Lust for Life (1934) is a biographical novel by Irving Stone about the life of the Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh and his hardships.[1] It was Stone's first major publication, and is largely based on the collection of letters between Vincent van Gogh and his younger brother, art dealerTheo van Gogh.[2] This correspondence lays the foundation for most of what is known about the thoughts and beliefs of the artist.[3][4] Stone conducted a large amount of "on-field" research for the novel, as is mentioned in the afterword.
The narrative of Lust for Life creates origin-stories for many of the artist's famous paintings. including The Potato Eaters and Sunflowers. Stone wanted to explain Van Gogh's difficult life and how he began, flourished, and died as a painter. People close to Van Gogh's life, like Paul Gauguin, are also characters in the novel.
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