The Duality of Genius

Shades, blemishes and vices in the lives of great achievers
1. Auflage 2008
ISBN: 978-3-902638-03-8
Verlag: Jan Sramek Verlag KG

Buch, Englisch, 472 Seiten, GB, Format (B × H): 220 mm x 280 mm, Gewicht: 1500 g

Mozart, Goethe, Bernini, Talleyrand, Jaques Louis David, Henry Clay Frick, Oliver Wendell Holmes and Mikhail Psellos – here are some of the great achievers that most people have heard of.
But few know much about their extraordinary lives; fewer still, realize that alongside their grand public persona there was a darker, less attractive one that is reflected in their work. Why have such factors been ignored or underplayed? Deliberate concealment? Difficulty in discovering them? Or a misguided belief that great achievers must be left standing, shining on their pedestals. Modern psychobiography doubts the last reason but accepts the difficulties and dangers that accompany the collation and assessment of relevant information. This book attempts a candid narrative, ‘warts and all’ of the lives of some great figures from the worlds of painting, sculpture, politics, philosophy, law, and business but does so also by placing their lives in the context of their times. The result, a series of essay/ portraits built around themes close to the lives of those described and brought into greater relief by the inclusion of over ninety beautifully reproduced colour illustrations. The aim is to allow the general, educated reader to learn more about the genius of creation. Those inter-ested in history, biography, psychobiography, and the arts, and also believe in the need of a broader culture in times of excessive specialization, will enjoy this candid and wide-ranging book written by a widely travelled and acclaimed author.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Markesinis, Basil

Über Autor(innen)

Sir Basil Markesinis was born into a family that, from his father’s side, was for over ten generations involved in politics, law, and the world of letters, first in Venice and later in Greece. He holds a Doctor Iuris from the Univer¬¬sity of Athens, a Ph.D. and LL.D. from the University of Cambridge, and a DCL from the Uni¬versity of Oxford.
He is an honorary doctor of the Sorbonne as well as of the Uni¬ver¬sities of Ghent, Athens and Munich and has held tenur¬ed posts at the Uni¬versities of Cam¬bridge, London, and Ox¬ford. He currently holds the Jamail Regents Chair at the University of Texas.
As a scholar, Sir Basil has authored (or co-authored) thirty-three books and over one hundred and twenty articles. He has also written political articles for the Financial Times and The Guardian. He has given individual lectures or held seminars in over 25 Universities on three Conti¬nents.
His scholarly work has been recognized by his election as Fellow of the British Academy, a Foreign Fellow of the Accademia dei Lincei of Rome, the Royal Belgian Academy of Arts and Sciences, the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, and as Corresponding Member of the Institute de France as well as the Academy of Athens. He is also a Member of the American Law Institute and a Bencher of Gray’s Inn. He was Knighted by H. M. the Queen and has received many high civic honours from the Presidents of France, Germany, Greece, and Italy, most recently the Insignia of Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of France.