Bertrand Russell, 1921-70

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"Making full use of the thousands of documents collected at the Russell Archives in Canada, Ray Monk steers a coherent line through the turbulence of Russell's public activities and subjects them to rigorous scrutiny and criticism. His focus, however, is on the tragedy of Russell's personal life, and here he has been helped by the co-operation of Russell's surviving relatives and by having access to hitherto unused legal and private correspondence. The story that emerges from these sources is a heartbreaking one that has at its centre Russell's relationship with his first son, John, arguably the most important relationship of his life. Russell thought that, by applying the methods of modern psychology, a generation of children could be produced that was 'independent, fearless and free'. John was to have been the model example. Instead, John became anxious, withdrawn and, eventually, schizophrenic, after which Russell refused to have anything to do with him and took over the upbringing of John's children, Anne, Sarah and Lucy. This proved to be disastrous and Lucy, Russell's favourite, became so emotionally disturbed that, at the age of twenty-six, she took her own life."--Jacket