it's been years since i've read any huxley, but that didn't mar my ability to enjoy nicholas murray's sympathetic biography (interestingly, i just noticed that this is the same word used twice in cover blurbs. must be true).
one of the recurring subjects of the book is how huxley's marginal eyesight affected his life and writings. the saucy bits of the book surround maria huxley's bisexuality and their open marriage encompassing mary hutchinson. but the fascinating parts are the overview of the development of huxley's intellect, and the social context in which his ideas were encountering the world. murray shows a huxley that was at the forefront of social criticism and philosophy.
curiously, i found this portrait so intimate and humanising that i was often surprised at the kind of high profile company huxley kept throughout his life. while he was an intimate of a good many celebrities, he isn't portrayed as an enormous celebrity himself. living away from metropolitan centres for many years, he sought solitude and meditation. a word that comes up regularly is 'cerebretonic'.
eventually i'd like to pick up sybille bedford's two volume bio on huxley, although nothing can make up for the enormous loss of letters, notes, and writing when the huxley home burned down.
{April 22, 2004 09:54 PM}