David Jones Hardcover – January 1, 2017

I've been waiting for this one for a while -- and this biography far exceeded my expectations. First off, it's great value for money. At this price, I expected a small book. Instead, I got a richly illustrated almost-coffee-table-type volume. The photographs -- and all the examples of Jones's work -- add immeasurably to the beauty of the text.And, in this case, the text truly is beautiful. Dilworth is here taking his time to set the record straight on David Jones, and he does so with aplomb. I took my time reading this, savoring every moment of the feast, getting to know Jones as I never thought I would. I appreciated all the homely details -- that is, what his daily life was actually like -- as well as the tracing of the books and people who were his artistic, intellectual, and spiritual influences. Jones struggled with sometimes severe depression -- and both the good and the bad of the treatments he received are uncovered. His many close friendships come wonderfully to life here -- including the three main loves of his life. I already knew about his broken engagement with Petra Gill -- but this book covers it in detail, as well as the main loves of his mature and later years. Did Jones live a life of almost monastic celibacy? All indications are yes -- but the fact is that he also loved and was very much loved in return, by the women in his life as well as his many friends.Finally -- a weakness of most biographers these days is that they cannot understand (and often misrepresent) their subject's religious faith. There is no sign of that here. Dilworth "gets" Jones's quirky but devout and very much embodied Catholic faith. His evocation of Jones's part in the Chelsea Group of mostly Catholic humanists brilliantly emphasizes the artistic and intellectual strength of the early 20th century Catholic revival. This makes it all the more sad to read of Jones's disillusionment with the post-Vatican II self-destruction of the Catholic Church. He remained a faithful Catholic -- although a reluctant mass-goer after the liturgical changes -- to the end.This book will take you into another world and make Jones your friend for life. Highest recommend, especially for those interested in 20th century British and/or Catholic art and poetry.

I have been enamored with David Jones since my grad school days. This is an excellent biography that will take me into many pleasant hours of study.

An elegant biography of a fascinating and not-well-enough known poet-artist of World War I.

No one knows more about David Jones than Tom Dilworth. This biography is the result of a life's work, based on a thorough knowledge of the sources and a friendship with the poet and painter.

Excellent!

read!

very interesting for me

I've just finished reading this book, and I was sad to put it down. I've been a lover of David Jones' work since the late 1960s – and even as a schoolboy I returned over and over again to stare at his drawing 'Aphrodite in Aulis' (in the Tate) because something about its tangle of lines and hidden meanings fascinated me.I went on to read 'In Parenthesis', 'Anathemata', 'The Sleeping Lord' and Jones' critical writings many years ago, and I still come back to them from time to time. His paintings, prints and lettering, especially the landscapes and views from his rooms, I love and they are amongst my favourite works of all time. But I've never had much of a sense of the man behind these wonderful pieces. Of course he was clearly an exceptional person, being both a great writer and painter. I also knew the bare outlines of his life, but his intense Catholicism and deep knowledge of history and mythology, and his learning seemed daunting, and I found it hard to imagine him simply as a Human Being (as he once painted himself).Dilworth's book has totally changed all of that, and from the very start of the book I began to feel that I began to understood David Jones as a living and breathing man. His complex, deeply felt, and it has to be said, mixed-up feelings for women and sex; his humour and sense of fun; his total inability to market or promote himself. Despite his awesome intelligence Jones comes across as essentially straightforward, honest and very likeable man. His everyday language is that of the private in the trenches, full of oaths and curses – something that reminded me of the speech of my own, Cockney grandfather. Everyone David Jones meets seems to adore him, and spending much of his life close to poverty, he only survives at all through the efforts of his large group of faithful friends.It's odd to think of this towering artist, living in squalid conditions, and yet entertaining in his tiny room people like the TS Eliot, Stravinsky, Kenneth Clark, and many many others...and calling taxis to take him to Buckingham Palace or Downing Street.A wonderful book about a wonderful life. Thank you, Thomas Dilworth.

I admit to never having heard of David Jones prior to hearing of this book in the "Reviews" section of a newspaper. The review spoke of the experience of David Jones in WW1 and this is always liable to perk my interest. I am truly glad it did. I grew to love the man. The text is written in such a way as to capture the heart of Jones himself - childlike, in the most profound meaning of the term. Every reader will surely be enriched by reading this biography of a man so "modern" yet whose own life was itself so enriched by the past. Many fine illustrations of the paintings ( which I would assume need to be seen in the original to receive all they have to give ) and photos. Thank you. Recommended.

Thomas Dilworth's book is an interesting, though sparse, biography of David Jones. My main problem with the book is the sloppiness of some of the writing: poorly constructed paragraphs labour the point sometimes, sentences end without completing their point, and Dilworth is often confused about when to use colons or semi-colons. (His use of ellipses is also erratic) The addition of a few footnotes would also help to clarify the frequent inclusion of artistic and liturgical terms which are used without any clarification within the text. How many people understand 'Thomism'?As T. Dilworth has written a number of books about David Jones I was tempted to investigate some of his others but, after reading this one I wonder if they are all as poorly constructed/written.

David Jones is one of the great artists and poets of the twentieth century. His writing is not easy but it is essential. Dilworth's authoritative biography, the fruit of a lifetime's study and research, is a revelation, as well as a gripping read. It is also a hugely significant advance on anything that has been written about Jones' life before. It is the only account worth reading and provides fascinating new ways into the work. The descriptions of the network of Jones' friends, admirers, supporters and lovers, with extracts from hitherto unpublished letters, as well as the great number of illustrations and beautiful reproductions of the paintings and lettering, make this a very fine book in its own right, worthy of its subject.

A major work of biography distinguishing the activities and development of David Jones placing him in his relationships with major figures of inter-war artistic activities whom he met as he developed into a major painter of watercolours in the 20s and 30s and then produced his poetry based on a long period of front line service in the ranks during 1915 to18.