Nikolaus Pevsner: The Life
As a critic, academic and champion of Modernism, Nikolaus Pevsner became a central figure in the architectural consensus that accompanied post-war reconstruction; as a 'General Practitioner' of architectural history, Pevsner wrote and broadcast on an astonishing range of subjects, from Gothic cathedrals and Georgian coffee houses to the Festival of Britain and Brutalist tower blocks. But it is the Buildings of England series, published between 1951 and 1974, that has made Pevsner's name synonymous with the exploration and enjoyment of English architecture. Susie Harries believes Pevsner's career is a prism through which to view the evolution of art history (and its publishing) in Britain — while his life as both an outsider and insider at the heart of English art history illuminates both the predicament and the prowess of the continental emigres who did so much to shape British culture after 1945.
4.9 out of 5 based on 9 reviews
|
Omniscore:
|
| Classification |
Non-fiction |
| Genre |
Biography, Art, Architecture & Photography |
| Format |
Hardback |
| Pages |
928 |
| RRP |
£30.00 |
| Date of Publication |
August 2011 |
| ISBN |
978-0701168391 |
| Publisher |
Chatto & Windus |
| |
As a critic, academic and champion of Modernism, Nikolaus Pevsner became a central figure in the architectural consensus that accompanied post-war reconstruction; as a 'General Practitioner' of architectural history, Pevsner wrote and broadcast on an astonishing range of subjects, from Gothic cathedrals and Georgian coffee houses to the Festival of Britain and Brutalist tower blocks. But it is the Buildings of England series, published between 1951 and 1974, that has made Pevsner's name synonymous with the exploration and enjoyment of English architecture. Susie Harries believes Pevsner's career is a prism through which to view the evolution of art history (and its publishing) in Britain — while his life as both an outsider and insider at the heart of English art history illuminates both the predicament and the prowess of the continental emigres who did so much to shape British culture after 1945.
Reviews
The Evening Standard
Kieran Long
"[A] monumental and very readable book … The ease of Harries's writing will reward any reader but the broader currents of the cultural history of the 20th century that are described as the background to Pevsner's life make this book very valuable indeed."
11/08/2011
Read Full Review
The Financial Times
AN Wilson
"Tremendous … Inevitably, in a book about a workaholic who was tirelessly public-spirited, there will be sentences such as: “Meanwhile in 1961 another body was set up to implement the recommendations of the Coldstream Committee.” But this immense book is a rattling good read and it is, above all, fair."
12/08/2011
Read Full Review
The Literary Review
Simon Heffer
"What Harries gives us, in this stunningly good book, is a very human picture of a rather phenomenal man … With her access to and judicious use of Pevsner’s private papers, and her extensive interviews with his friends and enemies, Susie Harries has produced one of the finest biographies I have read for years."
01/08/2011
Read Full Review
The Observer
George Walden
"A perfect blend of events, ideas and personal narrative, it is a masterpiece of the biographical genre 20 years in the making. As with much of Pevsner himself, no one, you feel, could have done it better."
07/08/2011
Read Full Review
The Sunday Telegraph
Philippa Stockley
"… those who have never read any Pevsner will want to immediately … Harries is a careful and systematic biographer, rarely intruding when there is so much primary material, which she has corralled splendidly."
07/08/2011
Read Full Review
The Times
Iain Finlayson
"... Susie Harries has given a private face to the public intellectual: she discovered secret journals that he kept for 50 years, which deal movingly with his exile and the difficulties of cultural assimilation. This biography is an important and heroic work of reclamation and rehabilitation."
13/08/2011
Read Full Review
The New Statesman
Alexandra Harris
"Magnificent … The reader setting off through these 900-plus pages may feel tired at the mere prospect, and wonder whether Pevsner matters quite this much. Such doubts don't last long. This is a biographical masterpiece that shows how the life of one man can become a prism though which can be read the stories of both England and Germany in the 20th century."
24/08/2011
Read Full Review
The Spectator
Harry Mount
"This is not just a fair-minded biography, but also an impressive and comprehensive one. An enormous one, too: Harries has taken a methodical, Pevsnerian approach to her subject, helped by access to previously unexamined family papers. It is perhaps for ‘Buildings of England’ fans only, but even the obsessives will discover new things — which was, after all, Pevsner’s original intention in his stupendous feat of scholarship."
20/08/2011
Read Full Review
The Independent on Sunday
Matthew Bell
"[Pevsner] loved England and Englishness, but would apply a rigorous, Germanic approach to his appreciation of its art and architecture. Famously, this annoyed John Betjeman, and Harries dedicates a chapter to the supposed rivalry with Betjeman, which actually shows Pevsner at his most likeable. Harries shows how the feud was largely of Betjeman's creation: Pevsner was aware that he was disliked by him, but continued to praise his work."
28/08/2011
Read Full Review