Any human heart is williams boyds classic, bestselling novel now a major channel 4 drama every life is both ordinary and extraordinary, but logan mountstuarts lived from the beginning to the end of the twentieth century contains more than its fair share of both. Through the intimate journals of logan mounstuart we travel from uruguay to oxford, on to paris, the bahamas, new york and west africa, and meet his three wives, his family, his friends and colleagues, his rivals, enemies and lovers, including notables such as the duke and duchess of windsor, ernest hemingway and virginia woolf. But i cant tell if this one is better or worse than the one at bottom of this post. At the same time, however, the tate references remind us that any human heart is a created work expressing the concerns, passions and hobbyhorses of its begetter just as, in one sense, logans. The novel is the life story of an englishman named thick, dense, and sprawling. Each journal covers a different period of mountstuarts life, and they are usually geographically named.
Winner of many literary awards during a distinguished career, william boyd was shortlisted for the impac dublin award for any human heart. The book cover archive, for the appreciation and categorization of excellence in book cover design. William boyd, quote from any human heart they are all about romance, about lifes excitement and adventure and its essential sadness and transience. I think of any human heart often the sign of a truly great book. They savour everything both fine and bittersweet that life has to offer us a stoical in the hedonism. It is certainly entertaining and compulsive in its own way. William boyds novel any human heart is his disjointed autobiography. I read somewhere that any human heart had poor viewing figures. The intimate journals of logan mountstuart is a 2002 novel by william boyd, a british writer. Top nasa images solar system collection ames research center.
Along the way he meets ernest hemingway, ian fleming and the duke and duchess of windsor the exiled british king and his mistress wallis simpson. William boyds latest novel, any human heart, is probably the one that best capitalizes on the authors own peripatetic lifeone that took him from ghana to nice and glasgow. The book s title comes from a sententious line of henry jamess never say you know the last word about any human heart, and the opening preamble announces that multiplicity is going to be an important theme. Tom adams, book cover illustration for raymond chandler paperback series, 197577. It covers the life of the fictional logan mountstuart, a marginal author and journalist from a wealthy family, whose life is woven around a tapestry of the culturally rich and famous in the twentieth century. The washington post book world the introduction, discussion questions, suggested reading list, and author biography that follow are intended to enhance your groups reading of any human heart, the latest novel from the author of armadillo, the blue afternoon, and brazzaville beach. Any human heart penguin essentials novels book search ebook book nerd psychological thrillers tom hiddleston amazon book store favorite books fiction books. Any human heart is a moving, ambitious and richly conceived novel that embodies the heroics and follies of twentiethcentury life. The human heart in conflict with itself by pattiann rogers and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. The intimate journals of logan mountstuart in 2004.
Readers at the guardian book club revealed a couple of william boyds authorial ticks as they discussed any human heart, says john mullan. Booktopia has any human heart, penguin essentials by william boyd. Any human heart paperback license, january 6, 2004. Any human heart, a novel, purports to be the compendious collected diaries of the fictional mountstuart, and comes complete with little introductions by the author, footnotes and an index. Ridiculous sometimes yes, but it was also a classy and entertaining series and i actually think it did have heart. A novelists life ricochets from 1920s paris to 50s new york and 80s london.
Giles foden sifts the many selves of william boyd in any human heart, where the author turns his gaze inwards. Bestselling author william boydthe novelist who has been called a master storyteller chicago tribune and a gutsy writer who is good company to keep timehere gives us his most entertaining, sly, and compelling novel to date. The intimate journals of logan mountstuart is a 2002 novel by william boyd. Any human heart, penguin essentials by william boyd. In the end the viewer comes out with a richer idea of the definitions of love. An unforgettable comic chronicle of innocents abroad in the 1920s. Brazzaville beach, winner of the james tait black memorial prize. If so, thats quite sad, because this series was excellent. What do both books express about the process of telling a life. It was announced in april 2010, 1 and was broadcast on channel 4 from 21 november to 12 december 2010, consisting of four episodes of one hour each. And read again itcher mag on the windup bird chronicle.
Softcover signed by the author, with two blemishes. An icecream war, winner of the john llewellyn rhys prize and shortlisted for the booker prize. William boyd, quote from any human heart when i think of my youth, he went in, what we took for granted, what we assumed was for ever certain, for ever permanent. This edition features beautiful cover artwork from the television series. Much like his earlier novel the new confessions 1988, any human heart encompasses a considerable portion of the history and culture of the twentieth century in presenting the travails of its. William boyd is the author of ten novels, including a good man in africa, winner of the whitbread award and the somerset maugham award. Its amazing how sudden the effect is it must be the result of a deep atavistic mating urge buried inside us.
His fascinating story is revealed through daily journal entries. Any human heart by william boyd books the guardian. That explains why logan pens his thoughts of momentous. William boyds novel any human heart is his disjointed autobiography, a. If you have read the new confessions how do the books differ. The book is a fictitious autobiography if that is not a misnomer, narrating the life story of logan mountstuart from his upbringing in uruguay, through his time at oxford and on to his extraordinary adventures across the world. Any human heart at its core is a fictionalized journal of a fictitious character, logan mountstuart. My cover was less terrible because the photo was in black and white. Any human heart is an ambitious, allencompassing novel. Never say you know the last word about any human heart.
William boyds latest novel, any human heart, focuses on the life of logan mountstuart a writer, friend, lover and world traveler. Every life is both ordinary and extraordinary, but logan mountstuarts lived from the beginning to the end of the twentieth century contains more than its fair share of both. No one is better than william boyd at drawing the reader into a tale from the very first sentence. We keep a journal to entrap the collection of selves that forms us, the individual human beingbut the true journaldoesnt try to posit any order or hierarchy, doesnt try to judge or. The spectator uk anita brookner an excellent picaresque novel, written in a confident, easygoing style. Buy a discounted paperback of any human heart online from australias leading online bookstore. Adobe epub ebook, overdrive read any human heart adobe epub ebook, overdrive read. Boyds book the new confessions is a fictional autobiography of a character whose life spanned much of the twentieth century. Any human heart fulldescription bestselling author william boydthe novelist who has been called a master storyteller chicago tribune and a gutsy writer who is good company to keep timehere gives us his most entertaining, sly, and compelling novel to date. At the same time, however, the tate references remind us that any human heart is a created work expressing the concerns, passions and hobbyhorses of its begetter.
The book is the diary of a fictional writer logan mountstuart, and covers all parts of his. The book begins with a quotation from henry james, never say you know the last word about any human heart. The book cover archive is edited and maintained by ben pieratt and eric jacobsen. About a year ago at the final booktopia, i sat in front of an audience in a room in petoskey, michigan discussing the many merits of any human heart by william boyd with simon savidge, and. It covers his life from his school days to his death and the author uses his life to illuminate various issues and events in the period which it covers. Surely one of the most beguiling books of this season, this rich. Any human heart takes up, with a very different character, a similar fictional task. The 10 most iconic book covers of the past 100 years endpaper. As a writer who finds inspiration with hemingway in paris and virginia woolf in london, as a spy recruited. The fact that the novel seeks to cover the whole of one individuals life, from school days through to old age. Quotation from henry james, used by boyd for the book s opening. It is not clear whether it was conceived originally as an extension of the spoof, or already had a life of its own, but the result is a distinctly odd book. It is written as a lifelong series of journals kept by the fictional character mountstuart, a writer whose life 19061991 spanned the defining episodes of the 20th century, crossed several continents and included a convoluted sequence of relationships and literary endeavours. Any human heart follows a trail of broken and breaking hearts, a story that covers three countries over almost a century.
Any human heart is a british drama television miniseries, based on the 2002 novel of the same name by william boyd. The intimate journals of logan mountstuart william boyd, author. Any human heart vintage international kindle edition. Logan takes a job as a war correspondent and is dispatched to cover the spanish civil war where he meets ernest. Book cover art, book cover design, book design, book art, american literature, classic literature, classic books, english library, american gothic.