Biography & Autobiography

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

Number of the Beast: On Óscar and Juan José Martínez’s “The Hollywood Kid”
The rise and fall and rise again of the Salvadoran gang MS-13 is seen through the story of one of its members.
Jeff PeerMar 20, 2020
Radical Lives: On New Biographies of Rose Pastor Stokes and Dorothy Day
Two new biographies of early 20th-century American radical women.
Elaine MargolinMar 14, 2020
Psychedelic Pioneer and Confidence Man
A new biography of Michael Hollingshead, the man who turned Timothy Leary on.
James PennerFeb 19, 2020
- Biography & Autobiography
A Sane Man in a Demented Age: On Julian Barnes’s “The Man in the Red Coat”
Richard M. Cho appreciates "The Man in the Red Coat," the new biography of Samuel Jean Pozzi by Julian Barnes.
Richard M. ChoFeb 18, 2020
Writing Together
Briallen Hopper appreciates "The Mutual Admiration Society," a new book from Mo Moulton.
Briallen HopperJan 27, 2020
Where Are You Taking Me, Father?: Three Sons Live Through Apartheid South Africa
Kaleem Hawa reviews three recent books on South African apartheid.
Kaleem HawaJan 7, 2020
Stirring the Ashes: A Conversation with Harry Harootunian
A historian turns to the horror in his family’s own past.
Halis YildirimDec 7, 2019
The Thousand Masks of the Unreal
Sam Gee reviews a recent biography of Martin Buber, as well as the recent republication of Buber's "Daniel: Dialogues on Realization."
Sam GeeNov 20, 2019
The Keys to Robert Graves’s Mythologies
Matt Keeley considers the uncertain legacy of Robert Graves as well as a new biography of the writer by Jean Moorcroft Wilson.
Matt KeeleyNov 13, 2019
Out of Sartre’s Shadow
Skye C. Cleary reviews Kate Kirkpatrick's new biography of Simone de Beauvoir, "Becoming Beauvoir: A Life."
Skye C. ClearyOct 8, 2019
The Balletic Total Work of Art: On Nadine Meisner’s “Marius Petipa: The Emperor’s Ballet Master”
Megan Race admires “Marius Petipa: The Emperor’s Ballet Master” by Nadine Meisner.
Megan RaceSep 29, 2019
Left for Dead: On the Philosophical Life and Vocation of Walter Kaufmann
Robert L. Kehoe III studies “Walter Kaufmann: Philosopher, Humanist, Heretic” by Stanley Corngold.
Robert L. Kehoe IIISep 23, 2019
- Biography & Autobiography
- Philosophy & Religion