The Man Behind the Book: Literary Profiles - Hardcover

The highly acclaimed and prodigious Louis Auchincloss has penned a collection of literary essays profiling 23 authors who have influenced his writing. Capturing the famous and the obscure, Auchincloss renders literary sketches in the style of Lytton Strachey; these portraits say almost as much about their author as their subject. Taking in writers ranging from Henry James to Ivy Compton-Burnett, Auchincloss displays a keen eye for distinction and makes devastating use of underhanded qualifications. In addition to being a revelation of Auchincloss's influences and character, The Man Behind the Book is an admirable work of literary reclamation.

Louis Auchincloss was honored in the year 2000 as a "Living Landmark" by the New York Landmarks Conservancy. He has written more than sixty books, including the story collection Manhattan Monologues and the novel The Rector of Justin. The president of the Academy of Arts and Letters, he resides in New York City.