Error loading page.
Try refreshing the page. If that doesn't work, there may be a network issue, and you can use our self test page to see what's preventing the page from loading.
Learn more about possible network issues or contact support for more help.
Title details for P. G. Wodehouse by Frances Donaldson - Wait list

P. G. Wodehouse

The Authorised Biography

by Frances Donaldson
Frederick Davidson
Audiobook
0 of 1 copy available
Wait time: About 2 weeks
Place a hold Listen to a sample Listen to a sample
0 of 1 copy available
Wait time: About 2 weeks

Everyone has come to love the impeccable Jeeves and the inimitable Bertie. But what of their creator, Pelham Grenville Wodehouse, whose ninety-three years produced a volume of work "unsurpassed in the history of literature"? Was he really a traitor to his country who broadcast dangerous propaganda from Germany during the war? And how can this be squared with the immensely lovable figure of "Plum", upon whom the Queen bestowed a knighthood in 1975?

In researching this authorized, definitive biography, Frances Donaldson was given unique access to Wodehouse's most important private papers, including the notebooks he kept during the sad episode of his internment during the Second World War. For the first time, Wodehouse's beliefs, writings and actions are seen in the full context of the rest of his life.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    May 9, 2006

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9781483064468
      • File size: 395946 KB
      • Duration: 13:44:53

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • AudioFile Magazine
      Frances Donaldson packed her 1982 Wodehouse biography with overfrequent, overlong quotes from letters, reviews, articles, and, all too rarely, from the subject's novels, which soon seem rather marginalized. Her preface and introduction fill the first two of these fifteen hours, and nearly a third of the book concerns the controversy of Wodehouse's wartime radio broadcasts. Occasionally, Donaldson risks snobbery in adopting the dignified tone of an elitist: When citing the faults of Wodehouse's stepdaughter, for example, Donaldson reports that "she was inclined to be undiscriminating in her friendships." Frederick Davidson reads with precision, clarity, and a rather fitting arch and supercilious air. Such hauteur suits the style of this fussy, pedantic book, but it also points to the need for a newer, fresher biography of the subject. G.H. (c) AudioFile 2000, Portland, Maine
    • Library Journal

      June 1, 2000
      During humorist Wodehouse's long and comparatively uneventful life, his idea of excitement was finding a quiet place to read and smoke. While his books may have been hysterically funny, he himself was as dull as an insurance salesman. Nevertheless, this book--despite its 15-hour length--is an unqualified treat. It's at least as much about Wodehouse's writing as it is about him, and his life was not as quiet as some might think. While living in France in 1940, he was captured by the Germans and interned for more than a year. After his release, he foolishly accepted the Germans' invitation to record a series of humorous talks for broadcast to America. Afterward, many in Britain accused him of treason, so he never returned home. Donaldson, who as a child knew Wodehouse, examines that episode in detail and weaves other facts of his life and work into a rich and always illuminating fabric. What makes this recording especially fun listening, however, is its many and long extracts from Wodehouse's writings--including his unpublished internment camp diary--which Frederick Davidson reads with the same gusto that he has brought to many Wodehouse recordings. Recommended for all libraries.--Kent Rasmussen, Thousand Oaks, CA

      Copyright 2000 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

Loading