Leo Damrosch is Ernest Bernbaum Research Professor of Literature at Harvard University. He is the author of nine books, including Jean-Jacques Rousseau: Restless Genius, a National Book Award Finalist. He lives in Newton, MA.
"Damrosch's approach is forensic. . .For me the Swift who emerges
from these patient investigations is a more rounded
personality."-George Walden, The Times -- George Walden *
The Times *
'If Damrosch follows Ehrenpreis in anything, it's in the ambition,
indicated by his 'life and world' subtitle, to ground biography in
social context. He does that job with efficiency and a sure
touch.'-Thomas Keymer, London Review of Books -- Thomas
Keymer * London Review of Books *
"Convincing and vivid. . . . Damrosch has . . . let us glimpse the
human roots of Swift's sometimes inhuman irony."-John Mullan,
The Guardian -- John Mullan * Guardian *
"Damrosch is incisive about Swift's personality . . . and writes
with fine Swiftian clarity, but does not simplify. He acknowledges
that, investigating Swift, you run into a revolving door of
contradictions. . . . But Damrosch sees him, rightly, not just as a
tragic figure but as a fearless thinker whose works are an antidote
to optimism's happy lies." - John Carey, London Sunday Times
-- John Carey * The Sunday Times *
"[Damrosch] writes elegantly, has exactly the right mix of
empathy and detachment, and is admirably open-minded in his
approach to complex evidence - some of it the product of very new
scholarship. . . this will be the definitive life of Swift for
years to come."-Jonathan Bate, New Statesman -- Jonathan Bate *
New Statesman *
'. . .an oxygenated account that blows fresh air on Swift, the most
readable account in recent times' -Brean Hammond, History Today --
Brean Hammond * History Today *
'The book, far from being a dry academic analysis based on sketchy
records, is a romp through the years when Britain became
established as a world power. . .Damrosch writes with wry humour
and clarity of detail, often cuttingly disputing the theories of
previous Swift biographers. To read this hefty book is to get a
highly enjoyable education.'-Claire Looby, The Irish Times --
Claire Looby * The Irish Times *
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