Irving Stone | |
|---|---|
| Born | Irving Tennenbaum (1903-07-14)July 14, 1903 San Francisco, California, U.S. |
| Died | August 26, 1989(1989-08-26) (aged 86) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Occupation | Writer |
| Education | University of California, Berkeley (MA) |
| Spouse | Lona Mosk (divorced) Jean Factor |
Irving Stone (bornTennenbaum;[1] July 14, 1903 – August 26, 1989) was an American writer, chiefly known for hisbiographical novels of noted artists, politicians, and intellectuals. Among the best known areLust for Life (1934), about the life ofVincent van Gogh, andThe Agony and the Ecstasy (1961), aboutMichelangelo.
Born Irving Tennenbaum inSan Francisco, he was seven when his parents divorced. By the time he was a senior in high school, his mother had remarried. He legally changed his last name to "Stone", his stepfather's surname. Stone said his mother instilled a passion for reading in him. From then on, he believed that education was the only way to succeed in life.
In 1923, Stone received his bachelor's degree from theUniversity of California, Berkeley. After receiving his M.A. there, he worked as a teaching assistant in English. He met his first wife, Lona Mosk (1905–1965), who was a student at the university. On money provided by her father, Los Angeles businessman Ernest Mosk, the young couple went to Paris.
Irving and Lona Stone returned to the United States in the 1930s from Europe, where he had been researching Van Gogh for six months. In 1930 he received a letter from Dr. Felix Rey, who had treated Van Gogh after the artist cut off his own ear in December 1888. Rey, who was the subject of a portrait painting by Van Gogh, became Stone's friend; he confirmed that Van Gogh's whole ear was removed and not only the earlobe. As reported in theNY Times obituary of Stone on August 28, 1989, the Stones resided in New York'sGreenwich Village where Irving finishedLust for Life, the biographical novel about Van Gogh that set his career in motion. According to theTimes,Lust for Life (the title suggested by his first wife) was rejected by seventeen publishers over three years before being published in 1934.
Stone began a relationship with his secretary, Jean Factor, and after he and Lona were divorced, he and Jean married. This later marriage lasted until Stone's death in Los Angeles in 1989. Jean Stone died in 2004, aged 93.
During their years together, Jean Stone edited many of his books. The Stones lived primarily in Los Angeles. They funded afoundation to support a number of charitable causes.
When at home, Stone relied upon the research facilities and expertise made available to him by Esther Euler, chief research librarian at theUniversity of California at Los Angeles. He dedicated books to her and thanked her in several of his works.
According to his afterword inLust for Life, Stone relied on Van Gogh's letters to his brother, art dealerTheo. Stone additionally did much of his research "in the field." For example, he spent many years living in Italy while working onThe Agony and the Ecstasy, a novel about Michelangelo Buonarroti. In his introduction to The Origin, Stone documents that he and his wife lived for a while at Down House (Darwin's home for the final forty years of his life) during the research and writing of that book. The Italian government lauded Stone with several honoraryawards during this period for his cultural achievements highlighting Italian history.
Although he was best known for his novels, Stone also wrote a number of non-fiction books. His biography ofClarence Darrow,Clarence Darrow For the Defense, about the attorney known both for his defense of thrill killersLeopold and Loeb and his defense of John T. Scopes in the 1925Scopes "Monkey" Trial (the trial of a biology teacher who taught about evolution in Tennessee), was published in 1941. His biographyEarl Warren, about the California governor and laterChief Justice of the United States, was published in 1948.
The 1941 film,Arkansas Judge, starringRoy Rogers, was based on Stone's 1940 novelFalse Witness.
In 1953, a popular film version was made ofThe President's Lady, based on Stone's 1951 novel of the same name, starringCharlton Heston asAndrew Jackson andSusan Hayward asRachel Donelson Jackson.[2][3]
In 1956, a film version was made ofLust for Life, based on his 1934 novel, starringKirk Douglas as Van Gogh.
In 1965, a film was made ofThe Agony and the Ecstasy, starringCharlton Heston as Michelangelo andRex Harrison asPope Julius II.
Stone's 1975 book,The Greek Treasure, was the basis for the German television productionDer geheimnisvolle Schatz von Troja (Hunt for Troy, 2007).
Lust for Life andImmortal Wife were published asArmed Services Editions during WWII.
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