A. J. A. Symons (1900–1941)

I'd like to add to the other capable reviews that one reason the book is so enjoyable is the personality of Symons himself: sympathetic , sincere, and cautious in his judgments. The reader shares Symons' frustration with Corvo's often inexplicable, changeable behavior, the contradictory impressions and opinions of those who knew him. We root for him to succeed, to persevere in his quest; it's even gratifying in a romantic way when, near the end of the journey, a veritable fat knight in golden armor enables Symons to obtain the last few manuscripts that had eluded him. It's a point worth making, and applauding, that Symons was courageous enough in 1934 to declare in conclusion that, having gathered and studied all the confusing aspects of Corvo's life, his homosexuality was clearly a consequence of birth and nature, not choice.… (meer)

Symons' quest to discover as much as he could about the life and work of eccentric English writer (and much else) Frederick Rolfe, aka Baron Corvo, is quite a detective story, and more remarkable for the quaintness of it all--corresponding by mail and waiting weeks for a reply, and no Google. This is a real treat for a book lover, even if you haven't yet read Rolfe's work. In fact, maybe it's better if you haven't read Rolfe yet, since this book will serve as a great guide to doing so. You'll discover that most of Rolfe's books are veiled, idealized versions of his own life. He emerges as an exceedingly strange, sometimes pitiable, sometimes easy to scorn, man who managed to live for 53 years mostly in his own head--and on other people's money. It is certainly a unique story, and it does make me want to read Rolfe--or, to please his ghost, perhaps I should call him Baron Corvo. Symons, who would die at 41 after partial paralysis and a brain tumor, is an engaging character himself, as are those he speaks to or corresponds with about Rolfe. It all makes for an engaging picture of Britain between the wars. Some sort of post-script by the publisher (Valancourt for my ebook edition) about the evolution of Rolfe's reputation after this book was published, way back in 1934, would have been very welcome and made this book more valuable. But, there's always Google...or perhaps you're reading a better version.… (meer)

I made a regrettable - embarrassing, even - mistake when I started reading this on my Kindle: I neither checked the date of publication, nor the genre. I read the first third of this marvellous biography under the illusion that this was some Borgesian or Lem-ian fake biography of a writer who never lived; but the story began to repeat itself - Corvo making a friend, leeching money off said friend, then, feeling somehow betrayed, turning against the friend - so much that I thought, "Who would ever make this stuff up?"

So finally I paused my reading and looked back at the bibliographic detail, and yes - Corvo (or Frederick Rolfe) really existed (and I'd never heard of him despite the amazing pieces of literature he crafted!) and the biography I was then reading had been written roughly eighty years ago. That explained so much!

Given that I've never read a word of Corvo's, this was a remarkably engaging biography, with a turn towards the end straight out of a thriller. Definitely worth persevering with, and I'm glad to have read it (even though it took me quite a while!).… (meer)