James Lord (author)

James Lord (November 27, 1922 – August 23, 2009) was an American writer. He was the author of several books, including critically acclaimed biographies of Alberto Giacometti and Pablo Picasso.[1][2] He appeared in the documentary films Balthus Through the Looking Glass (1996) and Picasso: Magic, Sex, Death (2001).

James Lord
Born(1922-11-27)November 27, 1922
Englewood, New Jersey, U.S.
DiedAugust 23, 2009(2009-08-23) (aged 86)
Paris, France
OccupationWriter, essayist
Partner(s)Gilles Roy-Lord

Life and career

Lord was born in Englewood, New Jersey, and grew up there, the son of Louise and Albert Lord.[1] His father was a stockbroker, and until the Wall Street crash the family lived, as Lord put it, in "the lower echelons of the upper classes".[2] He graduated from Englewood School for Boys (now Dwight-Englewood School) in 1940.[3]

Lord attended Wesleyan University, though he never earned a degree. He served in the United States Army during World War II, keeping his homosexuality carefully hidden.[4][5]

Lord died of a heart attack in Paris, at the age of 86.[2]

The 2017 movie Final Portrait retells the story of his friendship with the painter Alberto Giacometti. Lord is played by Armie Hammer.

Selected bibliography

Biographies and novels
  • No Traveler Returns. John Day Company. 1956. ASIN B002DGC9J4.
  • The Joys of Success. John Day Company. 1958. ASIN B0007E5806.
  • A Giacometti Portrait. Forgotten books. 1965. ISBN 978-1528340182.
  • Giacometti: A Biography. Farrar, Straus and Giroux. 1985. ISBN 978-0374525255.
  • Picasso and Dora: A Personal Memoir. Weidenfeld & Nicolson. 1993. ISBN 978-0297813835.
  • Six Exceptional Women. Farrar, Straus and Giroux. 1994. ISBN 978-0374528362.
  • Making Memoirs. Elysium Press. 1995. ISBN 978-0964039940.
  • Some Remarkable Men. Farrar, Straus and Giroux. 1996. ISBN 978-0374266554.
  • A Gift for Admiration. Farrar, Straus and Giroux. 1998. ISBN 978-0374281922.
  • Stories of Youth. Elysium Press. 2001.
  • My Queer War. Farrar, Straus and Giroux. 2010. ISBN 978-0374532758.

Essays

References
  1. Hawtree, Christopher (September 24, 2009). "Obituary for James Lord". The Guardian.
  2. Grimes, William (August 27, 2009). "James Lord, Biographer and Memoirist, Is Dead at 86". The New York Times.
  3. Distinguished Alumni Award, Dwight-Englewood School. Accessed June 14, 2018.
  4. Perl, Jed (May 28, 2010). "Finding His Way to Paris". The New York Times.
  5. "Lord writes about 'the inconvenience of being queer' during the Second World War with unsparing bravery.", My Queer War (excerpt of a review on the back cover), Farrar, Straus and Giroux: New York (2010); ISBN 978-0-374-21748-8 (hardcover).
  • James Lord Papers. General Collection, Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Yale University.
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