The Italian government lauded Stone with several honorary awards during this period for his cultural achievements highlighting Italian history. For example, he spent many years living in Italy while working on The Agony and the Ecstasy. Stone additionally did much of his research 'in the field'. It seems probable that Vincent's letters to and from his own brother Theo provided a foundation for Adversary in the House. Those include Lust for Life about Vincent van Gogh, as well as The Agony and the Ecstasy, about the life of Michelangelo. Stone's main source for Lust for Life, as noted in the afterword, were Van Gogh's letters to his brother Theo. Irving Stone was an American writer who was best-known for his collection of biographical novels revolving around famous figures, including artists and intellectuals. During their lifetime, Stone and his wife funded a foundation to support charitable causes they believed in.

The Stones lived primarily in Los Angeles, California. Stone captures the very essence of the van Gogh mystique: A manically driven genius who captures in his art that which he cannot embrace as a man. Lust for life by Stone, Irving, 1903-1989 Publication date 1984 Topics Gogh, Vincent van, 1853-1890, Painters Publisher New York : A Plume Book Collection inlibrary printdisabled internetarchivebooks delawarecountydistrictlibrary china americana Digitizing sponsor Internet Archive Contributor Internet Archive Language English 'A Plume book. Stone enjoyed a long marriage to his wife and editor on many of his works, Jean Stone. Irving Stones' Lust for Life is a dark, brooding biographical novel on Vincent van Gogh that leaves the reader both emotionally exhausted and mentally exhilarated at the same time. When at home, Stone relied upon the research facilities and expertise made available to him by Esther Euler, head research librarian of the University of California at Los Angeles, to whom he dedicated and thanked, in addition to many others, in several of his works. In the 1960s, Stone received an honorary Doctorate of Letters from the University of Southern California, where he had previously earned a Masters Degree from the College of Letters, Arts, and Sciences. In 1923, Stone received his bachelor's degree from the University of California, Berkeley.

Lust for Life by Irving Stone