Life of Samuel Johnson
by James Boswell · first published 1776
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Poet, lexicographer, critic, moralist and Great Cham, Dr. Johnson had in his friend Boswell the ideal biographer. Notoriously and self-confessedly intemperate, Boswell shared with Johnson a huge appetite for life and threw equal energy into recording its every aspect in minute but telling detail. This irrepressible Scotsman was 'always studying human nature and making experiments', and the marvelously vivacious Journals he wrote daily furnished him with first-rate material when he came to write his biography. The result is a masterpiece that brims over with wit, anecdote and originalit
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Aren't there other great biographies and biographers as interesting as well including the following: -James Boswell's Life of Samuel Johnson -Carl Sandburgs 3 or 4 volume biography of Lincoln. - Isaac Deutscher's massive biography of Trotsky.(The Prophet). -Duff Cooper's Talleyrand. -Tom Cliffs 3 volume biography of Lenin. - William Taubman…
on “Robert Caro and Kurt Vonnegut interview each other (1999)” ↗…impossible to refute it. I never shall forget the alacrity with which Johnson answered, striking his foot with mighty force against a large stone, till he rebounded from it, ‘I refute it thus.'”(Boswell’s Life of Samuel Johnson, quoted from Wikipedia.)
on “Boswell's Life of Johnson” ↗I never shall forget the alacrity with which Johnson answered, striking his foot with mighty force against a large stone, till he rebounded from it, 'I refute it thus.' — James Boswell, The Life of Samuel Johnson
on “It Turns Out You Can Bullshit a Bullshitter After All” ↗…impossible to refute it. I never shall forget the alacrity with which Johnson answered, striking his foot with mighty force against a large stone, till he rebounded from it -- "I refute it thus." The Life of Samuel Johnson (James Boswell)
on “Meet the ‘worst’ 8th grade math teacher in NYC” ↗Be careful. IIRC, according to Borges, you can't just dip your foot into Cervantes. What bio are you talking about? The Life of Samuel Johnson, by Boswell? That should be reasonably easy to get anywhere. This article is from Professor Borges: A Course on English Literature, taken from a student's notes for the class.
on “A Lecture on Johnson and Boswell by Jorge Luis Borges (1966)” ↗Ever read Boswell's life of Samuel Johnson? Samuel Johnson was a poet, which was about as close as you could be to a rock star in terms of popular culture fame in the 18th century.
on “Writing books is not really a good idea” ↗…refute it. I never shall forget the alacrity with which Johnson answered, striking his foot with mighty force against a large stone, till he rebounded from it, “I refute it thus.” —James Boswell, The Life of Samuel Johnson
on “Everyone Is a Girl Online” ↗Thanks and I have heard the same it's much like the proper old sources like Herodotus or Josephus in that you are reading through a certain lense with artistic license. I got through the life of Samuel Johnson and there are definitely stylistic similarities from the era. I also got into The 12 Rulers of Byzantium back in the early podcast days so I hope that helps. Best part so far was descriptions of the…
on “The Life of a Lawyer in the Late Roman Republic” ↗