Comments on: A lot about fathers

By: andreaskluth

andreaskluth — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 22:54:38 +0000

Some very interesting lives in that list. Golda Meir especially. I’ll dig a little….

By: 100swallows

100swallows — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 16:59:42 +0000

I can’t think of any right now. I’m more of a reader of autobiographies; and the ones I like best are probably no good as success and failure studies: Ruskin, Cellini, Tolstoy, Hernan Cortes’ Letters about the conquest of Mexico. Actually—that reminds me of two good biographies by Salvador Madariaga: one on Hernan Cortes and the other on Christopher Columbus. There’s Ulysses Grant’s book. I haven’t seen Truman’s memoirs in a long time but I liked them when I read them. I don’t remember a thing from Kennedy’s Profiles in Courage (also read years ago)—I suspect it is pretty mediocre, though it may give you some ideas. I’m sure you could do better. Gold Meir’s My Life makes very interesting reading—she’s your success story.

By: andreaskluth

andreaskluth — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 16:41:55 +0000

Churchill is a great idea, for many reasons. The father. The devastating failures (WWI, interwar) of his early career, the way he turned them into Triumphs, the way the Triumphs turned into ignominious dismissal right after WWII…. Talk about reversals!
I’ll get My Early Life. Can you recommend another biography, by somebody else? There is too much written about him.
BTW, Carlos Baker is now sitting on top of the pile in front of me…

By: 100swallows

100swallows — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 15:59:56 +0000

Thanks for the link to 100falcons. I have two blogs and seem to be unable to post comments except as 100swallows–my name at the other one, which is about art.

I hope you will remember Winston Churchill when you write your book. His important father didn’t think much of HIM but realizing that certainly increased Winston’s ambition. There is no one who can teach you more than Churchill. Get hold of My Early Life, his autobiography.
In another comment I compared Carlos Baker to Boswell, but now let’s say his book is more like George Painter’s biography of Proust.