Irving Stone (born Tannenbaum, July 14, 1903, San Francisco, California – August 26, 1989, Los Angeles, California) was an American writer known for his biographical novels of famous historical personalities, including Lust for Life, a biographical novel about the life of Vincent van Gogh, and The Agony and the Ecstasy, a biographical novel about Michelangelo.

Biography

At the early age of seven, Stone’s parents divorced and by the time he was a senior in high school his mother had remarried. Stone legally changed his last name to that of his stepfather’s. Stone said that it was his mother who instilled a passion for reading in him. From then on he believed that education was the only way to succeed in life.

In 1923, Stone received his bachelor's degree from the University of California, Berkeley. In the 1960s, Stone received an honorary Doctorate of Letters from the University of Southern California, where he had previously earned a Masters Degree from the College of Letters, Arts, and Sciences.

Stone enjoyed a long marriage to his wife and editor on many of his works, Jean Stone. The Stones lived primarily in Los Angeles, California. During their lifetime, Stone and his wife funded a foundation to support charitable causes they believed in.

When at home, Stone relied upon the research facilities and expertise made available to him by Esther Euler, head research librarian of the University of California at Los Angeles, to whom he dedicated and thanked, in addition to many others, in several of his works.

Stone's main source for Lust for Life, as noted in the afterword, were Van Gogh's letters to his brother Theo. Stone additionally did much of his research "in the field". For example, he spent many years living in Italy while working on The Agony and the Ecstasy. The Italian government lauded Stone with several honorary awards during this period for his cultural achievements highlighting Italian history.

Stone returned to America in the 1930s and resided in New York’s Greenwich village where he wrote the novel which would set his career in motion. His wife died in 2004.

Film adaptations

In 1953, a popular film version was made of The President's Lady based on his 1950 novel of the same name, starring Charlton Heston as Andrew Jackson and Susan Hayward as Rachel Donelson Jackson. In 1956, a film version was made of Lust for Life, based on his 1934 novel, starring Kirk Douglas as Van Gogh. In 1965, a film was made of The Agony and the Ecstasy, starring Heston as Michelangelo and Rex Harrison as Pope Julius II.

Bibliography

• Lust for Life (1934) - based on the life of Vincent van Gogh
• Sailor on Horseback (1938) - based on the life of Jack London.
• Clarence Darrow For the Defense (1941) - biography of Clarence Darrow
• They Also Ran (1944, updated 1966) - based on candidates who were defeated for U.S. President
• Immortal Wife (1944) - based on the life of Jessie Benton Frémont
• Adversary in the House (1947) - based on the life of Eugene V. Debs and his wife Kate, who opposed socialism
• Earl Warren (1948) - biography of Earl Warren
• The Passionate Journey (1949) - based on the life of American artist John Noble
• The President's Lady (1950) - based on the wife of Andrew Jackson, Rachel Donelson Jackson
• Love is Eternal (1954) - based on the marriage of Abraham Lincoln and Mary Todd
• Men to Match My Mountains (1956) - based on the opening of the Far West, 1840–1900
• The Agony and the Ecstasy - (1961) - based on the life of Michelangelo
• Those Who Love (1965) - based on the life of John Adams and Abigail Adams
• The Passions of the Mind (1971) - based on the life of Sigmund Freud
• The Greek Treasure (1975) - based on the discovery of Troy by Heinrich Schliemann
• The Origin (1980) - based on the life of Charles Darwin
• Depths of Glory (1985) - based on the life of Camille Pissarro