Irving Stone

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Irving Stone (July 14, 1903 San Francisco, California – August 26, 1989) was an American writer known for his biographical novels of famous historical personalities.

Some of Stone's important works in this category include:

Lust for Life (1934) - based on the life of Vincent van Gogh
Adversary in the House (1947) - based on the life of Eugene V. Debs
Love is Eternal (historical novel - 1954) - based on the marriage of Abraham Lincoln and Mary Todd
The Agony and the Ecstasy - (1961) - based on the life of Michelangelo
The Passions of the Mind (1971) - based on the life of Sigmund Freud
Greek Treasure - (1975) based on the discovery of Troy by Heinrich Schliemann
Origin (1980) - based on the life of Charles Darwin
For the Defense - based on the life of Clarence Darrow
Those Who Love - based on the life of John Adams
Sailor on Horseback - based on the life of Jack London.

In the 1950s, a popular film version was made of Lust for Life, based on Stone's 1934 novel, starring Kirk Douglas as Van Gogh.

Stone's main source for Lust for Life, as noted in the afterword, was Van Gogh's letters to his brother Theo. It seems probable that Eugene Debs' letters to and from his own brother Theo provided a foundation for Adversary in the House. 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. 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.

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.