Top Ten Favorite Literary Biographies Part 2: RGBIB 365

Just when you thought it was safe to go back into the bathtub... MORE "Top Ten" Literary Biographies!

And even then I left out one of my all-time faves, Richard Holmes's SHELLEY: THE PURSUIT!

[excelsiorathletic]

Finished Crick's biography of Orwell: thanks for the recommendation. I whizzed through it.

[haroldniver]

Haven’t read the Wilde biog, but Ellmann’s biography of Joyce is top-notch. Also, thanks for reminding me that I need to pick up those volumes about Nabokooky.

[miltonbenjamin]

Great list, Scott. I would like to give an honourable 'below the line' mention to Norman Sherry's two volume 'The Life of Graham Greene'. It would be great to see you compile a a top ten list of literary autobiographies (Anthony Burgess' 'You've Had Your Time' would certainly make mine!).

[ashurbanipalcousin]

I’d love to see a list of your favorite literary memoirs, Mr. Master Bather. There’s nothing like Nabokov’s personal ecstasy over bugs in his own hand in Speak, Memory

[larrycarr]

No mention of Joseph Frank’s multi-volume biography of Dostoevsky… luckily there is now a condensed volume, which I am working my way through. Otherwise, I stick to fiction, but you provide food for thought… thanks Scott.

[neilburns]

Hullo, Scott. One old master bather to, well, a shower man myself. I enjoy your reviews. And humour. Yes, two biographies I read of late which stuck with me, Jonathan Bate's biography on John Clare (English poet). And William Feaver's two-volume biography on painter Lucian Freud. Brilliant. I like Ellmann's Joyce. I think a life researched well, and written about well gives one that life and I love reading about interesting times and people and places. Ta.

[bluewordsme]

damn, yes....damned to fame is fabulous....and yes, absolutely the Boyd...i loved the Wilde bio...and i loved ellman's Joyce, ...send the link for your review of the new wilde, since i loved reading your review (loved your Greene essay too btw) of the ohara/calhoun book...off to read

[redfordgrange]

I enjoyed Claire Tomalin’s bio of Thomas Hardy recently, “The Time-Torn Man”. You’ve probably already read it!

[wmeisel]

Scott - I just finished the Kindle edition of your new book and I raced through it in about 24 hours. I’m still thinking about what it means (even though you said it doesn’t mean anything). I did find a typo - at least in the Kindle edition. At the very end of Chapter 23 it says “liked Saved by the Bell” instead of “like Saved by the Bell”. Thought you might want to know. Cheers!