Irving Stone
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Irving Stone (July 14 1903 - August 26 1989) is an American writer known for his biographical novels of famous historical personalities.
Some of Stone's important works in this category include:
- Lust for Life based on the life of Vincent van Gogh in 1934
- The Agony and the Ecstasy - based on the life of Michelangelo in 1961
- The Passions of the Mind - based on the life of Sigmund Freud in 1971
- Greek Treasure - based on the discovery of Troy by Heinrich Schliemann in 1975
- Origin - based on the life of Charles Darwin in 1980
- For the Defense - based on the life of Clarence Darrow
- Those Who Love - based on the life of John Adams
In the 1950s, a popular film version was made of Lust for Life, based on Stone's 1934 novel, starring Kirk Douglas as Van Gogh.
Stone did much of his research over the years in the field. For example, he spent many years living in Italy while working on The Agony and the Ecstasy. The Italian government lauded Stone with several honorary awards during this period for his cultural achievements highlighting Italian history. When at home, Stone relied upon the research facilities and expertise made available to him by Esther Euler, head reaseach librarian of the University of California at Los Angeles, to whom he dedicated and thanked, in addition to many others, in several of his works.
In the 1960s, Stone received an honorary Doctorate of Letters from the University of Southern California, where he had previously earned a Masters Degree from the College of Letters, Arts, and Sciences.
Stone enjoyed a long marriage to his wife and editor on many of his works, Jean Stone. The Stones lived primarily in Los Angeles, California. During their lifetime, Stone and his wife funded a foundation to support charitable causes they believed in.
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