Lincoln : The Biography of a Writer

English

ISBN: 0060773340

EAN: 9780060773342

Category: Biography & Autobiography / Presidents & Heads of State/Political Science / General/Language Arts & Disciplines / Public Speaking/

Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers

Release Date: 06/20/2011

Synopsis: For Abraham Lincoln, whether he was composing love letters, speeches, or legal arguments, words mattered. In Lincoln, acclaimed biographer Fred Kaplan explores the life of Americas sixteenth president through his use of language as a vehicle both to express complex ideas and feelings and as an instrument of persuasion and empowerment. Like the other great canonical writers of American literature-a status he is gradually attaining-Lincoln had a literary career that is inseparable from his life story. An admirer and avid reader of Burns, Byron, Shakespeare, and the Old Testament, Lincoln was the most literary of our presidents. His views on love, liberty, and human nature were shaped by his reading and knowledge of literature.Since Lincoln, no president has written his own words and addressed his audience with equal and enduring effectiveness. Kaplan focuses on the elements that shaped Lincolns mental and imaginative world; how his writings molded his identity, relationships, and career; and how they simultaneously generated both the distinctive political figure he became and the public discourse of the nation. This unique account of Lincolns life and career highlights the shortcomings of the modern presidency, reminding us, through Lincolns legacy and appreciation for language, that the careful and honest use of words is a necessity for successful democracy.Illuminating and engrossing, Lincoln brilliantly chronicles Abraham Lincolns genius with language.

Excerpt: Unknown Property Excerpt

Lincoln : The Biography of a Writer

Illustrated: No

Format: Hardcover

Height: 1.29 inches

Width: 6.13 inches

Length: 9.0 inches

Weight: 22.05 oz

Pages: 416