The Face of Britain

The Nation through Its Portraits

De: Simon Schama

Narrado por: Roy McMillan, Simon Schama

Penguin presents the unabridged, downloadable, audiobook edition of The Face of Britain by Simon Schma, read by Simon Schama and Roy McMillian.

Churchill and his painter locked in a struggle of stares and glares; Gainsborough watching his daughters run after a butterfly; a naked John Lennon five hours before his death.

Simon Schama has written a tour de force about British portraits over the centuries in which the image-maker, the subject and everyone else looking on are brought unforgettably to life. Mesmerising in its extraordinary storytelling, and beautifully illustrated, The Face of Britain will change the way we see our past -- and ourselves.

Reseñas de la Crítica

Schama's greatest gift is a sure eye for an extraordinary story...This isn't what you get from conventional historians or conventional art writers, more's the pity...Schama has written books which will still be bought and talked about a century from now and he hasn't lost an ounce of zest or intelligence. Damn him... (Andrew Marr)

He knows the history, the biography, and the art history...he made me look and learn. He is a great storyteller and we learn something new on every page. (A S Byatt)

All of these lives rendered with an acuity of detail that could rival the best of portraitists ... describing Lawrence's portrait of Wilberforce, Schama calls the painting a work of "transforming empathy". That phrase could be true of his storytelling throughout this book. (Ekow Eshun)

Schama has a masterly ability to conjure up character and vivify conflict

With Schama you look at a picture and see it as you hadn't before

Splendid, spirited, immensely enjoyable and wide-ranging

Shows Schama at his best . . . as full of memorable incident as a Bellow novel and wittier than a Woody Allen movie

Schama writes with grace and wit, and his enthusiasms are contagious (Anita Brookner on 'The Embarrassment of Riches')

Dazzling, beyond praise

What is a portrait?

Great book on just what makes a great English portrait - in all its permutations. It would be good to have illustrations to look at while listening, but the descriptions are thorough enough that I didn’t miss them too much.
Really engaging ideas; I especially enjoy listening to Mr Schama read. I try to get audiobooks read by the author when possible.
This went by very quickly. 👍👍👍👍👍