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9781648894572

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The new book by Henry Hoffmann further strengthens his unique position among American authors writing about the history of American cinema. Hoffmann's books have been consistently unique in the way they trace the literary presence of great stars of the silver screen. By carefully and painstakingly tracing literary references made to specific actors in the process of close reading of hundreds of books (a process I find hard to imagine in its sheer magnitude of required work and focus, ) Hoffmann manages to illuminate the culture of 20th-century America by pointing to the pervasive, rich presence of film icons in everyday lives and imaginations of Americans. In the latest volume, Hoffmann focused on Gregory Peck, Robert Mitchum and William Holden - all embodying the Hemingway ideal of grace under pressure, all bringing to mind the strictly American trope of the strong, silent type that was so key to American masculinity. By evoking the myriad of ways in which these male icons infused the imagination of writers and readers, Hoffmann offers a unique insight into the landscape of American films and literature. I applaud his steady research, great scholarly passion and film lover's dedication to his task. Michal Oleszczyk University of Warsaw, Poland Henryk Hoffmann's Three Hollywood Stalwarts in Literature. A Study in Film Perception Through References to Peck, Mitchum and Holden is a solid reference book in which the author documents the cultural importance of three major American actors - Gregory Peck, Robert Mitchum and William Holden, and of the movies they played in. The volume is a continuation of Hoffmann's previous books, where the author studied the impact on American culture of such movie stars as Humphrey Bogart, Burt Lancaster, Kirk Douglas, and others. In the present volume, the author undertakes the difficult task of showing how American and European writers reference the three actors and the movies in which they were starring in their works. Hoffmann discovers that, surprisingly, many authors have their literary characters discuss or mention Peck, Mitchum and Holden and the films they helped to make artistically relevant and famous. In his work, the author is painstakingly looking for all the movie references in the novels by the writers he has chosen for analysis. He shows that Peck, Mitchum and Holden hold a particular attraction for the literary characters in those works in a way that enriches their literary lives. While Hoffmann's volume is basically a study of Hollywood movies' impact on American and European culture, it also includes many important encyclopedic details concerning the film careers of the three discussed actors. That is why the book should certainly prove interesting to readers interested in film perception and those whose interest in the three Hollywood stars goes beyond mere trivia. Prof. Dr Hab. Jerzy Durczak Maria Curie-Sklodowska University, Lublin, Poland Once again, Henryk Hoffmann shines a light on the fascinating relationships and effects on our culture that movies and their stars have had over the decades. Film - its stories, actors, celebrities, and power to influence - has touched the viewing audience worldwide and is presented on these pages, giving the reader much more to think about than just the plot of a good story or how charismatic and sexy its stars are. The book shows how interwoven the arts are and how the various areas of creativity communicate directly and indirectly. Maria Cooper Janis Artist in New York

"The new book by Henry Hoffmann further strengthens his unique position among American authors writing about the history of American cinema. Hoffmann's books have been consistently unique in the way they trace the literary presence of great stars of the silver screen. By carefully and painstakingly tracing literary references made to specific actors in the process of close reading of hundreds of books (a process I find hard to imagine in its sheer magnitude of required work and focus, ) Hoffmann manages to illuminate the culture of 20th-century America by pointing to the pervasive, rich presence of film icons in everyday lives and imaginations of Americans. In the latest volume, Hoffmann focused on Gregory Peck, Robert Mitchum and William Holden - all embodying the Hemingway ideal of ""grace under pressure,"" all bringing to mind the strictly American trope of the ""strong, silent type"" that was so key to American masculinity. By evoking the myriad of ways in which these male icons infused the imagination of writers and readers, Hoffmann offers a unique insight into the landscape of American films and literature. I applaud his steady research, great scholarly passion and film lover's dedication to his task. Michal Oleszczyk University of Warsaw, Poland Henryk Hoffmann's ""Three Hollywood Stalwarts in Literature. A Study in Film Perception Through References to Peck, Mitchum and Holden"" is a solid reference book in which the author documents the cultural importance of three major American actors - Gregory Peck, Robert Mitchum and William Holden, and of the movies they played in. The volume is a continuation of Hoffmann's previous books, where the author studied the impact on American culture of such movie stars as Humphrey Bogart, Burt Lancaster, Kirk Douglas, and others. In the present volume, the author undertakes the difficult task of showing how American and European writers reference the three actors and the movies in which they were starring in their works. Hoffmann discovers that, surprisingly, many authors have their literary characters discuss or mention Peck, Mitchum and Holden and the films they helped to make artistically relevant and famous. In his work, the author is painstakingly looking for all the movie references in the novels by the writers he has chosen for analysis. He shows that Peck, Mitchum and Holden hold a particular attraction for the literary characters in those works in a way that enriches their literary lives. While Hoffmann's volume is basically a study of Hollywood movies' impact on American and European culture, it also includes many important encyclopedic details concerning the film careers of the three discussed actors. That is why the book should certainly prove interesting to readers interested in film perception and those whose interest in the three Hollywood stars goes beyond mere trivia. Prof. Dr Hab. Jerzy Durczak Maria Curie-Sklodowska University, Lublin, Poland Once again, Henryk Hoffmann shines a light on the fascinating relationships and effects on our culture that movies and their stars have had over the decades. Film - its stories, actors, celebrities, and power to influence - has touched the viewing audience worldwide and is presented on these pages, giving the reader much more to think about than just the plot of a good story or how charismatic and sexy its stars are. The book shows how interwoven the arts are and how the various areas of creativity communicate directly and indirectly. Maria Cooper Janis Artist in New York"

Author Information

"Henryk Hoffmann was born, raised and educated in Poznań, Poland. Upon his graduation from Adam Mickiewicz University with an M.A. degree in English Philology, he worked as an English teacher, translator and interpreter in several institutions, including the Polish Academy of Sciences and his self-owned firm. Since his immigration to the USA in 1992, he has taught Latin, German, English and History, first in North Carolina and then in Pennsylvania. His previous publications include seven reference books, '""A"" Western Filmmakers: A Biographical Dictionary of Writers, Directors, Cinematographers, Composers, Actors and Actresses' (McFarland, 2000, 2008), 'Western Film Highlights: The Best of the West, 1914-2001' (McFarland, 2003, 2009), 'Leksykon gwiazd kina amerykańskiego' ('A Biographical Dictionary of American Movie Stars', Agencja Producentów Filmowych, Warsaw, 2006; written in Polish in collaboration with his daughters, Beata and Katarzyna), 'Western Movie References in American Literature' (McFarland, 2012) and 'Four Hollywood Legends in World Literature: References to Bogart, Cooper, Gable and Tracy' (BearManor Media, 2016), 'The Careers of Burt Lancaster and Kirk Douglas as Referenced in Literature: A Study in Film Perception' (Vernon Press, 2020) and 'Latin in Modern Fiction: Who Says It's a Dead Language?' (Vernon Press, 2021). He has also written one memoir, 'Ironies, Coincidences and Absurdities in My Ordinary Life on Both Sides of the Atlantic' (Higher Ground Books & Media, 2019). Hoffmann's professional honors include the Certificate of Special Congressional Recognition (2000) for his first book, a two-time inclusion in 'Who's Who Among America's Teachers' (Educational Communications, 2002 and 2005), an entry in Contemporary Authors (Thomson Gale, 2005), an Honorary Diploma from the Polish Federation of Film Societies (on its 50th Anniversary, 2006). Hoffmann and his wife Betsy live in Lititz, PA."

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