HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Isaac D'Israeli (11 May 1766 – 19 January 1848) was a
British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...
writer, scholar and the father of
British Prime Minister The prime minister of the United Kingdom is the head of government of the United Kingdom. The prime minister advises the sovereign on the exercise of much of the royal prerogative, chairs the Cabinet and selects its ministers. As modern p ...
Benjamin Disraeli Benjamin Disraeli, 1st Earl of Beaconsfield, (21 December 1804 – 19 April 1881) was a British statesman and Conservative politician who twice served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. He played a central role in the creation o ...
. He is best known for his essays and his associations with other men of letters.


Life and career

Isaac was born in
Enfield, Middlesex Enfield is a large town in north London, England, north of Charing Cross. It had a population of 156,858 in 2018. It includes the areas of Botany Bay, Brimsdown, Bulls Cross, Bullsmoor, Bush Hill Park, Clay Hill, Crews Hill, Enfield Highw ...
, England, the only child of Benjamin D'Israeli (1730–1816), a
Sephardic Jewish Sephardic (or Sephardi) Jews (, ; lad, Djudíos Sefardíes), also ''Sepharadim'' , Modern Hebrew: ''Sfaradim'', Tiberian: Səp̄āraddîm, also , ''Ye'hude Sepharad'', lit. "The Jews of Spain", es, Judíos sefardíes (or ), pt, Judeus sefar ...
merchant who had immigrated from
Cento The Middle East Treaty Organization (METO), also known as the Baghdad Pact and subsequently known as the Central Treaty Organization (CENTO), was a military alliance of the Cold War. It was formed in 24 February 1955 by Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, Tur ...
, Italy, in 1748, and his second wife, Sarah Syprut de Gabay Villa Real (1742/3–1825). Isaac received much of his education in
Leiden Leiden (; in English and archaic Dutch also Leyden) is a city and municipality in the province of South Holland, Netherlands. The municipality of Leiden has a population of 119,713, but the city forms one densely connected agglomeration wit ...
. At the age of 16, he began his literary career with some verses addressed to
Samuel Johnson Samuel Johnson (18 September 1709  – 13 December 1784), often called Dr Johnson, was an English writer who made lasting contributions as a poet, playwright, essayist, moralist, critic, biographer, editor and lexicographer. The ''Oxford ...
. He became a frequent guest at the table of the publisher John Murray and became one of the noted
bibliophiles Bibliophilia or bibliophilism is the love of books. A bibliophile or bookworm is an individual who loves and frequently reads and/or collects books. Profile The classic bibliophile is one who loves to read, admire and collect books, often ama ...
of the time. In 1797 D'Israeli published ''Vaurien,'' a romantic novel set in radical circles following the French Revolution. Conservative commentators praised the book for its mockery of radicals in England and depiction of Vaurien, who has come from France to ferment revolution. Yet they were perturbed by his depiction of a prostitute, who is kindly and was forced into prostitution to feed her family after her husband was ruined by a litigious neighbour for stealing an apple. Moreover, they were shocked by a chapter in which Disraeli launched a staunch defence of the Jewish community condemning the way Jews were treated in England. On 10 February 1802, D'Israeli married Maria Basevi (1774/5–1847), who came from another London merchant family of Italian-Jewish descent. The marriage was a happy one, producing five children: Sarah ("Sa"; 1802–1859);
Benjamin Benjamin ( he, ''Bīnyāmīn''; "Son of (the) right") blue letter bible: https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/h3225/kjv/wlc/0-1/ H3225 - yāmîn - Strong's Hebrew Lexicon (kjv) was the last of the two sons of Jacob and Rachel (Jacob's thir ...
("Ben" or "Dizzy"; 1804–1881); Naphtali (b. 1807, died in infancy); Raphael ("Ralph"; 1809–1898); and Jacobus ("James" or "Jem"; 1813–1868). The children were named according to Jewish customs and the boys were all circumcised. Religiously, however, Isaac D'Israeli appears to have set aside his Jewish beliefs. In the midst of an eight-year dispute with the
Bevis Marks Synagogue Bevis Marks Synagogue, officially Qahal Kadosh Sha'ar ha-Shamayim ( he, קָהָל קָדוֹשׁ שַׁעַר הַשָׁמַיִם, "Holy Congregation Gate of Heaven"), is the oldest synagogue in the United Kingdom in continuous use. It is loc ...
and on the advice of his friend, historian
Sharon Turner Sharon Turner (24 September 1768 – 13 February 1847) was an English historian. Life Turner Was born in Pentonville, the eldest son of William and Ann Turner of Yorkshire, who had settled in London upon marrying.H. R. Loyn,Turner, Sharon (1 ...
, all his children were baptised into the
Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britain ...
in 1817. In 1833 he published a severely critical analysis of contemporary
Judaism Judaism ( he, ''Yahăḏūṯ'') is an Abrahamic, monotheistic, and ethnic religion comprising the collective religious, cultural, and legal tradition and civilization of the Jewish people. It has its roots as an organized religion in the ...
, ''The Genius of Judaism''. He himself did not receive baptism, however, and never indicated any desire to exchange Judaism for Christianity. He did attend the inauguration ceremonies of the
Reform Synagogue Reform Judaism, also known as Liberal Judaism or Progressive Judaism, is a major Jewish denomination that emphasizes the evolving nature of Judaism, the superiority of its ethical aspects to its ceremonial ones, and belief in a continuous sear ...
at Burton Street, London. He penned a handful of English adaptations of traditional tales from the Middle East, wrote a few historical biographies, and published a number of poems. His most popular work was a collection of essays entitled ''Curiosities of Literature.'' The work contained myriad anecdotes about historical persons and events, unusual books, and the habits of book-collectors. The work was very popular and sold widely in the 19th century, reaching its eleventh edition (the last to be revised by the author) in 1839.
(author's preface to the 1839 edition, from the complete text as listed under ''External Links'') It was still in print when the ''
Encyclopædia Britannica The (Latin for "British Encyclopædia") is a general knowledge English-language encyclopaedia. It is published by Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.; the company has existed since the 18th century, although it has changed ownership various time ...
'' entry was written in 1911. His book ''The Life and Reign of Charles I'' (1828) resulted in his being awarded the degree of D.C.L. from the
University of Oxford , mottoeng = The Lord is my light , established = , endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019) , budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20) , chancellor ...
. In 1841, he became blind and, though he underwent an operation, his sight was not restored. He continued writing with his daughter as his
amanuensis An amanuensis () is a person employed to write or type what another dictates or to copy what has been written by another, and also refers to a person who signs a document on behalf of another under the latter's authority. In one example Eric Fenby ...
. In this way he produced ''Amenities of Literature'' (1841) and completed the revision of his work on Charles I. He died of
influenza Influenza, commonly known as "the flu", is an infectious disease caused by influenza viruses. Symptoms range from mild to severe and often include fever, runny nose, sore throat, muscle pain, headache, coughing, and fatigue. These symptoms ...
at age 81, at his home, Bradenham House, in
Buckinghamshire Buckinghamshire (), abbreviated Bucks, is a ceremonial county in South East England that borders Greater London to the south-east, Berkshire to the south, Oxfordshire to the west, Northamptonshire to the north, Bedfordshire to the north-ea ...
, less than a year after the death of his wife in the spring of 1847. D'Israeli's daughter-in-law, the wife of his eldest son, Benjamin, erected a monument to him in June 1862 following his death. It stands on a hill near
Hughenden Manor Hughenden Manor, Hughenden, Buckinghamshire, England, is a Victorian mansion, with earlier origins, that served as the country house of the Prime Minister, Benjamin Disraeli, 1st Earl of Beaconsfield. It is now owned by the National Trust and o ...
, the Disraelis' country house in Buckinghamshire.


Major works

*''Curiosities of Literature'' (5 vols. 791–1823 3 vols.
824 __NOTOC__ Year 824 ( DCCCXXIV) was a leap year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Europe * November 11 – The '' Constitutio Romana'' establishes the authority of the ...
*''A Dissertation on Anecdotes''
793 __NOTOC__ Year 793 ( DCCXCIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. The denomination 793 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar ...
*''An Essay on the Literary Character''
795 __NOTOC__ Year 795 ( DCCXCV) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. The denomination 795 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar er ...
*''Miscellanies; or, Literary Recreations''
796 __NOTOC__ Year 796 ( DCCXCVI) was a leap year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. The denomination 796 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era b ...
*''Romances''
799 __NOTOC__ Year 799 ( DCCXCIX) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. The denomination 799 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar ...
*''Flim-Flams!, or the Life and Errors of My Uncle and the Amours of My Aunt'' 805-6*''Commentaries on the Life and Reign of Charles the First, King of England'' (5 vols. 1828-1831) *''Amenities of Literature'' 841*''Calamities of Authors'' 812–3*''Quarrels of Authors''
814 __NOTOC__ Year 814 ( DCCCXIV) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Byzantine Empire * April 13 – Byzantine–Bulgarian Wars: Over the winter Krum, rul ...
*''The Genius of Judaism''
833 __NOTOC__ Year 833 ( DCCCXXXIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Byzantine Empire * Byzantine-Arab War: Emperor Theophilos signs an armistice for p ...


References


External links

* * * * Complete text of th
''Curiosities Of Literature''
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Disraeli, Isaac 1766 births 1848 deaths 19th-century English non-fiction writers 19th-century English male writers 19th-century Sephardi Jews Bibliophiles Blind people from England Deaths from influenza English Jewish writers English male non-fiction writers English non-fiction writers English people of Italian-Jewish descent British people of Italian-Jewish descent English Sephardi Jews People from Enfield, London Parents of prime ministers of the United Kingdom