John Gay - A Profession of Friendship (Paperback, Main)

First published in 1995, David Nokes' major biography of John Gay (1685-1732) was the first full-length life of Gay for over fifty years, and drew on hitherto unpublished letters. Presenting Gay as a complex character, torn between the hopes of court preferment and the assertion of literary independence, Nokes offers both a lively and accessible read for the non-specialist and a comprehensive scholarly study. Best-known for The Beggar's Opera, Gay is here revealed as a contradictory figure. Nokes argues that Gay's self-effacing and self-mocking literary persona was largely responsible for perpetuating an image of himself as a genial literary non-entity. Often cast as a neglected genius, dependent on others, he in fact left a considerable fortune after his death. Depicted by his friends as both a childlike innocent and a rakish ladies' man, he produced the most successful and subversive theatrical satire of his generation, and volumes of bestselling Fables.

General

Imprint:	Faber and Faber
Country of origin:	United Kingdom
Release date:	August 2014
Authors:	David Nokes
Dimensions:	216 x 135 x 42mm (L x W x T)
Format:	Paperback - Trade
Pages:	588
Edition:	Main
ISBN-13:	978-0-571-32008-0
Categories:	Books > Language & Literature > Biography & autobiography > Literary Books > Language & Literature > Literature: history & criticism > Literary studies > 16th to 18th centuries Books > Language & Literature > Literature: history & criticism > Plays & playwrights > General Books > Biography > Literary
LSN:	0-571-32008-2
Barcode:	9780571320080

Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate? Let us know about it.

Does this product have an incorrect or missing image? Send us a new image.

Is this product missing categories? Add more categories.

Review This Product

No reviews yet - be the first to create one!