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    Graven with Diamonds: The Many lives of Thomas Wyatt: Courtier, Poet, Assasin, Spy
    Unavailable
    Graven with Diamonds: The Many lives of Thomas Wyatt: Courtier, Poet, Assasin, Spy
    Unavailable
    Graven with Diamonds: The Many lives of Thomas Wyatt: Courtier, Poet, Assasin, Spy
    Ebook470 pages13 hours

    Graven with Diamonds: The Many lives of Thomas Wyatt: Courtier, Poet, Assasin, Spy

    By Nicola Shulman

    4/5

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    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this ebook

    'A fluid, poised, quick-witted dance through the poetic and political career of one of the most elusive, glittering figures of Tudor England.' HILARY MANTEL "These bloody days have broken my heart." Thomas Wyatt Learned divines despised it, sober heads ignored it, but for Henry, the beau ideal of chivalry, poetry made things happen. It affected his wars, his diplomacy and his many marriages. It was at the root of his fatal attraction to Anne Boleyn, the source of her power and it was the means of her destruction. In this witty, intriguing, accessible account, Nicola Shulman interweaves the bloody events of Henry's reign with the story of English love poetry and the life of its first master, Henry's most glamorous and enigmatic subject: Sir Thomas Wyatt. Courtier, spy, wit, diplomat, assassin, lover of Anne Boleyn, and favourite both of Henry and his sinister minister Thomas Cromwell, the brilliant Wyatt was admired and envied in equal measure. His love poetry began as an elite and risqué entertainment for the group of ambitious men and women at the slippery top of the court. But when the axe began to fall among this group, and Henry's laws made his subjects fall silent in terror, Wyatt's poetic skills became a way to survive. He saw that a love poem was a place where secrets could hide.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherShort Books Ltd
    Release dateApr 1, 2011
    ISBN9781780720029
    Unavailable
    Graven with Diamonds: The Many lives of Thomas Wyatt: Courtier, Poet, Assasin, Spy

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    Reviews for Graven with Diamonds

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    • 4/5
      [Graven with Diamonds: The many lives of Thomas Wyatt: Courtier, Poet, Assassin, Spy]Sir Thomas Wyatt known today as one of the leading poets from the early Tudor period led a colourful life as can be seen from the eye grabbing title of Nicola Shulman’s biography. I was tempted to say that the tile was the best thing about the book, but that would be unfair on Shulman whose vivid account of the goings on at King Henry VIII’s court finally won me over. From the fall of Anne Boleyn until Henry VIII’s demise to survive as a courtier then; being an assassin and a spy would have stood you in good stead, but Shulman argues that Wyatts poetic skills were equally important. Shulman’s biography: if not a panegyric is certainly a very flattering portrait of a man who did what was necessary to survive. Shulman claims his poetry in some respects is the work of a genius and his poems are perhaps some of the greatest works of art ever made, this is in contrast to many literary critics who see Wyatt as a conventional poet who rarely if ever reached the heights that Shulman claims for him.Thomas Wyatt never reached the inner circle of Henry VIII’s courtiers but he was liked and respected. He was the son of one of the leading families of the time and his father was a courtier. He was a skilled poet and songsmith and many of his early love poems he would have sung accompanying himself on the lute for the pleasure of his fellows. He was quick witted and amusing company as well as having all the social skills necessary to maintain his position, but this did not stop him getting into trouble as it was a case of which faction within the court that got the ear of the king. Wyatt as a man holding reformist views was associated with the Boleyn family and when Anne was arrested along with four men accused of being her lovers, he found himself in the Tower of London as well. He was fortunate no charges were brought against him and he was eventually released. (the others were all executed). He probably owed his good fortune to Thomas Cromwell who was quick to make use of him on his release. He became a diplomat or one of Cromwell’s agents sent first to Spain and then to France. He was eventually relieved of his duties but then found himself in more serious trouble as the catholic Howard family gained the upper hand at court and he was accused of consorting with traitors abroad. Once again in the Tower but now indicted under an act of attainder, his goods and property were all under forfeit and his family and his servants were all at the king’s mercy. Execution was the usual outcome but Wyatt once again got lucky because the young queen Catherine Howard asking for clemency. Wyatt once again found his diplomatic skills in demand and he died in service.Nicola Shulman’s modus operandi is to tell the story with insight gained from Wyatt’s poetry. She claims that Wyatt’s poetry has translucent properties that reveal far more than many critics have recognised. She uses examples that she claims shed new light, or perhaps contain secret messages to participants in the story and while poems, (but more usually extracts from poems) can be read in this way, for me they provide some food for thought, but little more. I suppose that if you are going to write a biography about a man who is remembered for his poetry then using that poetry where you can, to enhance the story is an interesting idea, especially on events that have been told so often and for which there is limited documentation (I am thinking here of the fall and execution of Ann Boleyn.). If it serves the purpose of reading those poems in a new light then the book has been useful. Nicola Shulman does have her heroes, but that sometimes happens when writing a biography and she can get a little sidetracked; as at one point I wondered if I was reading a biography of Ann Boleyn, but this is an excellent waltz through a fascinating period of history. I don’t think it offers much in the way of new incites to the events themselves, but it does raise some interesting points about the use and value of the poems. Wyatt’s poems would not have been printed during his lifetime, but would have existed in manuscript form, they would have been recited and sung to people at Henry’s court (people in positions of power) and to think of them as containing coded messages is an interesting concept. Shulman lists her primary and secondary sources and provides an index. She does not take any liberties with the historical facts as far as I can see and I enjoyed the read and so 3.5 stars.