Biography & Autobiography

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

“He Soars So Incredibly High”: A Conversation about Robert Walser with Susan Bernofsky
Veronica Esposito speaks to Susan Bernofsky, author of the long-awaited biography of Robert Walser, “Clairvoyant of the Small.”
Veronica EspositoJul 26, 2021
- Biography & Autobiography
A Love Story Finally Brought to Light: On Liz Brown’s “Twilight Man”
A biography chronicling two gay men during the US Gilded Age.
Vesper NorthJun 29, 2021
- Biography & Autobiography
A Would-Be Emperor Too Good to Be True
Nilanjan Bhowmick reviews Supriya Gandhi's biography of Dara Shukoh, "The Emperor Who Never Was."
Nilanjan BhowmickJun 20, 2021
- Biography & Autobiography
History Is Happening: On Edmund de Waal’s “Letters to Camondo”
An epistolary biography of a midcentury French businessman and patron of the arts.
Jake FuchsJun 14, 2021
- Biography & Autobiography
The Untold Story of the CIA’s MK Ultra: A Conversation with Stephen Kinzer
Stephen Kinzer discusses his new biography, “Poisoner in Chief: Sidney Gottlieb and the CIA Search for Mind Control.”
Ed Prideaux, James PennerMay 19, 2021
- Biography & Autobiography
The Darwin of the Classics
A new biography of Milman Parry, who transformed our understanding of Homer, and oral culture in general.
Tim RileyMay 3, 2021
- Biography & Autobiography
On Lives and Counterlives
Two solid biographies of the late Philip Roth, one authorized, one not.
Steven G. KellmanApr 8, 2021
- Biography & Autobiography
Highsmith Was a Troll: On Richard Bradford’s “Devils, Lusts and Strange Desires”
Maria Rybakova plumbs the depths of “Devils, Lusts and Strange Desires. The Life of Patricia Highsmith” by Richard Bradford.
Maria RybakovaApr 2, 2021
- Biography & Autobiography
Becoming Day Keene: The Pre-Pulp Career of Gunard Hjertstedt
Cullen Gallagher digs up the working-class roots of noir master Day Keene.
Mar 6, 2021
- Biography & Autobiography
Conversations on Imperfection
A memoir through interviews shines light on the president of CalArts and American history.
Vesper NorthMar 4, 2021
- Biography & Autobiography
Incremental Wins Do Matter
The career of a major human rights lawyer resonates with issues we face today.
Melissa ChanMar 1, 2021
- Biography & Autobiography
“MLK/FBI” and “Her Socialist Smile” Desanitize Two Radical Icons
Eileen G’Sell compares two documentaries about Martin Luther King, Jr. and Helen Keller, both of whom had radical politics that have been whitewashed.
Eileen G’SellJan 18, 2021