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The Blue Flower (novel)
''The Blue Flower'' is the final novel by the British author Penelope Fitzgerald, published in 1995. It is a fictional treatment of the early life and troubled relationships of Friedrich von Hardenberg who, under the pseudonym Novalis, became a foundational figure of German Romanticism. First published in hardback by Flamingo, the novel became the first paperback title offered by Mariner Books, then a new imprint of Houghton Mifflin. Mariner Books went on to publish paperback editions of all of Penelope Fitzgerald's books. In 2012, ''The Observer'' named ''The Blue Flower'' one of "the ten best historical novels". Setting The novel is based on the life of Friedrich von Hardenberg (1772–1801) before he became famous under the name Novalis. It covers the years from 1790 to 1797 when von Hardenberg was a student of history, philosophy and law at the universities of Jena, Leipzig University, Leipzig and Wittenberg University, Wittenberg, and before he embarked on his professio ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Penelope Fitzgerald
Penelope Mary Fitzgerald (17 December 1916 – 28 April 2000) was a Booker Prize-winning novelist, poet, essayist and biographer from Lincoln, England. In 2008 ''The Times'' listed her among "the 50 greatest British writers since 1945". ''The Observer'' in 2012 placed her final novel, '' The Blue Flower'', among "the ten best historical novels". A.S. Byatt called her, "Jane Austen’s nearest heir for precision and invention." Biography Penelope Fitzgerald was born Penelope Mary Knox on 17 December 1916 at the Old Bishop's Palace, Lincoln, the daughter of Edmund Knox, later editor of ''Punch'', and Christina, ''née'' Hicks, daughter of Edward Hicks, Bishop of Lincoln, and one of the first women students at Oxford. She was a niece of the theologian and crime writer Ronald Knox, the cryptographer Dillwyn Knox, the Bible scholar Wilfred Knox, and the novelist and biographer Winifred Peck. Fitzgerald later wrote: "When I was young I took my father and my three uncles for granted ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |