Irving Stone

Irving Stone was born on 14 July 1903 in San Francisco, California. He graduated from the University of Berkeley and held a Master’s degree from the University of Southern California. Stone became famous with the publication of the book *Lust for Life*, his vivid fictionalised biography of Van Gogh. He has also gained recognition as one of the most authoritative biographers. Notable examples include the biographies of Jack London (The Sea-Horse), Michelangelo (Agony and Ecstasy), Eugene V. Debs (Adversary in the House), Abraham Lincoln and Mary Todd (Love is Eternal), Charles Darwin (The Origin) and Heinrich Schliemann (The Greek Treasure). In 1959, he was awarded the Spur Award for his work Men to Match My Mountains and was an honorary member of the Western Writers’ Club. He died on 26 August 1989, aged 86.