The Impossible Craft: Literary Biography

Detailed account of the challenges Donaldson faced while writing numerous literary biographies on Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Edwin A. Robinson, and others. Donaldson address such practical issues as the difficulties of determining relevant details, dealing with surviving family, and overidentifying with one’s subject. Always attuned to the craft behind the genre, Donaldson discusses the problems of sorting out the real Hemingway behind his public persona and Hemingway’s often contentious relationships with his biographers. Includes a survey of the most current Hemingway biographies on the market. Helpful index