Becoming Day Keene: The Pre-Pulp Career of Gunard Hjertstedt
Cullen Gallagher digs up the working-class roots of noir master Day Keene.
Cullen Gallagher digs up the working-class roots of noir master Day Keene.
Cullen GallagherMar 6, 2021
A memoir through interviews shines light on the president of CalArts and American history.
Vesper NorthMar 4, 2021
The career of a major human rights lawyer resonates with issues we face today.
Melissa ChanMar 1, 2021
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
Peniel E. Joseph reviews the new biography of Malcolm X by Les Payne and Tamara Payne, "The Dead Are Arising."
Peniel E. JosephJan 18, 2021
A new biography of Graham Greene explores the author’s lifelong bibliomania.
Sunil IyengarJan 13, 2021
A revealing biography of an iconic Hollywood star.
Chris YogerstJan 3, 2021
Bob Blaisdell reviews a new biography of the late, great Tom Terrific.
Bob BlaisdellDec 27, 2020
A. M. Juster admires the erudition and judiciousness of “Poet of Revolution: The Making of John Milton” by Nicholas McDowell.
A. M. JusterDec 24, 2020
Robert Ryan journeys through Gustavus Stadler’s biography on musician and activist Woody Guthrie.
Robert Cashin RyanDec 23, 2020
A mini-biography of Indonesia’s president is also a snapshot of a country in transition.
Febriana FirdausDec 11, 2020
A new biography of an important director of the studio era.
Gary D. RhodesDec 6, 2020
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzō Abe built an image of a creative disruptor. He disrupted a lot, but he didn’t create much.
Jeff KingstonDec 2, 2020
Elaine Elinson reviews “Bohemians West: Free Love, Family and Radicals in Twentieth Century America,” the new dual biography by Sherry L. Smith.
Elaine ElinsonNov 28, 2020
A new biography does the seemingly impossible: it casts new light on the much-studied founding father of Haiti.
Adolf AlzupharNov 26, 2020
Qiu Xiaolong reviews “The Last Kings of Shanghai: The Rival Jewish Dynasties That Helped Create Modern China” by Jonathan Kaufman.
Qiu XiaolongNov 20, 2020
A pioneer folklorist found some British origins of Appalachian music, but missed so much else.
Gregory P. DownsNov 5, 2020
Aliza Wong reviews "The Perfect Fascist," the new biography by Victoria de Grazia.
Aliza WongNov 3, 2020
An engaging new biography of the pioneer of American cuisine.
Benjamin Aldes WurgaftOct 22, 2020
Frances Lazare considers the friendships and fights of "The Equivalents" by Maggie Doherty and "No Modernism Without Lesbians" by Diana Souhami.
Frances LazareOct 9, 2020
Janet Fitch is enlightened by Bob Blaisdell’s biographical study of Tolstoy, “Creating Anna Karenina.”
Janet FitchOct 4, 2020
LARB presents an excerpt from “Stalin: Passage to Revolution” by Ronald Grigor Suny.
Ronald Grigor SunySep 28, 2020
Alex Harvey delves into “The Brothers Mankiewicz” by Sydney Ladensohn Stern.
Alex HarveySep 27, 2020
Kathelin Gray reviews Maria Golia’s biography of composer and musician Ornette Coleman.
Kathelin GraySep 24, 2020