Devils, Lusts and Strange Desires: The Life of Patricia Highsmith - Paperback

Devils, Lusts and Strange Desires: The Life of Patricia Highsmith - Paperback

$20.16
Sale price  $20.16 Regular price 
Skip to product information
Devils, Lusts and Strange Desires: The Life of Patricia Highsmith - Paperback

Devils, Lusts and Strange Desires: The Life of Patricia Highsmith - Paperback

$20.16
Sale price  $20.16 Regular price 

by Richard Bradford (Author)

NOMINATED FOR THE H.R.F. KEATING AWARD, 2022.

'My New Year's Eve Toast: to all the devils, lusts, passions, greeds, envies, loves, hates, strange desires, enemies ghostly and real, the army of memories, with which I do battle
- may they never give me peace' - Patricia Highsmith (New Year's Eve, 1947).

Made famous by the great success of her psychological thrillers, The Talented Mr Ripley and Strangers on a Train, Patricia Highsmith is renowned as one of the most influential and celebrated modern writers. However, there has never been a clear picture of the woman behind the books.

The relationship between Highsmith's lesbianism, her fraught personality - by parts self-destructive and malicious - and her fiction, has been largely ignored by biographers in the past. As an openly homosexual writer, she wrote the seminal lesbian love story Carol for which she would be venerated, in modern times, as a radical exponent of the LGBTQ+ community.

Alas, her status as an LGBTQ+ icon is undermined by her excessive cruelty towards and exploitation of her friends and many lovers. In this biography, Richard Bradford brings his sharp and incisive style to one of the greatest and most controversial writers of the twentieth century. He considers Highsmith's bestsellers in the context of her troubled personal life; her alcoholism, licentious sex life, racism, anti-Semitism, misogyny and abundant self-loathing.

Author Biography

Richard Bradford is Research Professor in English at Ulster University and Visiting Professor at the University of Avignon. He has published more than thirty books, including eight well-reviewed trade biographies of writers. He has written for the Spectator and the Sunday Times and has been interviewed on his work for various BBC Radio Arts programmes, as well as appearing on the Channel 4 series Writers in their Own Words.

Number of Pages: 272
Dimensions: 0.8 x 7.7 x 5 IN
Publication Date: April 04, 2023

Intentional design

We make things that work better and last longer. Our products solve real problems with clean design.

Quality first

We obsess over the details and strive to deliver the best products at the best prices, every time.

Customer care

We're always on your side: keeping our loyal customers happy is our top priority and number one goal.

Feature 1

Made with care and unconditionally loved by our customers, this signature bestseller exceeds all expectations.

Feature 2

Made with care and unconditionally loved by our customers, this signature bestseller exceeds all expectations.

At the heart of every product lies a unique story, driven by our passion for quality and innovation. Each item enhances your everyday life and sparks joy.