Biography & Autobiography

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

More Than “Tra-La-La”: On Vernon Duke, Igor Stravinsky, and Russian Musical Émigrés
Harlow Robinson turns his ear to “Taking a Chance on Love” by George Harwood Phillips and “In Stravinsky’s Orbit” by Klára Móricz.
Harlow RobinsonSep 15, 2020
Something That Would Be Remembered: On Two Women Noir Trailblazers
Kathleen Jones on two recent biographies of midcentury women of noir: producer Joan Harrison and actress Veronica Lake.
Kathleen B. JonesSep 14, 2020
Monstre Sacré: The Life and Times of Franklin E. Kameny
Michael Nava reviews “The Deviant’s War: The Homosexual vs. the United States of America,” Eric Cervini’s exhaustive new history.
Michael NavaAug 31, 2020
A Progenitor of Second-Wave Feminism: On Selina Todd’s “Tastes of Honey”
Simon Lee reviews Selina Todd’s biography on British playwright Shelagh Delaney.
Simon LeeAug 21, 2020
Wyatt Earp Does Not Rest in Peace
A pair of new books about US Marshal Wyatt Earp are now out. Only one of them shoots straight.
Allen BarraAug 19, 2020
- Biography & Autobiography
- History
An Experimental Biography: John Schad’s “Paris Bride: A Modernist Life”
Is John Schad’s family archive as fictitious as, say, Clarissa Dalloway? And does it matter?
Gerri KimberAug 15, 2020
- Biography & Autobiography
- Literary Criticism
Joe McCarthy Comes Alive
A new, generous biography of America’s midcentury human disaster.
Christopher M. EliasAug 2, 2020
- Biography & Autobiography
- Politics
On Dennis Cooper and Becoming-Nothing
Jonathan Alexander reviews "Wrong," the new biography of Dennis Cooper by Diarmuid Hester.
Jonathan AlexanderJul 29, 2020
A Means to an End: On Mary Oppen’s “Meaning a Life: An Autobiography”
Dan Friedman finds meaning in “Meaning a Life,” the autobiography of Mary Oppen.
Dan FriedmanJun 24, 2020
- Biography & Autobiography
- Poetry
Forgotten Movie Royalty
A new biography of early cinema’s first family, the Costellos.
Chris YogerstJun 12, 2020
The News They Wanted Not to Hear: On Robert Stone
Three new books offer an embarrassment of riches for fans of Robert Stone.
Rob LathamJun 2, 2020
Dave Brubeck Unsquared: On Philip Clark’s New Biography
Dave Mandl takes five with “Dave Brubeck: A Life in Time” by Philip Clark.
Dave MandlMay 10, 2020
- Biography & Autobiography
- Music