Lust for Life is a biographical novel.
Irving Stone . Irving Stone ( born Tennenbaum , July 14 , 1903 , San Francisco , California -- August 26 , 1989 , Los Angeles ) was an American writer , chiefly known for his biographical novels of noted artists , politicians and intellectuals ; among the best known are Lust for Life ( 1934 ) , about the life of Vincent van Gogh , and The Agony and the Ecstasy ( 1961 ) , about Michelangelo . Lust for Life ( 1956 ) is a MGM ( Metrocolor ) biographical film about the life of the Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh , based on the 1934 novel of the same name by Irving Stone and adapted by Norman Corwin . Lust for Life ( 1934 ) is a biographical novel written by Irving Stone based on the life of the famous Dutch painter , Vincent van Gogh , and his hardships .