The Close Reader The Close Reader
William Empson's writing shaped modern criticism. A new biography restores him to his proper eminence.
Feb 1, 2007 / Books & the Arts / Stefan Collini
A Life of His Own A Life of His Own
Victoria Glendinning's biography of Leonard Woolf looks at a remarkable public intellectual whose life and work were eclipsed by his more famous spouse.
Nov 22, 2006 / Books & the Arts / Brenda Wineapple
The Collaborator The Collaborator
The Unfree French looks at the German occupation of Vichy; Bad Faith is a grim biography of a French collaborator.
Nov 22, 2006 / Books & the Arts / David A. Bell
America, Through a Glass Darkly America, Through a Glass Darkly
An intellectual biography of Richard Hofstadter rides a wave of nostalgia for this artful historian and liberal icon of the 1950s and '60s.
Oct 5, 2006 / Books & the Arts / Jon Wiener
Modern Love Modern Love
Two new biographies of Clement Greenberg take the measure of an ambitious art critic who had a knack for predicting success.
Sep 28, 2006 / Books & the Arts / Barry Schwabsky
A Burnt-Out Case A Burnt-Out Case
A new biography of Timothy Leary reveals the mixed-up sociopath behind the "turn on, tune in, drop out" mantra.
Jul 27, 2006 / Books & the Arts / Neal Pollack
The Sunkist Utopian The Sunkist Utopian
One hundred years ago, Upton Sinclair exposed the meatpacking industry. Three new books expose Sinclair as an activist dreamer with a messianic streak.
Jul 27, 2006 / Books & the Arts / Brenda Wineapple
Shadows Shadows
George Hutchinson's new biography of the mystery woman of the Harlem Renaissance reconsiders both Nella Larsen and a key moment of black cultural history.
Jun 28, 2006 / Books & the Arts / Darryl Pinckney
The Passion of Anna The Passion of Anna
In Elaine Feinstein's new biography, the complicated life of Russian poet Anna Akhmatova is flattened into a fable of suffering and redemption.
Jun 21, 2006 / Books & the Arts / Elif Batuman
Life Is Sweet Life Is Sweet
Federico Fellini: His Life And Work effaces nearly everything written about the great Italian director, offering a distinct critical analysis and an absorbing account of his privat...
Mar 2, 2006 / Books & the Arts / Peter Cowie