First published 1999
Richard Holmes presents Samuel Taylor Coleridge as a figure who defied conventional expectations. This biographical portrait reveals a poet and thinker who drew inspiration from unexpected sources. Coleridge learned from watching children at play just as readily as he absorbed lessons from philosophical texts. He found meaning in the patterns of birds in flight that informed his understanding as much as theological study did. Holmes constructs his account around this capacity for finding wisdom in ordinary moments alongside scholarly pursuits. The biography won critical acclaim when it first appeared, with Michael Holroyd calling it a modern achievement that represents a high point in contemporary biographical writing. After being out of print for five years, this first volume returns to coincide with the publication of its companion. Together, these two books form the capstone of Holmes's career as a biographer, offering readers a complete picture of one of Romanticism's most complex figures.
Genres: biography, literary-criticism, literary-fiction, 20th-century, 19th-century, academic
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: unconventional-protagonist
Period: 19th Century, 20th Century
Hardcover · San Val