Lust for Life - Irving Stone.
My second Irving Stone (after The Agony and the Ecstasy) that made me totally fall in love with the man and the way he writes a biography. So much heart in this one even after it being called a Fictional Biography, he clarifies in the end that he has tried to keep it real to the best of his knowledge and goes on to the length of disclosing his sources with episodes that he intentionally fictionalized - how kool is that. Unfortunately I found myself totally incapable and unknowledgeable as far as the subject of the book goes and that man Vicent Van Gogh, bravo, what a man, what an amazing soul, crazy though as he wasn't cut out to be a part of this world not then not now. If not for the real hero of the biography his brother Theo and a handful of his friends from the fraternity, the man would have killed himself a decade earlier than when he actually killed himself in the end. If I am not wrong last year a movie came out on Van Gogh (At Eternity's Gate) with Willem Dafoe in lead role. The movie was amazingly beautiful of-course how could it not be when it was based on the life of worlds most loved painter. And because of that throughout the 530+ pages I had Willem Dafoe on the back of my mind playing the character of Vincent 
the way he did it in the movie is so very well captured in the book which was written in the 1930's I guess.
the way he did it in the movie is so very well captured in the book which was written in the 1930's I guess.
This book came to me as a gift from a best buddy few years back (yeah I am a slow reader) with a bunch of other biographies that he gifted me like Jobs, Iacocca, Michael Angelo etc. The last of the series and the only one which made me shed some tears and totally choked me right from the very start till the predictable ending. The way Vincent struggles right from his childhood, all he wants to do is paint and paint furiously he used to so much that he will make a few paintings in one day and 100's if no one stopped him and kept his supplies coming at breakneck speed. Imagine the man never wanted to sleep, eat or do anything else in life, his only motto was to paint and paint he did. Belonged to a pretty well to do family, he had his father's support to an extent but he too was asked the inevitable question that "What do you want to do with your life" and he will always reply in one word "Paint". Loved the way his brother goes out of the way in helping him throughout till his very last breath, even after going through so much in his own life - incredible brotherhood. You've got to read Van Gogh life story just for the brothers I should say as it is so incredibly beautiful story of two brothers that I haven't read anything which comes any closer to this one. Even in the movie they have captured it so beautifully although not so much in details. His love stories too are so amazing, I kept imagining the best or the worst but as the fate had it, I guess he was bound to face so much of pain which his contemporaries believed would make him the best artist ever.
so much that he will make a few paintings in one day and 100's if no one stopped him and kept his supplies coming at breakneck speed. Imagine the man never wanted to sleep, eat or do anything else in life, his only motto was to paint and paint he did. Belonged to a pretty well to do family, he had his father's support to an extent but he too was asked the inevitable question that "What do you want to do with your life" and he will always reply in one word "Paint". Loved the way his brother goes out of the way in helping him throughout till his very last breath, even after going through so much in his own life - incredible brotherhood. You've got to read Van Gogh life story just for the brothers I should say as it is so incredibly beautiful story of two brothers that I haven't read anything which comes any closer to this one. Even in the movie they have captured it so beautifully although not so much in details. His love stories too are so amazing, I kept imagining the best or the worst but as the fate had it, I guess he was bound to face so much of pain which his contemporaries believed would make him the best artist ever.
As my kiddo started painting a few years back and is now taking it seriously like a career choice it was amazing to read the greatest artist ever's story and I kept reading a few lines here and there to her to which we both laughed and felt great about her going the right way. Although no one cared about Vincent while he was working on his paintings which sell now for millions of dollars but back then no one would take them at the price of a meal. Even then there were so many incredible people who came to his rescue, and helped him so much in his struggles. I wish I had a little more knowledge of the art or his contemporaries as there are so many names in the story which didn't register with me but I am sure they must be the greatest of the men from the times. But there are a few characters which stand out, one was his mentor Mauve, his Doctor and a Reverend who standby him as much as they could and ease the things for him a little bit. His love life, almost marriage and family did made me so emotional and almost made me cry for the amazing man especially the way he balances his passion with what his heart feels for others. Truly a totally amazing soul I will say.
it was amazing to read the greatest artist ever's story and I kept reading a few lines here and there to her to which we both laughed and felt great about her going the right way. Although no one cared about Vincent while he was working on his paintings which sell now for millions of dollars but back then no one would take them at the price of a meal. Even then there were so many incredible people who came to his rescue, and helped him so much in his struggles. I wish I had a little more knowledge of the art or his contemporaries as there are so many names in the story which didn't register with me but I am sure they must be the greatest of the men from the times. But there are a few characters which stand out, one was his mentor Mauve, his Doctor and a Reverend who standby him as much as they could and ease the things for him a little bit. His love life, almost marriage and family did made me so emotional and almost made me cry for the amazing man especially the way he balances his passion with what his heart feels for others. Truly a totally amazing soul I will say.
The best part or the chapter of the entire story is when Vincent goes and lives with Coal Miners. Oh God that was totally incredible as what goes inside the coal mines, how it effects him, what he does for the situation and how it all turns out for him and the end result. Totally unbelievable. If I ever read this book again, that chapter will be one of the biggest reason for it. But there are things that I didn't expect in an Irving Stone but that I just couldn't like. Like the way his characters keep vanishing from the story, as soon as they go out of Vincent's life, they will find no mention anywhere too. For example his family, he belongs from a rich upper class family, wonder why his father never supports him (no details), after his dad passes away, wonder what mother does alone and his other siblings (no mention) only Theo comes to his rescue but my question is what happens to the family property and money? why he gets no share in that or mention of it. And Vincent on top of all that travels from one country to another even after having no income and on brothers meager support and a few more things like that which left so many questions unanswered but still I will maintain that it doesn't take away nothing from the book as the story is so heartening and engrossing that we can all overlook those gaps.
Again I will repeat myself in saying that Irving Stone' books are so much more than what they should be as far as the subject he wrote it on. Love the philosophy and the lessons that we all get to learn from the lives of some of the greatest men and women from our own history. Incredible. Have you read any of Irving's books? which one is your favorite.
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