So, is no one around or have you abandoned the chase ?
I'll add today's clues anyway...
Everyone knows at least one of this author's books.
We have read and discussed this book.
I'm an American active during the mid 20th century.
Author:
1. I wrote many books - most were a type of historical novel of which several are well known - some have been used as the basis for films.
2. I made a good, long lasting marriage and together we funded a foundation to support charitable organisations whose work we believed in.
3. My books are very thoroughly researched through 'work in the field' and archives. I have even relocated to another continent to undertake research and have commissioned translations of written material on my subject.
4. I have received several honorary awards for achievement in highlighting aspects of history.
5. The subjects I chose for my novels were regarded as among the foremost in their field and were passionate about their chosen endeavour. Collectively they cover a wide ranging spread of knowledge and creativity - science, psychoanalysis, art, politics, ancient history and even the opening up of the far west.
6. Some critics say I successfully joined together the three genres of biography, history and fiction and solved the problems inherent in doing that by using a lucid narrator. Others are of the opinion that my novels are for those who like their history embellished with fiction. Either way most of my novels were best sellers.
7. I spent 5 years researching the life and times of the subject of this book. I also enlisted my wife's help and employed two secretaries to keep the material in order.
Book/Character:
1. I am the prime mover of an iconoclastic group who are at the vanguard of a new movement and who eventually succeed in their aim.
2. My family were in 'trade' - my choice of a career outside of their interests caused much friction within the family and alienated me from them.
3. I was also alienated from my family by my choice of spouse who was not only from a lower class but also of a different religious persuasion.
4. During the Franco-Prussian War I was forced to flee my home in France and find refuge in London. When I returned I found my house and much of my early work had been destroyed by Prussian soldiers.
5. I studied under a succession of masters - one in particular is seen as the most important early influence on my work.
6. My importance lies not only in my contributions to the movement but also in my standing amongst my colleagues who viewed me as something of a patriarch.
7. Together with like minded colleagues I challenged the authority of the 'establishment'. In the main we were rejected, however Napoleon III came to our aid in an effort to quell the rising protests.
8. I drafted the first convention incorporating the group who called themselves Societe Anonyme des Artistes and a Parisian critic wrote of me that nothing new and excellent appeared where he wasn't among the first, if not absolutely the first, to discuss and defend.
An extra tidbit in the form of a quote from our author which I think true 'bookies ' will appreciate.
There are no faster or firmer friendships than those between people who love the same books
Looks like I've chosen a book that no one in this game has read - but you would have read other work by the writer and know about the subject of this book.
