Frank Lloyd Wright

August 31, 1992
In this superb, subtle, demythologizing biography of Wright (1869-1959), we meet a shrewd yet gullible architect who fostered a view of himself as a misunderstood, embattled genius, a narcissist who unconsciously courted catastrophe while blaming the vengeful hand of fate as he overcame accidents, bankruptcy, lawsuits and hounding by his morphine-addicted second wife. Drawing on a trove of letters, Secrest ( Salvador Dali ) traces Wright's ``secret conviction of worthlessness'' to the contradictory influences of his freethinking, erratic Welsh mother and his jealous, spendthrift father, a New England minister. She discusses the dynamics of the architect's three marriages, recounts his clashes with Louis Sullivan and Lewis Mumford, and digs beneath his ``quasi-mystical Celtic beliefs'' to pinpoint the multiple influences on his fervent quest for an organic architecture. A definitive portrait of a mercurial titan. Photos. BOMC and QPB alternates.

September 1, 1992
Wright remains for many historians America's preeminent architect; although he died over 30 years ago, the force of his personality and the strength of his reputation endure untarnished. Several excellent biographies on Wright have appeared since his death, most notably Robert C. Twombly's Frank Lloyd Wright ( LJ 2/15/73) and Brendan Gill's Many Masks ( LJ 11/15/87). Secrest's book joins this select company and more than manages to hold its own: It is a spellbinding portrait of this complex, often contradictory architect. Drawing on the massive archives of the Wright Memorial Foundation, Secrest writes with authority and compassion about Wright's long and turbulent career. Her exhaustive scholarship provides fresh insights into Wright's personality, making this biography essential reading for anyone with an interest in American architecture. Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 5/1/92; see also the review of Frank Lloyd Wright's Collected Writings, Vol. 1, p. 175.--Ed.-- H. Ward Jandl, National Park Svce., Washington, D.C.

Copyright 1992 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 1, 1992
An accomplished biographer, Secrest has written about the likes of Salvador Dali and Kenneth Clark and now has tackled the scandal-rocked life of America's preeminent architect, Frank Lloyd Wright, on the 125th anniversary of his birth. Of Welsh descent, Wright came from a proud line of "tenacious fighters," nonconformists, preachers and teachers, and was raised by a fiercely devoted mother who indoctrinated him in both a belief in his destiny for greatness and the sacrosanctity of architecture. Possessing an "acute visual memory, an innate grasp of form, a quick mind, and a ready wit," Wright entered the profession with cunning, audacity, and brilliance. He married young and rapidly fathered six children, but ordinary and orderly success was not enough for this manipulative genius. His passions, narcissism, creativity, and ambition drove him to outrageous fiscal irresponsibility and wildly contentious affairs of the heart. At his Wisconsin estate, Taliesen, which was repeatedly ravaged by fire, the lover he had left his wife of 20 years for was murdered, only to be succeeded by a woman addicted to morphine, jealousy, and violent behavior. Secrest adeptly explicates Wright's revolutionary aesthetic and vinegary personality, confidently addressing the mystery of how Wright navigated the treacherous waters of his personal life and still found clarity and originality of mind, fortitude, and time to design and oversee the construction of his exquisite buildings and homes. A magnificently detailed, nuanced, and dynamic work. ((Reviewed Aug. 1992))(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 1992, American Library Association.)