Letters from the Palazzo Barbaro

Henry James (1843-1916) is one of the most prominent figures of American and British Literature. Son of a clergyman, and brother of the philosopher and psychologist William James, he moved between America and Europe during his early life, eventually settling in England at the age of twenty. A prolific novelist, essayist and literary critic, James was much concerned with questions of identity, belonging, creativity and consciousness. He is perhaps most famous for his novels The Bostonians, The Portrait of a Lady, Daisy Miller and What Maisie Knew, and for his ghost story, The Turn of the Screw. Between 1906 and 1910, James revised much of his fiction for the so-called New York Edition of his complete works, adding now-famous Prefaces. In 1915, prompted by the First World War, he became a British citizen; he received the Order of Merit in 1916, shortly before his death. Henry James first came to Venice as a tourist and instantly fell in love with the city - particularly with the splendid Palazzo Barbaro, home of the expatriate American Curtis family. This selection of letters covers the period 1869-1907 and provides a unique record of the life and work of this great writer.