's first major publication, and is largely based on the collection of letters between Vincent van Gogh and his younger brother, art dealer Theo van Gogh.[2] This correspondence lays the foundation for most of what is known about the thoughts and beliefs of the artist.[3][4] Stone conducted a large amount of "on-field" research for the novel, as is mentioned in the afterword.

The narrative of Lust for Life creates origin-stories for many of the artist's famous paintings. including The Potato Eaters and Sunflowers. Stone wanted to explain Van Gogh's difficult life and how he began, flourished, and died as a painter. People close to Van Gogh's life, like Paul Gauguin, are also characters in the novel.

The book is divided into nine smaller "books", titled based on the places Van Gogh lived: London (Prologue), the Borinage, Etten, The Hague, Paris, Arles, St. Remy, and Auvers.

The novel was adapted into a 1956 film of the same name starring Kirk Douglas, which was nominated for four Academy Awards, winning one.

References

  1. ^ Krebs, Albin (August 28, 1989). "Irving Stone, Author of 'Lust for Life,' Dies at 86". The New York Times. Archived from the original on June 28, 2012.
  2. ^ Pomerans (1996), ix
  3. ^ "Van Gogh: The Letters". Van Gogh Museum. Retrieved October 7, 2009.
  4. ^ Van Gogh's letters, Unabridged and Annotated. Retrieved June 25, 2009.


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