Publisher Description

Born in poverty in Rhode Island, Stuart became through his art the intimate of the great of two continents. Yet he never abandoned his disdain for worldly rank, or his fascination with character. He made huge sums in England, but spent even more in dissipation. Prison yawned for him, and he fled his creditors. During the thirty-five American years he painted with brilliance, creating a unique portrait manner. His rank as an artist was never questioned, but his nerves would not quiet.

"Stuart Gilbert's friendship with James Joyce began in Paris in 1927 after Gilbert read several pages from a forthcoming French translation of Ulysses in the window of Sylvia Beach's Shakespeare and Company book shop and went in to tell Beach that the translation was poorly done. She reported the encounter to Joyce, who subsequently sought out Gilbert. Their meeting began a literary collaboration and friendship that lasted until Joyce's death in 1941." "This journal is a chronicle of that remarkable and productive friendship. Stuart Gilbert records many amusing anecdotes and provocative opinions regarding Joyce's social life, his relationship with his wife, Nora, and his compositional techniques for Finnegans Wake. Also included in the book are some of Joyce's previously unpublished letters to Gilbert (also reproduced in photographs), numerous unpublished photographs, and a typically dyspeptic 1941 essay on Joyce, Paul Leon, and Herbert Gorman by Gilbert. The volume is fully annotated and contains an introduction by noted Joyce scholar Thomas F. Staley." "These materials from the Stuart Gilbert Archive of the Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center at the University of Texas at Austin offer new perspectives on literary Paris of the 1920s and 1930s. They will be important for everyone interested in the modernist period."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Our founding fathers (George Washington, Thomas Jefferson et al) were always one step ahead of history and having an artist of such immense talents as Gilbert Stuart to paint their portraits has made the images of our founding fathers indelible in the minds of the modern reader. As a TJ enthusiast I often wonder how amazing it must of been to have "sat" for Gilbert Stuart a known storyteller and have your portrait painted. Mr. Jefferson was a favorite portrait sitter and this book is a lovely trip down memory lane (circa 18th century) to read about the fascinating story behind the portraits and the artist.