Solo Goya: Goya and the Duchess of Alba at Sanlúcar [Hardcover]

Jon Manchip White (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 23, 2007

Solo Goya: Goya and the Duchess of Alba at Sanlúcar is a meticulously researched historical novel about the great Spanish painter Francisco Goya and his most famous patron, the 13th Duchess of Alba. The encounter between Goya and the Duchess of Alba which figures in this novel took place at Sanlúcar de Barrameda in the late summer of 1796, when Goya was aged 50 and the Duchess was a widow of 34. These facts and many others in this story are historically accurate, and most of the characters you will meet in this book actually lived at that time and place. But this is a novel, a work of fiction, and not a book of history. Since many of the details of Goya's life are obscure or in dispute, the goal of this book is not to prove that this detail or that actually took place, but to create a plausible and engaging narrative that brings to life the major issues and ambiance of life in late 18th century Bourbon Spain. Author Jon Manchip White is uniquely equipped to recreate the world in which Goya lived - the artist's easy access to extremes of social class, the dominance of the Catholic church, and his cultural preoccupations with war, violence, religion, art and politics.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Iris Press (April 23, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0916078736
• ISBN-13: 978-0916078737
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,005,589 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Goya Alone, October 29, 2006

By 

Alan Gratz "Author" (Western North Carolina) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Solo Goya: Goya and the Duchess of Alba at Sanlúcar (Hardcover)

White's passion for Spain and its leading figures is evident in his earlier biographies of Diego Velazquez and Hernan Cortes, but here he goes farther, taking on in fiction the mystery of the Spanish painter Francisco Goya's torrid and tumultuous affair with the 13th Duchess of Alba.

What is most inspired about this novel is White's use of Goya's paintings, sketches, and prints to intuit the master painter's moods and feelings---for what better place to learn what lies in the heart and mind of an artist than in his work? From the witches and monsters of Goya's caprichos, to the cryptic contemporary discovery of the words "Solo Goya" painted---and then painted over---at the feet of his famous "Black Duchess," Jon Manchip White builds a story of man tormented by his own demons, and the lady who becomes devoted to him.

Here is the passion of Goya's paintings given life. Here is the deaf painter's life given voice, and that lonely voice finally heard and understood. Here, in Solo Goya, is a romance for the ages.