Biography & Autobiography

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

An Empire of Missed Opportunities
Mario Cuomo is a promising subject for a biography, but this slim book fails to get him either as a politician or a person, says our reviewer.
Robert SlaytonSep 1, 2017
- Biography & Autobiography
- Politics
On Not Knowing Yourself: What’s Adam Phillips Saying About Life Story?
Brandon Kreitler on the problem of biography in the wake of Freud.
Brandon KreitlerAug 11, 2017
- Biography & Autobiography
- Philosophy & Religion
A Silent Storm: Art, Obsession, Death, and Marcel Marceau
Melynda Fuller appreciates “A Twenty Minute Silence Followed by Applause,” an extended essay on Marcel Marceau by Shawn Wen.
Melynda FullerAug 9, 2017
Delectatio Morosa: On Fleur Jaeggy’s “These Possible Lives”
Emily LaBarge is transported by “These Possible Lives,” a collection of essays by Fleur Jaeggy.
Emily LaBargeAug 7, 2017
Hampering Threadlike Pressure: A New Biography of George Eliot
Paul Delany reviews a new biography of George Eliot.
Paul DelanyAug 6, 2017
- Biography & Autobiography
- Literary Criticism
The Limelight Kid
John Tytell reviews Mary V. Dearborn’s new biography of Hemingway.
John TytellJul 25, 2017
- Biography & Autobiography
Crime and Publishing: The Story of Jack Abbott and Norman Mailer
Remembering Jack Abbott, the convicted murderer who was Norman Mailer’s literary protégé.
Rachel MonroeJul 23, 2017
- Biography & Autobiography
- History
The Art of Excess
Skye C. Cleary talks to Gary Cox about his new biography, “Existentialism and Excess: The Life and Times of Jean-Paul Sartre.”
Skye C. ClearyJul 22, 2017
- Biography & Autobiography
- Philosophy & Religion
Wild Thing: A New Biography of Thoreau
A quiet bombshell of a biography that reclaims a revolutionary Thoreau for the 21st century.
Daegan MillerJul 16, 2017
- Biography & Autobiography
Who Does He Favor?
Rachel Masilamani offers a graphic portrait revisiting the 2016 presidential campaign. Part of the July 2017 Smithsonian Asian American Literature Festival.
Rachel MasilamaniJul 9, 2017
One Fait Accompli After Another: Mikhail Gorbachev on the New Russia
Tom Gallagher appreciates “The New Russia,” a political autobiography by Mikhail Gorbachev.
Tom GallagherJul 8, 2017
The Myth of an Apolitical Montaigne
Robert Minto assays “Montaigne: A Life” by Philippe Desan, which restores the great essayist’s political dimension.
Robert MintoJul 3, 2017