Biographies: Writing Men

Sometimes the only thing better than reading a book by your favourite author is reading a book about your favourite author. I’ve been coming across a lot of interesting looking author biographies of late – though reviews, radio interviews and other sources. Whether modern day or historical, literary or popular, reading an author biography is not only a great way to learn about that author’s life, but also to see their writing in a whole new light.

Part one of two – starting with recent biographies of male writers

The Bard: Robert Burns, a biography by Robert Crawford: there’s more to the life of the famous Scottish poet than the Address to a Haggis and a good excuse to drink whiskey in January

Cheever: a life by Blake Bailey: Booklist Magazine gave this a starred review and said it is “riveting from page 1, this is the literary biography of the season and will be talked about for years to come”. A popular post-war American author who wrote of contemporary American life, Cheever is not a household name anymore, but perhaps this biography will pique your interest

Haunted Heart: the life and times of Steven King by Lisa Rogak

The Mystery of Lewis Carroll : discovering the whimsical, thoughtful and sometimes lonely man who created Alice in Wonderland by Jenny Woolf

Mordecai Richler by M.J. Vassanji: part of the Penguin Books series Extraordinary Canadians

Pulitzer: A life in politics, print and power by James McGrath Morris: you’ve probably heard of the literary prizes that bear his name, but what do you know of the journalist himself?

Raymond Carver : a writer’s life by Carol Sklenicka