Reseña del libro "Richard Aldington: Poet, Soldier, Lover 1911-29 (en Inglés)"
The story of Richard Aldington, outstanding Imagist poet and author of the bestselling war novel, 'Death of a Hero' (1929), takes place against the backdrop of some of the most turbulent and creative years of the twentieth century. Vivien Whelpton provides a remarkably detailed and sensitive portrayal of the writer from early adolescence to the age of thirty-eight. Aldington's life as a stalwart of the pre-war London literary scene, as a soldier, and in the difficult aftermath of the First World War is deftly rendered through a careful and detailed analysis of the novels, poems and letters of the writer himself and his close circle of acquaintance. The complexities of London's Bohemia, with its scandalous relationships, social grandstanding and incredible creative output, are masterfully untangled, and the spotlight placed firmly on the talented group of poets christened by Ezra Pound as 'Imagistes'. The author demonstrates profound psychological insight into Aldington's character and childhood in her nuanced analysis of his post-war survivor's guilt, and consideration of the three most influential women in his life: his wife, the gifted American poet, H.D.; Dorothy Yorke, the woman he left her for; and Brigit Patmore, his brilliant and fascinating older mistress. Vivien Whelpton is a former teacher of English and Media Studies with a special interest in the literature of the First World War. She has written journal articles and monographs in this field. She has an M.A. in War Studies and has conducted tours of the Western Front for several years. Her proposal for 'Richard Aldington: Poet, Soldier and Lover' was shortlisted for The Biographers' Club Tony Lothian Prize in 2011. 'Richard Aldington' vividly reveals Aldington's warm and passionate nature and the vitality which characterised his life and works, concluding with his triumphant personal and literary resurrection with the publication of 'Death of a Hero'. 'This is a sensitively handled and painstakingly researched account of a contradictory, troubled and complex personality. Whelpton interweaves the story of his life with illuminating commentary on his work to give the most vivid account yet of Richard Aldington.' Dr Kate Kennedy, Girton College, Cambridge. 'An impressively researched and clear-sighted biography; it provides a compelling portrait and reappraisal of the writer Richard Aldington, one of the most powerful yet neglected voices of the First World War. Aldington's tangled personal and literary affiliations before, during and after the war are unravelled with great skill.' Adrian Barlow, President of the English Association.
