Biography & Autobiography

"I don't think anyone should write their autobiography until after they're dead." — Samuel Goldwyn

Askew from the Nation: Thinking About Home and Country with Chinua Achebe and James Baldwin
Abena Ampofoa Asare on the diasporic wanderings — and singular meeting — of James Baldwin and Chinua Achebe.
Abena Ampofoa AsareAug 10, 2022
Hip-Hop Gods: On Two New Biographies of Major Rap DJs
Craig Lindsey reviews two new biographies of major rap DJs by Dan Charnas and Lance Scott Walker.
Craig LindseyAug 10, 2022
- Biography & Autobiography
- Music
Victim of His Own Celebrity: On Richard Schickel’s “The Famous Mr. Fairbanks”
Chris Yogerst reviews Richard Schickel’s “The Famous Mr. Fairbanks: A Story of Celebrity.”
Chris YogerstAug 7, 2022
“Cats Are Indescribably Wonderful, Shostakovich’s Fugues Less So”: On Elizabeth Wilson’s “Playing with Fire: The Story of Maria Yudina, Pianist in Stalin’s Russia”
Tim Riley reviews Elizabeth Wilson’s new biography “Playing with Fire: The Story of Maria Yudina, Pianist in Stalin’s Russia.”
Tim RileyAug 4, 2022
- Biography & Autobiography
- Music
The Forgotten Avant-Gardist: On Robert Leach’s “Sergei Tretyakov”
Edward Tyerman reviews Robert Leach’s new biography, “Sergei Tretyakov: A Revolutionary Writer in Stalin’s Russia.”
Edward TyermanJul 14, 2022
- Biography & Autobiography
Pragmatic and Passionate, Cunning and Callous: On David S. Brown’s “The First Populist: The Defiant Life of Andrew Jackson”
Daniel N. Gullotta reviews David S. Brown’s new biography, “The First Populist: The Defiant Life of Andrew Jackson.”
Daniel N. GullottaJul 11, 2022
- Biography & Autobiography
Brilliant Scholar or Predatory Charlatan?: On Jerry Z. Muller’s “Professor of Apocalypse: The Many Lives of Jacob Taubes”
Steven Aschheim reviews “Professor of Apocalypse: The Many Lives of Jacob Taubes,” a new biography by Jerry Z. Muller.
Steven E. AschheimJun 27, 2022
- Biography & Autobiography
“The Sights and Sounds of Life”: On Matthew Sturgis’s Biography of Oscar Wilde
“Oscar Wilde: A Life” displays an almost Tolstoyan attention to detail.
Kaya GençApr 15, 2022
- Biography & Autobiography
A Genius on the Wrong Side of History: Tolstoy’s Conflicts and Contradictions
Maria Rubins weighs Tolstoy’s complicated legacy, with the help Andrei Zorin’s new biography and Vadim Shneyder’s “Russia’s Capitalist Realism.”
Maria RubinsApr 14, 2022
- Biography & Autobiography
An Ontology of Hate: On Shaul Magid’s “Meir Kahane: The Public Life and Political Thought of an American Jewish Radical”
Meir Kahane reveled in hateful tactics and propagated hate as an ontological principle.
David N. MyersApr 7, 2022
- Biography & Autobiography
An Amazon of the Avant-Garde: On Lynn Garafola’s “La Nijinska: Choreographer of the Modern”
A well-researched biography of a neglected major choreographer of avant-garde dance.
Harlow RobinsonMar 24, 2022
- Biography & Autobiography
A Private Gentleman: On “The Trials of Harry S. Truman”
Widely despised at the end of his presidency, Harry Truman’s reputation has grown since.
Henry DykstalMar 1, 2022
- Biography & Autobiography