Biography

Agee’s Gospel Agee’s Gospel

Two new volumes in the Library of America series present the life and work of James Agee, whose flashes of greatness as an essayist, screenwriter, novelist and Nation film reviewe...

Nov 17, 2005 / Books & the Arts / Phillip Lopate

The Scrivener and the Whale The Scrivener and the Whale

Andrew Delbanco's new biography of Herman Melville reveals that the great writer came to realize that what torments men is not the longing to believe that there is meaning in the u...

Nov 17, 2005 / Books & the Arts / Vivian Gornick

I Act, Therefore I Am I Act, Therefore I Am

Admired from a distance and reviled up close, Laurence Olivier could establish a relation with his audience that was like an infection. His official biography chronicles a personal...

Nov 17, 2005 / Books & the Arts / David Thomson

The True Story of Equiano The True Story of Equiano

Vincent Carretta's Equiano, the African is the complex narrative of a Carolina slave who bought his freedom, married an English woman and published a memoir on his life as a seafar...

Nov 2, 2005 / Books & the Arts / Robin Blackburn

In Search of Sam Cooke In Search of Sam Cooke

A womanizing gospel king and black-pride pop star, Sam Cooke led a short life filled with contradiction.

Sep 22, 2005 / Books & the Arts / Robert Christgau

The First Lady of Song The First Lady of Song

Billie Holiday wasn't just adored by her fans but by her friends and colleagues as well.

Jun 9, 2005 / Books & the Arts / Robert Christgau

Hail Mary Hail Mary

A new biography of one of the Enlightment's most remarkable thinkers.

May 26, 2005 / Books & the Arts / Vivian Gornick

Unintended Consequences Unintended Consequences

The story of Supreme Court Justice Harry Blackmun illustrates the value of a truly independent judiciary.

May 26, 2005 / Books & the Arts / Adam Haslett

The Heritage Foundation The Heritage Foundation

Paul Johnson and Christopher Hitchens's new books on the Founding Fathers.

May 26, 2005 / Books & the Arts / Daniel Lazare

Epistemology of the Closet Epistemology of the Closet

A biography of Utilitarian philosopher Henry Sidgwick sheds new light on life in the Victorian era.

May 19, 2005 / Books & the Arts / Martha C. Nussbaum

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