Mark Bostridge – författare

Winner of the Elizabeth Longford prize for Historical Biography'Engrossing' Claire Tomalin / 'Superb' Sunday Times / 'A triumph' Daily MailWhether honoured and admired or criticized and ridiculed, Florence Nightingale has invariably been misrepresented and misunderstood. As the Lady with the Lamp, ministering to the wounded and dying of the Crimean War, she offers an enduring image of sentimental appeal and one that is permanently lodged in our national consciousness. But the awesome scale of her achievements over the course of her 90 years is infinitely more troubling - and inspiring - than this mythical simplification.From her tireless campaigning and staggering intellectual abilities to her tortured relationship with her sister and her distressing medical condition, this vivid and immensely readable biography draws on a wealth of unpublished material and previously unseen family papers, disentangling the myth from the reality and reinvigorating with new life one of the most iconic figures in modern British history.'Enthralling' Guardian'Excellent' Spectator'Hugely readable' Lancet'Gripping and faultless' Observer, Books of the Year'Remarkable. A subtle, scholarly and immensely readable portrait. Scrupulous, thoughtful and clear-eyed. A masterly achievement' Financial Times'It will not be superseded for generations to come' Sunday Telegraph

The definitive biography of Vera Brittain, acclaimed author of Testament of Youth. With a new introduction by Mark Bostridge.'Riveting and authoritative' Kate Figes, Independent on Sunday'Honest, precise and smart' Natasha Walter, Guardian'They succeed triumphantly... A fascinating portrait' Fiona MacCarthy, ObserverVera Brittain is most widely known as the woman who immortalized a lost generation in her haunting autobiography of the Great War, Testament of Youth.This biography is the most comprehensive, authoritative life of one of the most remarkable women of her time. Based on unpublished papers and first-hand knowledge, the authors create a candid and sympathetic portrait of the writer, pacifist and feminist. They reveal the truth about Vera Brittain's 'semi-detached' marriage, her friendship with Winifred Holtby, and her relationships with her brother Edward and fiancé Roland Leighton, killed in the First World War, memories of whom haunted her all her days. Shortlisted for the Whitbread Prize, the NCR Non-Fiction Prize and the Fawcett Prize.

Biography is well recognised as a peculiarly British vice. This new anthology is a collection of essays by some of the best biographers now writing in Britain. They tell of the ups and downs of life writing: of problems with families and friends of their subjects, of shocking new discoveries, and of bitter professional rivalries. Essays in favour of biography, others that describe disenchantment with an attempt to capture another human being in the pages of a book. First published in the autumn of 2004 - to coincide with the appearance of the most important British publishing enterprise of the new century to date, the new Oxford Dictionary of National Biography - this new in paperback edition of Lives For Sale is full of amusing anecdotes and fascinating experiences retold by some of the masters of the form, including Michael Holroyd, Claire Tomalin, Fiona MacCarthy, Graham Robb, Andrew Roberts, Hermione Lee, Margaret Forster, Jenny Uglow, Antonia Fraser, as well as contributions from the rising generation, and an essay by Beryl Bainbridge on 'Waiting for the Biographer'.

'Profound, shattering and utterly immersive' Frances Wilson'Blurring the edges of biography and autobiography, Bostridge displays a profound empathy for Adele, even at her most baffing and elusive' Literary ReviewIn this unforgettably shattering memoir, Mark Bostridge finds himself haunted by the daughter of Victor Hugo. More than a century after her mysterious disappearance, he pursues Adele on her doomed and reckless journey of unrequited love. But as he follows Adele's footsteps around the world, from Normandy to the Caribbean, he is forced to confront all the ways in which her fate parallels his own.A TLS BOOK OF THE YEARFIVES STARS DAILY TELEGRAPH'A compelling experiment in biography-cum-memoir' TLS'An unforgettable journey' Ferdinand Mount'Mark Bostridge's innovative biography... of haunting beauty and stylistic grace' Daily Telegraph'Utterly immersive' The Oldie

'Profound, shattering and utterly immersive' Frances Wilson'Blurring the edges of biography and autobiography, Bostridge displays a profound empathy for Adele, even at her most baffing and elusive' Literary ReviewIn this unforgettably shattering memoir, Mark Bostridge finds himself haunted by the daughter of Victor Hugo. More than a century after her mysterious disappearance, he pursues Adele on her doomed and reckless journey of unrequited love. But as he follows Adele's footsteps around the world, from Normandy to the Caribbean, he is forced to confront all the ways in which her fate parallels his own.A TLS BOOK OF THE YEARFIVES STARS DAILY TELEGRAPH'A compelling experiment in biography-cum-memoir' TLS'An unforgettable journey' Ferdinand Mount'Mark Bostridge's innovative biography... of haunting beauty and stylistic grace' Daily Telegraph'Utterly immersive' The Oldie

The inspiration for the film Testament of Youth, this book from Mark Bostridge (Vera Brittain's biographer) tells the story of a remarkable woman and her extraordinary account of the destructive power of war.In the midst of her studies at Oxford when war broke out across Europe, Vera Brittain left university in 1915 to become a V.A.D (Voluntary Aid Detachment) nurse, treating soldiers in London, Malta and Etaples in France. The events of the First World War were to have an enormous impact on her life. Four of Brittain's closest friends including her fiancé Roland Leighton and her brother Edward Brittain MC were killed in action, sparking a lifelong commitment to pacifism.In 1933 she published Testament of Youth, the first of three books dealing with her experience of war. In equal measures courageous, tragic and deeply fascinating, Testament of Youth is one of the most compelling and important works of war literature ever to have been written by a British woman.Mark Bostridge's Vera Brittain and the First World War explores the effects of the First World War on Vera Brittain, both in terms of her personal life and in terms of its effect on her development as a writer and her eventual decision to become a pacifist. Taking advantage of the interest generated by the film, it will bring her story to a new generation and incorporate the most up-to-date research.The book includes a short essay 'From Book to Film', describing the process of turning Testament of Youth into a major feature film. This includes interviews with the production staff and actors, as well as with members of Vera Brittain's family, including Shirley Williams.

This collection of Vera Brittain's poetry and prose, some of it never published before, commemorates the men she loved - fiancé, brother and two close friends - who served and died in the First World War. It draws on her experiences as a VAD nurse in London, Malta, and France, and illustrates her growing conviction of the wickedness of all war.Illustrated with many extraordinary photographs from Brittain's own albums, and edited with a new introduction by Mark Bostridge, BECAUSE YOU DIED is an elegy to men who lost their lives in a bloody conflict, and a beautiful volume of remembrance to mark the anniversary of the Armistice.