Review: Jan Morris – A Masterful Yet Flawed Figure by Sara Wheeler
Sara Wheeler's review delves into the complex life of Jan Morris, portraying her as a brilliant, prolific, yet profoundly selfish journalistic adventurer and trans pioneer. Before agreeing to pose for the National Portrait Gallery in London, Morris made two specific demands: her Norwegian forest cat, Ibsen, must be included, and one of her calves. The gallery accepted these terms. The resulting artwork depicts Morris, then approaching 80, dressed in a yellow jumper and dark green skirt, with Ibsen glaring beside her exposed legs. While content with the finished piece, she mused that it might have benefited from being slightly larger. The question is posed: could any single canvas truly encapsulate the vastness of Jan Morris?
To describe her as merely 'two-faced' would be an understatement given her numerous contradictions. Morris was, for instance, a sympathetic chronicler of empire who later embraced republican Welsh nationalism, despite also accepting a CBE. Her bibliography exceeds 50 books, spanning travelogues, biographies, historical accounts, memoirs, and fiction. Despite being a workaholic, some of her own writings reveal a surprising streak of idleness. Furthermore, a proponent of the 'religion of kindness,' she was notoriously unkind to her own children.
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