Biography

The Wisdom of Oscar Hammerstein II: A Conversation with Laurie Winer
Joy Horowitz speaks with Laurie Winer about her book “Oscar Hammerstein II and the Invention of the Musical.”...
Joy HorowitzNov 22
- Biography
- Music
To Walden: On Lawrence Buell’s “Henry David Thoreau” and Robert D. Richardson’s “Three Roads Back”
Todd Shy reviews Lawrence Buell’s “Henry David Thoreau: Thinking Disobediently” and Robert D. Richardson’s “Three Roads Back: How Emerson, Thoreau, and William James Responded to the Greatest Losses of Their Lives.”...
Todd ShyNov 7
- Biography
- Nonfiction
A Man Without a Country: On Scott Eyman’s “Charlie Chaplin vs. America”
Chris Yogerst reviews Scott Eyman’s “Charlie Chaplin vs. America: When Art, Sex, and Politics Collided.”...
Chris YogerstOct 26
Mr. Bellow’s Planets: A Conversation with Zachary Leader
George Stanica speaks with Zachary Leader, the biographer of novelist Saul Bellow....
George StanicaOct 18
- Biography
- Fiction
Tell Them It Is Going to Hurt: On Meg Kissinger’s “While You Were Out”
Tahneer Oksman reviews Meg Kissinger’s “While You Were Out: An Intimate Family Portrait of Mental Illness in an Era of Silence.”...
Tahneer OksmanOct 2
- Biography
- Memoir
Away Upstream Again: On Mark Wormald’s “The Catch”
Katherine Robinson reviews Mark Wormald’s “The Catch: Fishing for Ted Hughes.”...
Katherine RobinsonAug 19
The World’s Wife: On Clare Carlisle’s “The Marriage Question”
Victoria Baena reviews Clare Carlisle’s “The Marriage Question: George Eliot’s Double Life.”...
Victoria BaenaAug 15
- Biography
After the Leap: Marriage and Philosophy in George Eliot and Søren Kierkegaard
Clare Carlisle analyzes the theme of marriage in the life and work of two great 19th-century thinkers and writers, George Eliot and Søren Kierkegaard....
Clare CarlisleAug 14
- Biography
- Philosophy
A Style So Clear It Could Wash a Face: On Pleiades Press’s “Bert Meyers”
Shoshana Olidort reviews Pleiades Press’s “Bert Meyers: On the Life and Work of an American Master,” edited by Dana Levin and Adele Williams....
Shoshana OlidortAug 12
- Biography
- Poetry
Poetry, Biography, and the Unknowable: On Two New Books About Phillis Wheatley
Hollis Robbins reviews Vincent Carretta’s “Phillis Wheatley Peters: Biography of a Genius in Bondage” and David Waldstreicher’s “The Odyssey of Phillis Wheatley: A Poet’s Journeys Through American Slavery and Independence.”...
Hollis RobbinsJul 30
A Poet of the Anticipation of Joy: On Laurie Winer’s “Oscar Hammerstein II and the Invention of the Musical”
Tim Riley reviews Laurie Winer’s “Oscar Hammerstein II and the Invention of the Musical.”...
Tim RileyJul 6
- Biography
- Music
Hardworking Midwesterner: On Tom Brokaw’s “Never Give Up”
Michele Willens reviews Tom Brokaw’s “Never Give Up: A Prairie Family’s Story.”...
Michele WillensJun 29
- Biography
- Memoir
Someone Always Takes Me Home: On Howard Fishman’s “To Anyone Who Ever Asks”
Chris Molnar reviews Howard Fishman’s “To Anyone Who Ever Asks: The Life, Music, and Mystery of Connie Converse.”...
Chris MolnarJun 21
- Biography
- Music
How Much Faith Is Left?: On Warren Zanes’s “Deliver Me from Nowhere”
Tim Riley reviews Warren Zanes’s “Deliver Me from Nowhere: The Making of Bruce Springsteen’s ‘Nebraska.’”...
Tim RileyJun 9
Relevés and Revolutions: On Jennifer Homans’s “Mr. B”
Martha Anne Toll reviews Jennifer Homans’s “Mr. B: George Balanchine’s 20th Century.”...
Martha Anne TollJun 4
I Was Determined to Remember: Harriet Jacobs and the Corporeality of Slavery’s Legacies
Koritha Mitchell discusses her research for a scholarly edition of Harriet Jacobs’s “Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl.”...
Koritha MitchellMay 30
The Escape Artist: On John le Carré’s “A Private Spy” and Suleika Dawson’s “The Secret Heart”
John Phipps reviews two highly revealing new books about the late John Le Carré....
John PhippsApr 8
- Biography
Transcendent Truths: On Reza Aslan’s “An American Martyr in Persia”
Matthew Mullins reviews Reza Aslan’s “An American Martyr in Persia: The Epic Life and Tragic Death of Howard Baskerville.”...
Matthew MullinsMar 26
- Biography
In a Life I Never Had I Was a Brave Cosmonaut: On Nona Fernández’s “Voyager”
Claire Calderón reviews Nona Fernández’s “Voyager: Constellations of Memory,” translated by Natasha Wimmer....
Claire CalderónMar 8
- Biography
A Giant Peak Called “The Doors”: A Conversation with John Densmore
James Penner interviews John Densmore, drummer for the Doors....
James PennerJan 7
The Afterlife of Slavery: On Carole Emberton’s “To Walk About in Freedom”
Jim Downs reviews Carole Emberton’s “To Walk About in Freedom: The Long Emancipation of Priscilla Joyner.”...
Jim DownsJan 2
Transpacific Connections and Competitions: On Ying Zhu’s “Hollywood in China” and Daryl Joji Maeda’s “Like Water”
Aynne Kokas reviews two recent books about the intersection of China and Hollywood: Ying Zhu’s “Hollywood in China: Behind the Scenes of the World’s Largest Movie Market” and Daryl Joji Maeda’s “Like Water: A Cultural History of Bruce Lee.”...
Aynne KokasDec 27, 2022
Hurray for Inventing New Genres or Whatever: On Dr. Moiya McTier’s “The Milky Way”
Joani Etskovitz explores the genres at play — from astronomy and mythology to self-help and romance — in Dr. Moiya McTier’s “The Milky Way: An Autobiography of Our Galaxy.”...
Joani EtskovitzDec 24, 2022
Mankind Is a Piece of Shit: On Keiron Pim’s “Endless Flight”
Luke Warde reviews Keiron Pim’s new biography “Endless Flight: The Life of Joseph Roth.”...
Luke WardeDec 24, 2022
- Biography
- Fiction