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In preparation of the biography, Moser was given access to Sontag's restricted archive of unpublished journals, medical files, personal papers, and computer files. Moser also conducted hundreds of interviews with Sontag's family, friends and adversaries, including individuals who had previously not
410:. They argue that Sontag's sole authorship is highly unlikely because much of the book is drawn from the dissertation: "To defend his position, Moser would have to make the absurd argument that Sontag wrote every word of Rieff’s earlier dissertation, an argument even Moser balks at making."
493:
panned the biography as a failure of its subject and criticized Moser's interpretation of Sontag as clinical and relying on "armchair psychology". Emre also called it "no more psychologically revealing" than Sontag's diaries or the unauthorized biography by Carl
Rollyson and Lisa Paddock,
27:
464:, which assigns individual ratings to book reviews from mainstream literary critics, the book received a cumulative "Positive" rating based on 32 reviews: 8 "Rave" reviews, 11 "Positive" reviews, 11 "Mixed" reviews, and 2 "Pan" reviews.
246:. Judges of the prize called the book "an authoritatively constructed work told with pathos and grace, that captures the writer's genius and humanity alongside her addictions, sexual ambiguities, and volatile enthusiasms."
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that Sontag agreed for the book to be published as Rieff's work only because she was involved in an "acrimonious divorce" with him and wanted to prevent "her ex-husband from taking her child."
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after its publication. Moser maintained that there were "contemporary witnesses" to her authorship of the book, and that Sontag's views were apparent in its comments on women and
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that he failed to substantiate them and that they reflected his dislike of Rieff. Len Gutkin, who observed that Rieff's reputation rested partly on
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was based partly on Rieff's research, the book was actually written by Sontag rather than by Rieff. According to Flood, Moser told
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called it a "doorstopper biography" but felt the book was "likely to deter all but her most ardent admirers" due to its length.
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for
Biography. Moser wrote at the time that he expected to take at least three to four years to complete a biography of Sontag.
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that much of Moser's evidence was "compelling". He also suggested that whoever wrote the book had plagiarized from the critic
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to Rieff's earlier dissertation, which they argue Moser shows no evidence of having read in
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933:"A Tale of Two Plagiarists: Did Susan Sontag's husband steal credit for her first book?"
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called the book "a comprehensive, intimate—and surely definitive" biography of Sontag.
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394:(1953), arguing that it contains closely similar passages. Kevin Slack, a professor at
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was designed by
Allison Saltzman and features a photograph of Susan Sontag in
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As
Consciousness Is Harnessed to Flesh: Journals and Notebooks, 1964–1980
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961:"Susan Sontag Was Not the Sole Author of Freud: The Mind of the Moralist"
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1016:"Sontag: Her Life and Work by Benjamin Moser, narrated by Tavia Gilbert"
641:. Filming is expected to take place in California, New York, Paris and
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710:"Moser, Whitehead, McDaniel, Grandin, Boyer, Brown Win 2020 Pulitzers"
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1125:"Nonfiction Book Review: Sontag: Her Life and Work by Benjamin Moser"
849:"Susan Sontag was true author of ex-husband's book, biography claims"
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edition of the book will be published by Ecco on
September 15, 2020.
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354:, Moser stated that Sontag always claimed to be the real author of
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Pulitzer Prize for
Biography or Autobiography-winning works
823:"Book Review - Sontag: Her Life and Work by Benjamin Moser"
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was published in hardcover, e-book and audiobook format by
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signed an agreement to write the authorized biography of
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as Sontag was in development, with a working title of
597:(in Portuguese). Translated by Couto, José Geraldo.
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327:that Benjamin Moser would present evidence in
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1043:"Sontag: Her Life and Work by Benjamin Moser"
989:"Sontag: Her Life and Work by Benjamin Moser"
571:(in Dutch). Translated by Biekmann, Lidwien.
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282:(2009), a biography of the Brazilian writer
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738:"Benjamin Moser to Write Sontag Biography"
625:In February 2023, it was announced that a
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1591:Reborn: Journals and Notebooks 1947–1963
268:. Moser was approached by Sontag's son,
821:Carrigan Jr., Henry L. (October 2019).
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286:. The book was a finalist for the 2009
254:On February 27, 2013, John Williams of
225:is a 2019 biography of American writer
665:Moser, Benjamin (September 17, 2019).
370:criticized Moser's claims, arguing in
321:In May 2019, Alison Flood reported in
34:Susan Sontag, New York, April 10, 1978
31:Front cover and spine of first edition
903:Malcolm, Janet (September 23, 2019).
294:spoken publicly about Sontag such as
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875:Moser, Benjamin (August 29, 2019).
496:Susan Sontag: The Making of an Icon
437:on April 10, 1978, photographed by
288:National Book Critics Circle Award
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938:The Chronicle of Higher Education
383:The Chronicle of Higher Education
931:Gutkin, Len (October 11, 2019).
1153:"Misunderstanding Susan Sontag"
404:Freud: The Mind of the Moralist
378:Freud: The Mind of the Moralist
356:Freud: The Mind of the Moralist
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317:Freud: The Mind of the Moralist
847:Flood, Alison (May 13, 2019).
244:for Biography or Autobiography
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877:"Regarding the Pen of Others"
691:"2020 Pulitzer Prize Winners"
1453:Regarding the Pain of Others
767:"Sontag: Her Life and Work"
708:Maher, John (May 4, 2020).
16:2019 book by Benjamin Moser
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20:Sontag: Her Life and Work
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71:Allison Saltzman (design)
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1400:Under the Sign of Saturn
1048:HarperCollins Publishers
1021:HarperCollins Publishers
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1161:(October 2019 ed.)
392:The Mirror and the Lamp
55:Audio read by
1642:2019 non-fiction books
1446:AIDS and Its Metaphors
1407:Where the Stress Falls
1386:Styles of Radical Will
1371:Against Interpretation
194:PS3569.O6547 Z767 2019
1216:. Singel Uitgeverijen
400:Waynesburg University
315:Further information:
260:reported that writer
1647:American biographies
1308:, September 19, 2019
802:. September 17, 2019
603:Companhia das Letras
1492:The Way We Live Now
1439:Illness as Metaphor
595:Sontag: Vida e Obra
510:Publication history
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1574:Letter from Venice
1550:Duet for Cannibals
799:Politics and Prose
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109:September 17, 2019
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669:. HarperCollins.
627:biographical film
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