Biography & Autobiography

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

Call Sign “Chaos”
A new biography of General James “Mad Dog” Mattis.
Henrik BeringAug 7, 2018
- Biography & Autobiography
Seeing Both Sides of the Shield: On Rebecca Harding Davis
"When we look for meaning in the lives of historical figures, what we’re often looking for is the reflected image of our own ideas and beliefs."
Arielle ZibrakJul 21, 2018
An Intensity Leavened by Gentleness
A new biography of the seminal French literary and cultural theorist René Girard.
Christopher ShinnJul 20, 2018
Cheerful Contrarian: Freeman Dyson’s Letters
Sara Lippincott parses theoretical physicist Freeman Dyson's "Maker of Patterns: An Autobiography Through Letters."
Sara LippincottJul 14, 2018
Sacred Places: Hugh Ryan Interviews Lance Richardson
Hugh Ryan talks to Lance Richardson about his new biography, "House of Nutter: The Rebel Tailor of Savile Row."
Hugh RyanJul 1, 2018
- Biography & Autobiography
- Gender & Sexuality
Max Eastman: From Left to Right
Georgiy Chernyavskiy reviews “Max Eastman: A Life,” a biography by Christoph Irmscher.
Georgiy ChernyavskiyJun 21, 2018
- Biography & Autobiography
- Politics
A Chameleonic Career
A new book on California’s youngest and oldest governor.
Tom GallagherMay 22, 2018
- Biography & Autobiography
- Politics
“The Dramatis Personae of Our Lives”: On “A Bountiful Harvest: The Correspondence of Anthony Hecht and William L. MacDonald”
Patrick Kurp explores “A Bountiful Harvest: The Correspondence of Anthony Hecht and William L. MacDonald,” edited by Philip Hoy.
Patrick KurpMay 20, 2018
- Biography & Autobiography
- Poetry
How Stan Lee Became the Man Behind Marvel
Chris Yogerst on Bob Batchelor's recent biography of the comic book legend.
Chris YogerstApr 21, 2018
- Biography & Autobiography
- Comics
Sharp but Narrow
Jacquelyn Ardam reviews Michelle Dean’s “Sharp: The Women Who Made an Art Out of Having an Opinion.”
Jacquelyn ArdamApr 19, 2018
“Learn the Use of Explosives!”: On Jacqueline Jones’s “Goddess of Anarchy: The Life and Times of Lucy Parsons, American Radical”
Elaine Elinson praises “Goddess of Anarchy: The Life and Times of Lucy Parsons, American Radical” by Jacqueline Jones.
Elaine ElinsonMar 20, 2018
Framing Our World: On Vanda Krefft’s “The Man Who Made the Movies: The Meteoric Rise and Tragic Fall of William Fox”
Dan Friedman unreels “The Man Who Made the Movies,” a biography of William Fox by Vanda Krefft.
Dan FriedmanMar 15, 2018