13 h 25 minAudiobook4 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at costPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
What happens when a widely read poet lives long enough to hear his work become a target for ridicule?
In My Life as an Author, Martin Farquhar Tupper looks back on a long writing life, from his early wish to write to sudden fame. His memoir follows the success of Proverbial Philosophy, a book of moral reflections in loose, unrhymed verse that reaches readers across Britain and America.
But success is only part of the story. As literary tastes change, admiration gives way to mockery and parody. Tupper answers his critics and considers his century through strong faith and patriotic feeling. Published in 1886, this memoir offers a working writer’s own account of reputation, persistence, and the difficulty of finding his place as tastes change.
What you’ll discover
- The beginnings of a writer Follow Tupper into the early life where he sees his writing habits take shape.
- Sudden literary fame Discover the place of Proverbial Philosophy in a career transformed by widespread readership.
- A restless writing life Move through poems, stories, historical romance, and verse written for public occasions.
- An author answers back Hear Tupper’s own response when changing tastes turn praise into ridicule and parody.
- Convictions amid changing tastes See how faith and patriotic feeling shape his understanding of a long literary career.
Who will love it
For readers curious about Victorian publishing, literary reputation and the ups and downs of a writing life, and anyone who enjoys memoirs exploring authorship, faith and changing tastes.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A young man drawn to writing
- One book brings sudden fame
- A busy life across many forms
- Criticism, change and an old author's view
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My Life as an Author
by Martin Farquhar Tupper · 1886
Martin Farquhar Tupper looks back on sudden fame and sharp criticism, revealing what a writer owes his readers.
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From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A young man drawn to writing
Tupper was born in London in 1810 and grew up in an educated family with a professional father. His memoir treats early life as the place where a writer's habits are formed. He recalls schooling, friendships and the books that stirred him.
He went on to Oxford and trained for the law. Yet the pen mattered more to him than the courtroom. The memoir shows a young man who kept turning from duty toward composition, and who saw writing as a calling rather than a pastime.
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What is My Life as an Author about?
It is Martin Tupper's memoir of his writing career. He describes his early life, the success of Proverbial Philosophy, his other books, the criticism he faced, and his views on authorship and faith.
Who was Martin Farquhar Tupper?
Tupper was a Victorian English poet and author, born in 1810 and dead in 1889. He trained for the law but became popular for Proverbial Philosophy, a book of moral reflections.
What is Proverbial Philosophy?
It is Tupper's best-known work, first published in 1838. It offers short moral reflections in unrhymed verse on subjects such as friendship, prudence and duty, and it found a large audience in Britain and America.
The author
Martin Farquhar Tupper
1810–1889 · English poet and novelist
Martin Farquhar Tupper was an English poet and novelist, born in London in 1810. He lived at Albury in Surrey and died there in 1889. He published Proverbial Philosophy in 1838 and later added further volumes. His autobiography, My Life as an Author, was published in 1886.
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