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Favourite Biographies
- Thread starter francesca
- Start date
Sitaram
kickbox
Dividing the Wealth Equally
In the late 1980's I read the autobiography of a very wealthy man, but I cannot for the life of me remember his name. I wish I could, because in the first chapter he wrote two very memorable things.
1.) If tomorrow, all the wealth in the world were equally distributed among every person on the face of the earth, then, in as little as one year, there would reappear the same disparities of wealth and poverty. Some would be prodigal and spend their share quickly. Others would be frugal and save. Yet others would be clever in making even more money.
2.) A truly wealthy person can never tell you to the dollar and penny (or farthing) their exact worth, for much of their holdings are not cash, or very liquid in nature, and fluctuations in the marketplace will cause their net worth to fluctuate from day to day.
If you come across this biography, let me know.
SFG75 said:I just recently purchased Lee Iacocca's autobiography. I remember it being very popular in the early 80's when I was a kid. I'm looking forward to starting that one soon.
In the late 1980's I read the autobiography of a very wealthy man, but I cannot for the life of me remember his name. I wish I could, because in the first chapter he wrote two very memorable things.
1.) If tomorrow, all the wealth in the world were equally distributed among every person on the face of the earth, then, in as little as one year, there would reappear the same disparities of wealth and poverty. Some would be prodigal and spend their share quickly. Others would be frugal and save. Yet others would be clever in making even more money.
2.) A truly wealthy person can never tell you to the dollar and penny (or farthing) their exact worth, for much of their holdings are not cash, or very liquid in nature, and fluctuations in the marketplace will cause their net worth to fluctuate from day to day.
If you come across this biography, let me know.
Irene Wilde
New Member
Sitaram said:
It sounds like Iacocoa or Donald Trump, but I couldn't say for certain.
As for biographies, I'd recommend two autobiographies. Lauren Bacall's "By Myself" and Charlie Chaplin's autobiography. Bacall's writing, which I understand is really her own effort and not "ghostwritten" is like visiting an old high school room-mate and catching up. Her style is very conversational and of course, a fascinating life covering a lot of territory. Not to mention, I sobbed my eyes out when Bogey died. Chaplin's story is equally fascinating, much more so than the film that came out in the '90s. His humble, humble beginnings, to his incredible fame and infamy, and a marvelously articulate voice coming from a "silent" film star, made the book very memorable to me.
Irene Wilde
New Member
I didn't think so, but Trump and Iacocoa did seem to be the high-profile rich guys of the 80s.
SFG75
Well-Known Member
Irene Wilde said:
I remember Trump's book, black with his name in gold lettering. His came out a little bit after Iacocca's. I haven't read it, though I might. I believe there are more than a few books out on him. If you want a great time, read several biographies about Bob Dylan and then try to figur out which stories are true and which ones are not.
Peder
Well-Known Member
I haven't read many biographies but the one that does stand out in my mind is Vera by Stacy Schiff, the biography of the wife of Vladimir Nabokov. It is definitely the biography of the wife of the famous author and not the author, but their lives were so intertwined that one sees him throughout as well. And what a fascinating couple they were, from their courtship in Europe to their life together during his years of enormous fame, and finally to the passing of both of them (she died last). He did the writing and she handled all the logistic and business arrangements including the typing and complete retyping of all his drafts (no word processing!) plus the authorization of publication rights out into innumerable languages. They were the team of V&V.
He had a roving eye in his younger days and there are descriptions of professor-student scenes on Cornell campus that rival anything to be found in fiction! As well as fascinating insights into the creation of his magnificent Lolita. In fact, a person should read both books.
They say that behind every great man there is a woman. Well, just read about it here in living color!
Peder
He had a roving eye in his younger days and there are descriptions of professor-student scenes on Cornell campus that rival anything to be found in fiction! As well as fascinating insights into the creation of his magnificent Lolita. In fact, a person should read both books.
They say that behind every great man there is a woman. Well, just read about it here in living color!
Peder
Miss Shelf
New Member
francesca said:
I read the Fanny Burney one a couple of months ago and it was very good! Also I've read the Jane Austen one.
My favorite is A Voyager Out: The Life of Mary Kingsley.
What do you think of Obadiah Shoher's views on the Middle East conflict?
What do you think of Obadiah Shoher's views on the Middle East conflict? One can argue, of course, that Shoher is ultra-right, but his followers are far from being a marginal group. Also, he rejects Jewish moralistic reasoning - that's alone is highly unusual for the Israeli right. And he is very influential here in Israel. So what do you think?
What do you think of Obadiah Shoher's views on the Middle East conflict? One can argue, of course, that Shoher is ultra-right, but his followers are far from being a marginal group. Also, he rejects Jewish moralistic reasoning - that's alone is highly unusual for the Israeli right. And he is very influential here in Israel. So what do you think?
silverseason
New Member
My all-time-favorite biography is The Life of Charlotte Bronte by Elizabeth Gaskell. Gaskell was a 19th century novelist who was almost as popular as Dickens. (She still reads well, but she was no Dickens.)
Anyway, after Bronte published Jane Eyre, she and Gaskell became friends and visited each other's homes. When Bronte died, Gaskell went to her father and won his support for the biography. Gaskell interviewed many people who knew Bronte and was able to use family letters. It's not the just the material that makes it a wonderful book, but Gaskell's sympathetic understanding of Charlotte Bronte. They were both - Gaskell and Bronte - Protestant clergymen's daughters trying to make their way by writing fiction in a world where independent women were rare.
Anyway, after Bronte published Jane Eyre, she and Gaskell became friends and visited each other's homes. When Bronte died, Gaskell went to her father and won his support for the biography. Gaskell interviewed many people who knew Bronte and was able to use family letters. It's not the just the material that makes it a wonderful book, but Gaskell's sympathetic understanding of Charlotte Bronte. They were both - Gaskell and Bronte - Protestant clergymen's daughters trying to make their way by writing fiction in a world where independent women were rare.
The waveguide
Member
Any soviet-time biography (about any Russian, Romanian, Polish, GDR... Yugoslavian... and so on ... person)? But readable, and not too ideologic?
junker1244
New Member
Although this book is a memoir and not an autobiography, it was such a good book that I felt it worthy of a post under this thread. Joy Castro's "The Truth Book" is about her childhood of being adopted into a family of Jehova's. It's a very good read, I was fortunate enough to have Joy as a professor at UNL for an autobiography class last semester. She was more than inspiring in her teachings.
Wes
Wes