They say there is a fine line between genius and insanity, and if anyone’s life proves that, it’s the life of Vincent van Gogh. Author Irving Stone depicts this struggle of van Gogh’s and his attempt to balance on this line throughout his short-lived, troubled life, in this excellent fictionalized version of the painter’s life. Often remembered for the infamous “ear” incident, van Gogh is much more than that and his sunflower paintings. Van Gogh might be described as an empath in today’s terms, and his mental health struggles are often heart-wrenching in this classic Stone novel. First published in 1934, Stone was able to write from information gathered from van Gogh’s personal letters to family and friends, and interviews of people still alive at the time of publication who knew van Gogh’s first-hand. These primary sources make for a very moving and not to be missed tale of this misunderstood genius.
The most famous of all of Stone’s novels, it is the story of Vincent Van Gogh–brilliant painter, passionate lover, and alleged madman. Here is his tempestuous story: his dramatic life, his fevered loves for both the highest-born women and the lowest prostitutes, and his paintings–for which he was damned before being proclaimed a genius.