Bøger af Julia Baird

”Opløftende … Denne bog viser, hvordan Victorias barnlige uartighed ændrede sig til en kongelig, viljefast, kompleks natur, hvilket andre biografi forfattere har haft en tendens til at forenkle.”New York Times”Børster den støvede myte af denne ekstraordinære monark … Bairds Victoria er ikke den kvinde, vi forventer at møde. Hendes dronning er en ren billedstormer: følelsesladet, demonstrativ, sanselig og dreven.”The New York Times Review (editor's choice)Blandt årets bedste bøger 2016The New York Times EsquireVictoria blev født i 1819 som den femte i arverækken til den britiske trone. En relativt almindelig pige skulle få en ualmindelig skæbne. Barnløshed og dødsfald i familien tvang Victoria til at bestige tronen i 1837 – blot 18 år gammel. Hun var kuet af en ulykkelig barndom og en dominerende mor. Victorias tyske fætter Albert skulle blive et vendepunkt: Tidligt forelskede Victoria sig brændende og fik lov at gifte sig med ham. Sammen fik de ni børn. Og Det Britiske Imperium fik en stærk og selvsikker dronning, der hentede enorm støtte i sin indsigtsfulde og begavede mand.Victoria forbindes oftest med snerpethed og konservatisme. Sandheden er, at dette billede i høj grad skyldes hendes yngste datter, Beatrice, som efter sin mors død i 1901 redigerede dronningens dagbøger og breve og derigennem opbyggede myten om en from og moralsk kvinde.Julia Baird har som den første historiker nogensinde haft adgang til de kongelige arkiver på slottet Windsor. Bogen bygger på grundig research, der viser Victoria som en temperamentsfuld, intelligent og sanselig kvinde. Sammen med prins Albert udnyttede hun sin politiske indflydelse maksimalt, var fascineret af moderne videnskab og var sig de enorme sociale spændinger i samfundet fuldt bevidst."Victoria" tegner et indsigtsfuldt og levendeportræt af verdens mægtigste kvinde som privatperson og officiel dronning. I begge roller knyttede hun stærke og ubrydelige bånd til andre mennesker. Da Albert døde i 1861, var Victorias sorg monumental i årevis.Senere fandt hun støtte i kontroversielle venskaber: med Disraeli, landets første premierminister med jødisk baggrund, en skotsk opvarter og en indisk Munshi, tjener.Forholdet til de voksne børn var ofte kompliceret, og livet ved hoffet præget af konflikter og skandaler.Dronning Victoria regerede i mere end 63 år. Hun kan ikke kaldes egentlig feminist, for hun arvede sit embede. Men hun viste med sit eget liv som eksempel, hvordan familieliv kunne forenes med et krævende embede.I den forstand er dronning Victoria langt fra bare en historisk skikkelse – hun er verdens første moderne kvindelige monark.Julia Baird er australsk historiker, ph.d., og journalist. Hun arbejdede i en årrække for bl.a. amerikanske Newsweek og er tilknyttet New York Times, The Guardian, Washington Post m.fl . ved siden af at være studievært i Australien.

'A stunning achievement . . .Neither sanitized nor mythologizing, Victoria: The Queen is a remarkably lucid, endlessly engaging account of Queen Victoria's life and rule' Amanda Foreman

“Both timeless and timely, this is a book of wisdom and wonder” (Geraldine Brooks, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of March), a deeply personal exploration of what can sustain us through our darkest moments.“What has fascinated and sustained me over these last few years has been the notion that we have the ability to find, nurture, and carry our own inner, living light—a light to ward off the darkness. This is not about burning brightly; it’s about yielding a more simple phosphorescence—being luminous, having stored light for later use. Staying alive, remaining upright, even when lashed by doubt.” After surviving a difficult heartbreak and battle with cancer, acclaimed author and columnist Julia Baird began thinking deeply about how we, as people, persevere through the most challenging circumstances. She started to wonder, when we are overwhelmed by illness, loss or pain, or a tragedy outside our control: How can we keep putting one foot in front of the other? Baird went in search of the magic that fuels the light within—our own phosphorescence. In this stunning book, she reflects on the things that lit her way through the darkness, especially the surprising strength found in connecting with nature and not just experiencing awe and wonder about the world around her, but deliberately hunting it, daily. Baird also writes about crossbeams of resilience: nurturing friendships and a quiet faith, pursuing silence, fighting for what she believes in, the importance of feeling small, learning from her mother's example of stoic grace. She also explores how others nurture their inner light, interviewing the founder of the modern forest therapy movement in Tokyo, a jellyfish scientist in Tasmania, and a tattooed priest from Colorado, among others. Weaving together candid and moving memoir with deep research and reflections on nature and the world around her, Baird inspires readers to embrace new habits and to adopt a phosphorescent outlook on life, to illuminate ourselves and our days—even in the darkest times.

Where do you find light in the darkness?

The true story for fans of the PBS Masterpiece series Victoria, this page-turning biography reveals the real woman behind the myth: a bold, glamorous, unbreakable queena Victoria for our times. Drawing on previously unpublished papers, this stunning new portrait is a story of love and heartbreak, of devotion and grief, of strength and resilience.NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BYTHE NEW YORK TIMES *; ESQUIRE *; THE CHICAGO PUBLIC LIBRARY';Victoria the Queen, Julia Baird's exquisitely wrought and meticulously researched biography, brushes the dusty myth off this extraordinary monarch.'The New York Times Book Review (Editor's Choice) When Victoria was born, in 1819, the world was a very different place. Revolution would threaten many of Europe's monarchies in the coming decades. In Britain, a generation of royals had indulged their whims at the public's expense, and republican sentiment was growing. The Industrial Revolution was transforming the landscape, and the British Empire was commanding ever larger tracts of the globe. In a world where women were often powerless, during a century roiling with change, Victoria went on to rule the most powerful country on earth with a decisive hand. Fifth in line to the throne at the time of her birth, Victoria was an ordinary woman thrust into an extraordinary role. As a girl, she defied her mother's meddling and an adviser's bullying, forging an iron will of her own. As a teenage queen, she eagerly grasped the crown and relished the freedom it brought her. At twenty, she fell passionately in love with Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, eventually giving birth to nine children. She loved sex and delighted in power. She was outspoken with her ministers, overstepping conventional boundaries and asserting her opinions. After the death of her adored Albert, she began a controversial, intimate relationship with her servant John Brown. She survived eight assassination attempts over the course of her lifetime. And as science, technology, and democracy were dramatically reshaping the world, Victoria was a symbol of steadfastness and securityqueen of a quarter of the world's population at the height of the British Empire's reach. Drawing on sources that include fresh revelations about Victoria's relationship with John Brown, Julia Baird brings vividly to life the fascinating story of a woman who struggled with so many of the things we do today: balancing work and family, raising children, navigating marital strife, losing parents, combating anxiety and self-doubt, finding an identity, searching for meaning.

'Honest and poignant' THE SUNThe honest and revealing story of John Lennon's childhood by his sister Julia. Through her own personal journey, Julia reveals the battle between two strong, self-willed women - John's mother and his Aunt Mimi - to have custody of John in his early years. It was Aunt Mimi who finally won and removed John from his mother at the age of five. But as John grew up, he would frequently return home - spending time with his mother and half-sisters, Julia, Jackie and Ingrid, learning his love of music from his mother, and hanging out, playing guitar with his childhood friend Paul McCartney.Julia is candid about the sadness as well as the joy of their broken family life. She details the devestating loss of their mother Julia in a road accident - and describes the painful legacy for the entire family, especially John as he moves into a life of stratospheric fame with the Beatles.