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The Winding Stair: Francis Bacon, His Rise and Fall (Virago Modern Classics) Paperback – May 1, 2006

by Daphne du Maurier (Author), Francis King (Introduction)
4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 28 ratings
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“All rising to great place is by a winding stair,” wrote Sir Francis Bacon. It wasn’t until he was 45 that Bacon’s feet found the first step on that staircase, when King James I made him Solicitor-General, from where he rose through the ranks to become Lord Chancellor. Many accounts of the life of Sir Francis Bacon have been written for scholars, but du Maurier’s aim was to paint a vivid portrait of this remarkable man for the common reader. In The Winding Stair, she illuminates the considerable achievements of this Renaissance man as a writer, lawyer, philosopher, scientist, and politician. Dame Daphne du Maurier wrote more than 25 acclaimed novels, short stories, and plays, including Rebecca and The House on the Strand. She was also a passionate and skillful biographer.
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  1. Print length
    320 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Virago UK
  4. Publication date
    May 1, 2006
  5. Dimensions
    5 x 0.87 x 7.6 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    9781844080748
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1844080748
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

An engaging biography of lawyer, writer, and philosopher Sir Francis Bacon.

About the Author

Daphne du Maurier (1907-89) was born in London, the daughter of the famous actor-manager Sir Gerald du Maurier and granddaughter of George du Maurier, the author and artist. In 1931 her first novel, The Loving Spirit, was published. A biography of her father and three other novels followed, but it was the novel Rebecca that launched her into the literary stratosphere and made her one of the most popular authors of her day. In 1932, du Maurier married Major Frederick Browning, with whom she had three children.
Many of du Maurier's bestselling novels and short stories were adapted into award-winning films, including Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds and Nicolas Roeg's Don't Look Now. In 1969 du Maurier was awarded a DBE. She lived most of her life in Cornwall, the setting for many of her books.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ 1844080749
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Virago UK (May 1, 2006)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 320 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9781844080748
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1844080748
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 7.8 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5 x 0.87 x 7.6 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 28 ratings

About the author

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Daphne Du Maurier

Daphne Du Maurier

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Daphne du Maurier was born in 1906 and educated at home and in Paris. She began writing in 1928, and many of her bestselling novels were set in Cornwall, where she lived for most of her life. She was made a DBE in 1969 and died in 1989.

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
4.3 out of 5
28 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Eric Mayforth
5.0 out of 5 stars A Scientist and Philosopher for the Ages
Reviewed in the United States on January 22, 2021
Verified Purchase
Francis Bacon was one of the leading thinkers not just of his age but in all history. This volume by Daphne du Maurier, "The Winding Stair," is a sequel to "Golden Lads" and picks up Bacon's biography in 1601 after the death of his brother Anthony. The author provides a bit of the backstory of Bacon's life up to that point before proceeding.

Events of the era in England, in both domestic and foreign affairs, provide a backdrop for this biography—in 1603, Queen Elizabeth died and King James acceded to the throne. Du Maurier notes the differences in governing styles between Elizabeth and James and traces Bacon's career and relationship to James. Bacon's marriage is recalled, as well as his scandal late in life, comeback, and death.

The author describes the wide range of topics Bacon wrote about in his essays, noting the areas in which Bacon was farsighted and ahead, sometimes well ahead, of his time. Du Maurier hints that Bacon had a significant role in the authorship of Shakespeare's plays. As with any great biography, there are many keen glimpses into the human condition and reminders that human nature changes little over the centuries.
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jaybee
4.0 out of 5 stars Bacon/Shakespeare revelations in 2016
Reviewed in the United States on May 23, 2016
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The book is a well researched and interesting account of Francis Bacon's extraordinary life which hints at his being the writer of the Shakespeare plays. However it excludes what many believe to be the real reason for Bacon's choice of Wm Shakespeare as a mask to conceal Bacon's authorship. This is that Bacon was the concealed first born son of Elizabeth 1st and her heir apparent. There is also no mention of the secret codes which run through the plays by which Bacon reveals his identity and biography for future generations to discover. Since the publication of The Winding Stair a good deal more information is available and the Shakespeare authorship debate is increasingly a hot topic. The new 2016 novel -The Royal Secret- now available on Amazon in print- reveals a great deal more of the drama of Bacon's life and the reasons why he is the most likely candidate for the Shakespeare authorship, and perhaps deserves to be known as the most important man in both UK and US history.
3 people found this helpful
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Amazon Customer
3.0 out of 5 stars Misses the Flavor of Bacon and His Era
Reviewed in the United States on February 4, 2021
Surprisingly dull and dry account of Francis Bacon's life, with none of the color or lively style one might expect from a novelist. In their Tudor biographies Carolly Erickson, Tracy Borman, and Mary Lovell are much more able to capture the intriguing atmosphere of Renaissance England and to make their subjects come alive. Du Maurier is admirably scrupulous about sticking to the facts; she avoids the fiction-writer's temptation to write about scenes that probably happened or to tell (without any evidence) what a historical figure was thinking on certain occasions. However, she does not make Bacon into a compelling, fully human protagonist, and the other figures in the book remain sketchy at best. This may be inevitable in a case like Bacon's wife Alice - - du Maurier notes that we have virtually no information about her thoughts and feelings, since her correspondence has not survived - - but the same blankness occurs when du Maurier writes about well-documented figures like King James and the Duke of Buckingham, who could be fascinating but who emerge here as near-ciphers.
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James R. Carmichael, Jr.
5.0 out of 5 stars This work did not disappoint. Daphne du Maurier did her homework
Reviewed in the United States on March 27, 2015
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This work did not disappoint. Daphne du Maurier did her homework. I highly recommend it if you are looking for a well written biography of Sir Francis, his rise and fall.
5 people found this helpful
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Russell E. Ford
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United States on February 11, 2018
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Great
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Tiger 56 Alpha
4.0 out of 5 stars Sir Bacon
Reviewed in the United States on June 24, 2020
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Well written and researched
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Bruce Oksol
3.0 out of 5 stars Part of the Shakesperian writing team?
Reviewed in the United States on August 18, 2009
Yes, the novelist who gave us Hitchcock's "Jamaica Inn," "Rebecca," and "The Birds," was also a historian, especially anything that had to do with her own family and her own "country," southwest England.

"The Winding Stair" begins where "Golden Lads" ends. It begins with Francis at age 40, on the death of his brother.

The title comes from the quote that one's ascent in life is like a winding stair, taking one step at a time.

Easy to read, and fills in the gaps of Francis Bacon's life. But the best part of this is the fact that it was written by a celebrity in her own right: Daphne du Maurier.
7 people found this helpful
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Sara L Langsam
4.0 out of 5 stars My review of The Winding Stair
Reviewed in the United States on January 4, 2013
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This book is excellent and deals with the trials and tribulations and defamation the ever wondrous, totally brilliant and world influencing Francis Bacon had to endure in a world that didn't understand and appreciation his many talents, deep thinking and generous spirit.
9 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Przemyslaw Wewior
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 15, 2015
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Everything great. good quality
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Roman Clodia
3.0 out of 5 stars Makes an interesting man almost feel dull
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 27, 2007
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This starts out better than it ends, but rather irritatingly begins in the middle of Bacon's life when he's about 40. His younger life is (apparently) covered in 'The Golden Lads' by Du Maurier.

Not a scholarly biography, this purports to give a sense of Bacon the man. The introduction claims that Du Maurier falls in love with her own subject, but though I thought she's definitely biased in a positive way towards him, she never succeeds in making Bacon come to life, and fails to give a sense of his undoubted intellectual charm. He actually seems both a bumbler politically, and arrogant intellectually, and quite cold in all his personal relations.

James (I & VI) has far more presence in the book that its supposed subject. Not a huge recommendation.
4 people found this helpful
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