The Friendship: Wordsworth and Coleridge

(Paperback)

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The first book to explore the extraordinary story of the legendary friendship and quarrel between Wordsworth and Coleridge, two giants of English Romanticism.
Wordsworth and Coleridges passionate intimacy, shared ambition and subsequent estrangement contribute to a tragic tale. But Sismans biography of this most remarkable friendship the first to devote itself wholly to exploring the impact of their relationship on each other seeks to re-examine the orthodox assumption that these two poets flourished as a result of it. Instead, Sisman argues that it was a meeting that may well have been disastrous for both: for it was Wordsworths rejection of Coleridge, and not primarily his opium addiction, that destroyed the latter as a poet, and that Coleridges impossible ambitions for Wordsworth pushed the latter towards failure and disappointment.

Underlying the poignancy of the tale is the intriguing subject of the influence one writer can have on another. Sisman seeks to answer fundamental questions about this relationship: why was Wordsworth so reliant on Coleridge, and why was he so easily swayed in the most critical decision of his career Was it in Coleridges nature to play second fiddle Would it, in fact, have been better for both men if they had never met

Reviews

'Remarkable!compelling!excellent!this is a story with everything!Sisman persuasively outlines the reasons why these two great writers were attracted to each other, and why they fell out. Read it. Not just because it's a colourful tale, but because of what it reveals about the neuroses underpinning the creative impulse.' Daily Telegraph 'Refreshingly direct, thoughtful and objective!Adam Sisman's insightful portrait of the lifelong friendship between two proud and complex men justifies his publisher's faith in the capacity of literary biography to thrive and endure. Sisman, like Holmes before him, has a gift for registering his subjects both in their time and our own. Their agonies, hopes and humiliations make for painful but absorbing reading.' Sunday Times 'Perceptive and affectionate!excellent!Sisman has done his research!his book is solid, trustworthy, grounded.' Observer 'This is a fine example of the new genre of professional biography written with great skill by someone who is not an academic specialist!Sisman weaves his double narrative with great skill!acute in its assessment of sources. It's strength is to keep multiple considerations in play concerning the personalities involved.' Irish Times 'Accumulating the evidence bit by bit, he makes the reader vividly aware of the events unfolding at the time. But in the end, argues Mr.Sisman, the friendship was central.' Economist

Author Bio

Adam Sisman worked in publishing before becoming a full-time writer. His last book, Boswell's Presumptuous Task, was awarded the National Book Critics Circle Award for biography and (like his first book, a biography of A.J.P. Taylor) was shortlisted for several other prizes on both sides of the Atlantic. He has acted as a judge for various prizes, including the Whitbread Awards, and is an occasional broadcaster on radio and television and a reviewer, most recently for the Sunday Telegraph and the Literary Review. He is married to the novelist Robyn Sisman and lives near Bath.