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
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
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?
