Nathaniel Hawthorne in His Times

A remarkable literary biography, this, that succeeds in conveying both a sense of Hawthorne, the writer, and Hawthorne, the man. It also builds up a most appealing set of mini portraits of some fascinating figures from the first half of the 19th century, among them the Peabody sisters [family of Hawthorne's wife, Sophia], Emerson, Thoreau, Longfellow, Bronson Alcott [father of Louisa May], Melville, and countless others. What an extraordinary period this was in American cultural life! It's not a short read, but it's never dull, and, more often than not, close to rivetting. Mellow uses to wonderful effect extracts from Hawthorne's letters and notebooks, allowing "the shyest grape" of them all [Melville about Hawthorne] to speak directly. Not afraid to use Hawthorne's fiction as a way into our knowledge of the man, Mellow is, nevertheless, mostly restrained, aware that the relationship between a life and its work is seldom simple. If, very occasionally, the insights Mellow comes up with border on the facile, there are enough genuinely interesting thoughts to keep the literary analysis helpful. But the great success of the book lies, I think, in its even-handedness and neutrality of tone, and in its richness of detail - excellent notes and index, too.

I have recently continued my reading journey by moving to non-fiction, including biographies. This is a very easy book to read. I have found myself liking Hawthorne and sometime I have to keep reading to find out what happens next in his life instead of going to sleep. I also find it very interesting finding out how people lived 150 years ago. Their problems are the same ones we have today - money, kids, in-laws, etc. They have gardens in the summer, growing the same vegatables, and are snowed in during the winter. New England never changes. I have read W. Manchester's biographies of Douglas MacArthur and the Krupps and Thayer's biography of Beethoven This book is as good as those three.