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Frank Lloyd Wright: An Autobiography
Frank Lloyd Wright exerted perhaps the greatest influence on twentieth century design. In a volume that continues to resonate more than seventy years after its initial publication, Frank Lloyd Wright: An Autobiography contains the master architect's own account of his work, his philosophy, and his personal life, written with his signature wit and charm.
Wright (1867-1959)
...more
Hardcover
,
561 pages
Published
January 1st 2005
by Pomegranate Communications Inc,US
(first published April 1st 1977)
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Written with all of the arrogance that comes with Frank Lloyd Wright, so written just as you would expect him to write. Love him or hate him or love his ideas on architecture or hate his ideas on architecture, this book will just strengthen your ideas. Personally, I think the bastard was bloody brilliant. Some of the best and worst thoughts on architecture are in this book.
This book was as frustrating as it was fascinating, perhaps like I suspect the author was.
It seems to me that this book was more of a journal than an autobiography. There was no real chronological flow to it. The writing style was choppy and cryptic, almost as if Wright were briefly reminding himself of something rather than informing the reader.
It was not at all an easy book to read for more than a few pages at a time, which dragged the reading time out for me quite a bit. I finally had to jus ...more
It seems to me that this book was more of a journal than an autobiography. There was no real chronological flow to it. The writing style was choppy and cryptic, almost as if Wright were briefly reminding himself of something rather than informing the reader.
It was not at all an easy book to read for more than a few pages at a time, which dragged the reading time out for me quite a bit. I finally had to jus ...more
Jan 20, 2010
Bfeyen
added it
A difficult read for me, not like other autobiographies. I'm sure Frank did not want his book to be like any other. Even though I didn't like it I had to read the entire thing and it is over 600 pgs. He was a brilliant, arrogant man who thought more highly of himself than he ought and yet I admire his creativity and belief in himself. The symbolism he built into his buildings is amazing and even thought I'm not sure I would want to live in one of his houses, I really enjoy seeing them.
I only read this to learn more about Mamah after reading "Loving Frank." It was truly hard to read, as he wrote in fits and spurts that maybe he found poetic but I just found lurching. And he only called her by name once, after she died. There were still 300+ pages to go, so i skimmed the rest of it and called it a day.
Julie- if you're interested in it, I can mail it to you.
Julie- if you're interested in it, I can mail it to you.
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more like Frank Lloyd Wright: An ego trip ….
I greatly admire Wright's architecture, and I am traveling to visit probably his best know work this month. Prior to my visit I wanted to brush up on my knowledge of the architect and I figured this text was probably a pretty important one to read. I think I would have been way better off reading an architectural historian's biography of Wright.
I don't know if Wright thought he was being "poetic", but this book was nearly impossible to read or extract ...more
I greatly admire Wright's architecture, and I am traveling to visit probably his best know work this month. Prior to my visit I wanted to brush up on my knowledge of the architect and I figured this text was probably a pretty important one to read. I think I would have been way better off reading an architectural historian's biography of Wright.
I don't know if Wright thought he was being "poetic", but this book was nearly impossible to read or extract ...more
a beautiful piece of fiction. Wright believed fully that he was Whitman and did not have a editor
Love him or hate him, there was only one Frank Lloyd Wright. His legend lives on and his autobiography is a work as uniquely his own as the architecture that made him famous.
This was a fascinating read and genuinely insightful, despite the enormous ego present on every single page. For the reader willing to look past that ego, there's a perspective on architecture and even on life that is truly unique. Wright's buildings and life were truly his own and hearing him tell the tale makes one stop an ...more
This was a fascinating read and genuinely insightful, despite the enormous ego present on every single page. For the reader willing to look past that ego, there's a perspective on architecture and even on life that is truly unique. Wright's buildings and life were truly his own and hearing him tell the tale makes one stop an ...more
I bought this autobiography when I toured Taliesin in the spring. I thought it would be a fascinating read, but it was not. The writing style is very bizarre. The first part of the book about Frank's childhood was written in the third person as if his childhood happened to someone else. I was confused at first during this part because I knew it was an autobiography. I had to check the cover of the book to double check that he was actually the author of this book. After the part about his childho
...more
Wright writes. Punchy, adept. Consider his account of his reader father, who left his family to be raised by their mother and her family in Wisconsin. Or his uncle explaining why roots must be covered to protect from frost.
Then there's his first house for himself, as he had young children: he discovered how to keep them out of his studio, by raising the door handle to an adult height. This is a feature of all his houses from then on.
Then there's his first house for himself, as he had young children: he discovered how to keep them out of his studio, by raising the door handle to an adult height. This is a feature of all his houses from then on.
this is amazingly good but exasperatingly long reading for any autobiography of a non-fiction writer. The childhood portion is full of imagery and written in third person. The story of the Imperial Hotel is particularly captivating too.
I could barely start this book, let alone finish it. Wright was bombastic, boastful, full of fanciful pronouncements, and to to me, thoroughly unreadable. I plan to read a biography of him from another author.
I couldn't even finish this. It doesn't make for a very flattering take on the man. A lot of petty stuff and nothing of deep interest into his personal or professional life.
This book took me two summers to read. Good. Dense. Frank really liked to write about himself. Fascinating to read his own account of life events.
I'm not going to pretend that I finished this book but it was inspirational enough to stand out in my mind, despite being dry as a Georgia cracker.
A genius. Flawed (everyone is), but a genius (everyone is NOT).
he was the typical unglued artistic celebrity. a genious though.
Ok, I feel sorry for the man, a genius, and a scoundrel!
Nov 29, 2007
Barrett
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
architects, wisconsinites, celebrities, grandpas
Shelves:
hamlinerequiredreading
Written entirely in the third person!
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Frank Lloyd Wright was one of the world's most prominent and influential architects.
He developed a series of highly individual styles, influenced the design of buildings all over the world, and to this day remains America's most famous architect.
Wright was also well known in his lifetime. His colorful personal life frequently made headlines, most notably for the failure of his first two marriages ...more
More about Frank Lloyd Wright...
He developed a series of highly individual styles, influenced the design of buildings all over the world, and to this day remains America's most famous architect.
Wright was also well known in his lifetime. His colorful personal life frequently made headlines, most notably for the failure of his first two marriages ...more
