In this âthoughtful and persuasiveâ biography, award-winning biographer Ruth Franklin establishes Shirley Jackson as a âserious and accomplished literary artistâ (Charles McGrath, New York Times Book Review).
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Instantly heralded for its âmasterfulâ and âthrillingâ portrayal (Boston Globe), Shirley Jackson reveals the tumultuous life and inner darkness of the literary genius behind such classics as âThe Lotteryâ and The Haunting of Hill House. In this âremarkable act of reclamationâ (Neil Gaiman), Ruth Franklin envisions Jackson as âbelonging to the great tradition of Hawthorne, Poe and Jamesâ (New York Times Book Review) and demonstrates how her unique contribution to the canon âso uncannily channeled womenâs nightmares and contradictions that it is ânothing less than the secret history of American women of her eraâ â (Washington Post). Franklin investigates the âinterplay between the life, the work, and the times with real skill and insight, making this fine book a real contribution not only to biography, but to mid-20th-century womenâs historyâ (Chicago Tribune). âWisely rescu[ing] Shirley Jackson from any semblance of obscurityâ (Lena Dunham), Franklinâs invigorating portrait stands as the definitive biography of a generational avatar and an American literary genius.
Ruth Franklin is a book critic and frequent contributor to The New Yorker, Harperâs, and many other publications. A recipient of a New York Public Library Cullman Fellowship and a Guggenheim Fellowship, she lives in Brooklyn, New York.