Summer Series - Stephen J. Campbell: ”Leonardo da Vinci: An Untraceable Life” скачать в хорошем качестве

Summer Series - Stephen J. Campbell: ”Leonardo da Vinci: An Untraceable Life”

In this episode of Biographers in Conversation’s special summer season, Dr Stephen J. Campbell chats with Dr Gabriella Kelly-Davies about his choices while crafting Leonardo da Vinci: An Untraceable Life. Here’s what you’ll discover in this episode: • Why Stephen Campbell resists the urge to create a seamless narrative and instead embraces the mystery, silence and gaps in Leonardo da Vinci’s story. • How the book’s structure reflects the fragmented reality of Leonardo’s life. • The origin of the book’s title and how it challenges traditional biographical expectations by leaning into ambiguity. • How Campbell uses philosophical chapter titles and historical nuance to explore mythmaking and modern interpretations of Leonardo da Vinci. • Why Campbell avoids speculation and instead invites readers to sit with what we don’t know, treating uncertainty as revealing rather than inconvenient. • The biographer’s role as a curator of questions rather than authority, a model of life writing that prioritises transparency over certainty. • The myths the book gently dismantles, from the lonely genius trope to misconceptions about Leonardo’s inventions and personality. • How An Untraceable Life encourages us to rethink what biography can be and to rediscover awe in the unresolvable aspects of a life.