Biography books
I was writing a book about Rachmaninov in exile when my own world changed for ever
In lockdown, the Observer’s classical music critic began work on a book about the Russian composer’s later years. Then war, and events in her own life, began to reshape the narrative
Fiona Maddocks
28, May, 2023 @12:00 PM
The Swimmer: The Wild Life of Roger Deakin by Patrick Barkham review – straight in at the deep end
Barkham conjures the life of the wild swimming champion and author of Waterlog in a bravura act of creative memoir
Alex Preston
28, May, 2023 @10:00 AM
The Movement Made Us: true story of family and the civil rights struggle
David Dennis Sr and his son have written a compelling and vitally human tale of the fight for justice and the toll it took
Shanita Hubbard
27, May, 2023 @6:00 AM
Sleeping on Islands by Andrew Motion review – candid stories from the former poet laureate
A revealing memoir illuminates the conflict between wordly success and creative freedom
Kathryn Hughes
25, May, 2023 @10:00 AM
Johnson at 10 by Anthony Seldon and Raymond Newell review – the great pretender
A howl of scholarly frustration at a prime minister out of his depth
Gaby Hinsliff
24, May, 2023 @8:00 AM
Ways of Life: Jim Ede and the Kettle’s Yard Artists by Laura Freeman review – an intimate tale of a life in art
This fabulously detailed biography is a fitting testament to the great collector’s cunning, determination and impeccable taste
Tim Adams
23, May, 2023 @6:00 AM
Martin Luther King, founding father: Jonathan Eig on his epic new biography
A life of Muhammad Ali led the author to his new book, then a prize-winning predecessor played guide and adviser
Charles Kaiser
21, May, 2023 @6:00 AM
‘If it’s not a risk… it’s nothing’: Nobel laureate Annie Ernaux on her unapologetic career
The French writer transforms her own life into uncompromising autofiction. With new translations, a film, and unwavering activism, the 82-year-old is living life to the full
Alice Blackhurst
21, May, 2023 @6:00 AM
Jessie Burton: ‘When I am anxious or sad, I reach for Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall’
The novelist on being chilled by Daphne du Maurier, loving Roald Dahl, and taking notes as a mother from Rachel Cusk
Jessie Burton
19, May, 2023 @9:00 AM
Is This OK? by Harriet Gibsone review – second life
A woman comes of age on the internet in a memoir that swings between funny and profound
Maeve Higgins
18, May, 2023 @8:00 AM
In brief: Dam Buster, The Cameraman, The Perfect Golden Circle – reviews
A portrait of Barnes Wallis, inventor of the bouncing bomb, a fascist family take a trip through 1930s Europe, and crop circle enthusiasts seek catharsis in the summer of 1989
Alexander Larman
14, May, 2023 @2:00 PM
Bruno Schulz: An Artist, A Murder, and the Hijacking of History review – an extraordinary mind and a cruel death
Benjamin Balint’s biography of ‘writer’s writer’ Bruno Schulz conjures the fascinating life and afterlife of a genre-defying author and artist
Joe Moshenska
14, May, 2023 @8:00 AM
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