In some ways the most interesting thing about this book is the extremely heated antagonism which the mere mention of its author provokes in those who claim, more or less, to have known Benjamin Britten himself. This is a phenomenon which I have experienced several times - and each time found puzzling. I do not think that Humphrey Carpenter makes Britten out to have been a sex maniac, even of an obscurely sublimated kind: I found his descriptions of the music lucid, balanced, and persuasive, and his evocation of the whole mood which surrounds the subject seems plausible enough to me. His exposition of the processes by which many of the important works came to be written is extremely helpful. That said, it does remain striking that Benjamin Britten - the myth possibly more than the music - evokes such passion, bordering on worship, in his acolytes; and the psychological - including, let it be said, the psychosexual - intensity of so much of his own poetic and musical preoccupation is, surely, a subject of legitimate discussion: the ghost of Britten which sometimes lingers as an abstraction of disembodied perfection is itself unpersuasive and in some ways troubling. I think that this book and the responses which it has provoked continue to provide a helpful framework through which we can begin, perhaps, to step back a bit from the mythology, and listen afresh to music which is often of extremely high quality, and almost always beautiful and interesting. And if we are troubled by some aspects of Britten and his boys - discussed very fully also in John Bridcut's book - this may reflect at least as much of our own social and cultural anxiety as that of the subject himself. ( )

I haven't read any of Carpenter's other books, nor can I read music. That said, I found this a most engrossing study of both Britten and his works. Given the circles in which the composer moved (Auden, Isherwood, Cranko, etc.) it is inevitable that the issue of Britten's homosexuality should feature prominently in this biography, and I thought that the subject was tackled with thought and sobriety. Carpenter's analyses of Britten's major works were most revealing (even to a layman like me) and made me want to listen to and understand his music better. This is no hagiography, but a fine account of the life and times of a troubled man. ( )

A considerable decline in quality from Carpenter's book on Ezra Pound, which, to my mind, is one of the best literary biographies on offer. A quick scan of the index to this book gives the reader a mighty good clue as to what Carpenter is up to. By far the two most populous entries are, under the general heading "Britten, Benjamin, Character" -- "sexuality" and "estrangements." Britten's homosexuality is clearly considered to have driven everything in his life, including his music, his family connections, his friendships, his ambitions, his hypochondria, really the list is inexhaustible. As a result, he is portrayed as an unregenerate seducer and abandoner -- not carnally, but emotionally. Great care is taken to establish that there is no evidence of Britten's ever consummating a sexual relationship with any of the young boys he took pains to befriend over the course of his life. Indeed, it appears that Britten's sex life may have consisted only of a monogamous, on his part, commitment to the tenor Peter Pears. Yet the book details a long litany of instances of Britten's success in serially charming men, women and children, only to reject them, often quite brutally, when they ceased to fill his need. At least, that's Carpenter's take. I suppose, like any other entertainment, biography succeeds best with a hearty dose of sex & violence (at least of the emotional variety.) Thankfully, the freudianism is fairly muted, only dwelling on outcomes and not on etiology. What cannot be countenanced, however, are the mind-boggling number of misprints, typos, gaffes and obvious howlers that are absolutely astonishing considering Carpenters previously immaculate productions on Pound and Auden. Deadlines -- they're a bitch! ( )

This new biography is typical of the author's style: comprehensive, probing, and objective. Access to materials from the estate of renowned English composer Edward Benjamin Britten (1913-76) enabled Carpenter to write an enlightening study that focuses on Britten's homosexuality and how it influenced his work. Throughout his life, Britten achieved significant accomplishments yet never felt completely accepted. He followed a strict code of perfectionism, suffered from bouts of depression, and found it difficult to "loosen up." Wrapped around his spirit, though, was the peculiar thrust of artistic drive that is so characteristic of brilliance. Britten received accolades during his lifetime, but full appreciation and acknowledgement did not come until after his death. While much has been written about Britten in the past 17 years, Carpenter's book is an important contribution.

A first-rate, if somewhat less than magisterial, treatment by Carpenter (The Brideshead Generation, 1990, etc.) of the life and works of one of the 20th century's towering musical figures--the man who put English music firmly on the larger European map. This is like a run-through of a great symphony by a major orchestra under a more-than-adequate international conductor. All the notes--Carpenter's prodigious research--are firmly in place.