Joellyn duesberry biography of abraham lincoln by carl sandburg

Abraham Lincoln , biographies , book reviews , Carl Sandburg , presidential biographies , Presidents , Pulitzer Prize. Sandburg, like Lincoln, was a son of the Illinois prairie and he harbored a lifelong fascination with the sixteenth president. Although better known as an eminent American poet, Sandburg was also a well-regarded biographer.

Sandburg died in at the age of This two-volume effort totals nearly 1, pages of text, but lacks the footnotes and bibliography which would be expected of a more recent historical work. Volume 2 covers the half-decade of his life through his election as president. The first volume, in particular, is almost a reference manual on the uncultured, rugged frontier life.

Autobiography, Biography, and Life Writing: REBECCA S. HOGAN, GERMAN LITERATURE.

On the other hand, this biography is an imperfect combination of history, context and fluff. As a contributor to Lincoln scholarship, the series lacks the potency it probably once possessed. As a source of unique cultural and social context, the series is excellent — but it provides virtually no historical context whatsoever. And it is replete with stories of and by Lincoln which add individual bursts of color to the portrait.

But after an endless barrage of these brief, rapid-fire tales they grow almost pointless — adding filler but little substance. Along its vaguely chronological path, Sandburg takes frequent detours to explore favorite topics or themes. Although the diversions can be fascinating they are often followed by events non-sequential to those taking place before the diversion.

Only later will the reader find the storyline returning to the original point of departure. One moment Lincoln is in a courtroom using humor to sway a jury; the next he is headed to Washington as a congressman…but he never seems to have decided to run for office or to have campaigned. But fear not, that piece of the puzzle will come later.