biography.com writers

Biography Online

Famous Writers

A list of famous writers/authors/poets throughout history.

Other categories of writers:

Citation: Pettinger, Tejvan “Famous Writers”, Oxford, UK. www.biographyonline.net – 10th March 2015. Last updated 5 March 2018.

501 Great Writers: A Comprehensive Guide to the Giants of Literature

501 Great Writers: A Comprehensive Guide to the Giants of Literature at Amazon

Related pages

• Top 100 writers
• 50 Books that changed the world
• Famous literary quotes

The 20 Best Biographies of Writers

The best biographies of writers cut through the gossip, the scandals, the myths, and the legends to deftly balance the life of the author with their literary legacy. This list features the best literary biographies of writers who penned classic works across more than four hundred years of literary history. From Shakespeare to Richard Wright to Mary Shelley and Virginia Woolf, these favorite biographies of writers encompass a deep bench of the best biographies of famous writers. Let’s dive in!

But first, if you’re interested in more of the best literary biographies, be sure to check out our list of the 10 best biographies of poets :

This post contains affiliate links

And now for an epic list of the 20 best biographies of writers…

Agatha christie: an elusive woman by lucy worsley.

Agatha Christie, one of the “Masters of Suspense,” lived a remarkable life while penning classics like Murder on the Orient Express and And Then There Were None . Read all about it in Lucy Worsley’s Agatha Christie: An Elusive Woman . Among the best literary biographies, this one dispels the mysteries in the real life of this iconic mystery writer.

How to read it: Purchase Agatha Christie: An Elusive Woman on Amazon

Also a poet: frank o’hara, my father, and me by ada calhoun.

This unusual literary biography blends personal memoir with a bio of one of the greatest poets of all time, Frank O’Hara (for his collected poems, check out this edition ). In Also a Poet , Ada Calhoun discovers tapes of interviews between Peter Schjeldahl, her father, an art critic, and poet Frank O’Hara. The recordings were intended to be used in Schjeldahl’s unfinished biography of O’Hara. One of the best biographies of writers, Calhoun sets out to complete her father’s book while also intertwining memoirs of her own complicated relationship with her father. The result is a raw and real read you won’t soon forget.

How to read it: Purchase Also a Poet on Amazon

Jane austen: a life by claire tomalin.

Among readers who have favorite biographies of writers, Claire Tomalin’s Jane Austen: A Life often ranks high among the best literary biographies. We all know Jane Austen—author of, among other classics, Pride and Prejudice and Emma —right? Not so fast. Tomalin’s biography uncovers the previously limited life of this incredibly influential writer.

How to read it: Purchase Jane Austen: A Life on Amazon

Begin again: james baldwin’s america and its urgent lessons for our own by eddie s. glaude jr..

The best biographies of writers explore the legacy of the famous author whose portrait they are trying to draw. And that’s exactly what Eddie S. Glaude Jr. does in Begin Again: James Baldwin’s America and Its Urgent Lessonsf or Our Own . This bio of James Baldwin, perhaps most famous for his novel with queer themes, Giovanni’s Room , argues that Baldwin’s vision of America remains relevant today.

How to read it: Purchase Begin Again on Amazon

Born to be posthumous: the eccentric life and mysterious genius of edward gorey by mark dery.

I’m a huge Edward Gorey fan. I’ve read his books—some of which are collected in Amphigorey: Fifteen Books —over and over again and count him as an influence on my own writing. So imagine how delightful it was to encounter Born to Be Posthumous , Mark Dery’s compelling portrait of Gorey, definitely one of he best biographies of writers. This engrossing literary biography captures the “eccentric life and mysterious genius” of Gorey in a book that illuminates this exceptional-but-often-overlooked pioneer of the macabre.

How to read it: Purchase Born to Be Posthumous on Amazon

The bradbury chronicles: the life of ray bradbury by sam weller.

I love Ray Bradbury. During a very difficult time in my life, I sought refuge in Bradbury’s imagination, devouring two of his most treasured short story collections, The Martian Chronicles and The Illustrated Man (get them both in this Ray Bradbury boxed collection by the Library of America). I was completely swept up in wonder and fascination. So I’m so excited to say that Sam Weller’s The Bradbury Chronicles illuminates the life of this towering figure in America’s literary history, easily one of the best biographies of famous writers. Read this book and learn about the incredible life of one of the most incredible authors ever.

How to read it: Purchase The Bradbury Chronicles on Amazon

The brontë myth by lucasta miller.

One of the best biographies of famous English writers, Lucasta Miller’s The Brontë Myth is a deep dive into the lives and literary works of the Brontë sisters, whom you may know best from Jane Eyre (Charlotte Brontë) and Wuthering Heights (Emily Brontë). Miller’s bio unfurls the tangled reputation of these three brilliant sisters, liberating them from the various schools of thought—psychoanalytical, feminist, etc.—that have embraced the Brontës and counted them as their own. Instead, we get a fresh update on the lives of these influential sister-authors, free of the various schools of criticism that have ensnared them in their jaws. (If you’re just getting started with the Brontës, check out this handsome box set of their most well-known novels .)

How to read it: Purchase The Brontë Myth on Amazon

Cross of snow: a life of henry wadsworth longfellow by nicholas a. basbanes.

Chances are you’ve heard of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, but until now, this iconic 19th century American author has lived a life undiscovered. Read the best of Longfellow’s work before diving into this incredible look at an incredible writer. In Cross of Snow , Nicholas A. Basbanes reveals the life of Longfellow, charting his influences and the writer he influenced himself. This breakthrough study is easily one of the best literary biographies.

How to read it: Purchase Cross of Snow on Amazon

Every love story is a ghost story: a life of david foster wallace by d. t. max.

The turbulent life of David Foster Wallace, author of that infamous classic, Infinite Jest , is demystified in D. T. Max’s Every Love Story Is a Ghost Story , the must-read literary biography of this important America scribe. The best biographies of writers sort through the gossip, the speculation, and the larger-than-life reputations of their subjects, allowing the author’s life to be seen in line with their work without overtaking their literary genius. And that’s exactly what Max manages in one of the best biographies of famous writers.

How to read it: Purchase Every Love Story Is a Ghost Story on Amazon

I am alive and you are dead: a journey into the mind of philip k. dick by emmanuel carrère.

The genius of Philip K. Dick has left us with classic sci-fi works like Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep (inspiration for the SF film Blade Runner ) and A Scanner Darkly . But who was the man behind these important books that helped establish the science fiction genre? You’ll find the answer to that question in Emmanuel Carrère’s I Am Alive and You Are Dead , an essential literary biography for any fan of Dick’s writing. Definitely one of the best biographies of writers, I Am Alive and You Are Dead is subtitled “A journey into the mind of Philip K. Dick,” an apt description of this deep dive into the brain of this key figure in science fiction and literature in general.

How to read it: Purchase I Am Alive and You Are Dead on Amazon

T.s. eliot: an imperfect life by lyndall gordon.

I consider many of T.S. Eliot’s poems to be perfect, not to mention Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats , which was illustrated by Edward Gorey (whose bio I included above in this list of the best biographies of writers). But there’s no denying that Eliot lived a, well, complicated life that included anti-Semitism and misogyny. So how do we reconcile the poet’s work with the poet himself? You’ll find out in Lyndall Gordon’s T.S. Eliot: An Imperfect Life , among the greatest biographies of poets. Gordon takes Eliot on in this unflinching study of Eliot’s life and literature. The best literary biographies face their subject head on, revealing the “imperfect” lives of their subjects, and it’s precisely that approach that makes this book among the most essential biographies of famous English writers.

How to read it: Purchase T.S. Eliot: An Imperfect Life on Amazon

J.r.r. tolkien: a biography by humphrey carpenter.

Who was the man who wrote The Lord of the Rings , easily the most influential fantasy books ever written? You’ll find out in Humphrey Carpenter’s J.R.R. Tolkien: A Biography . This one definitely ranks among the best biographies of writers because of the nimble way Carpenter weaves together the life of Tolkien with his work, offering a master class of how to write literary biographies. Uncover the man from the myth in this close read on the man who penned a fictional universe as vast and complete as our own universe.

How to read it: Purchase J.R.R. Tolkien: A Life on Amazon

Mary shelley by miranda seymour.

She wrote the groundbreaking science fiction novel Frankenstein , but who was the woman behind this classic story? In Miranda Seymour’s Mary Shelley , we discover exactly that. Among the best literary biographies, this book is a saga of the life of Mary Shelley, a life that saw as much sorrow and trauma as joy. In this book, surely one of the must-have biographies of female writers, Seymour sifts through the documents about Shelley’s life to situate famous English author within her historical and cultural context while also surveying how Shelley influenced the canon of English literature.

How to read it: Purchase Mary Shelley on Amazon

Richard wright: the life and times by hazel rowley.

Richard Wright is perhaps best known for his novel Native Son , but the author also contributed many more books and writing to American letters. In this book, Hazel Rowley digs deep into Wright’s exceptional life and magnificent literature to braid the two together. The result is one of the best biographies of writers, one that highlights the important contributions of a leading figure in American literary history.

How to read it: Purchase Richard Wright: The Life and Times on Amazon

Savage beauty: the life of edna st. vincent millay by nancy milford.

The poetry of Edna St. Vincent Millay positions this influential author as one of the leading poets of twentieth century. And it’s precisely that legacy that Nancy Milford illuminates in Savage Beauty: The Life of Edna St. Vincent Millay . With this fresh perspective on Millay, the midcentury master of verse, readers get one of the best biographies of poets. If all biographies of female writers were this comprehensive and inquisitive, there’d be no time to read anything else, marking this as an exceptional biography. If you’re interested in important female authors, check out this one vibrant, bold life of Millay, and you won’t be disappointed.

How to read it: Purchase Savage Beauty on Amazon

Shirley jackson: a rather haunted life by ruth franklin.

I’m a big fan of Shirley Jackson. I count We Have Always Lived in the Castle among my all-time favorite books. So it’s with great pleasure that I share that Ruth Franklin’s Shirley Jackson: A Rather Haunted Life definitely counts as one of the best biographies of writers. This literary biography goes deep into the life of Jackson, and in so doing, you’ll realize why Franklin subtitles this as “a rather haunted life.” Franklin highlights how this iconic writer danced on the edge of the macabre, radicalized the American literary world, and scandalized the public. It’s a book that’s as dishy as it is illuminating, ranking as among the best literary biographies.

How to read: Purchase Shirley Jackson: A Rather Haunted Life on Amazon

Updike by adam begley.

John Updike. Just the name of this author conjures up visions of some of the best writing in the English language, like the Rabbit tetralogy and critically acclaimed short stories . How on earth do you begin to assemble the life of this significant author? Somehow Adam Begley manages it in Updike , one of the best biographies of writers. Begley’s bio of Updike meets its match, becoming as innovative and important as its titular subject. The result is a dazzling biography whose story is just as gripping as one of Updike’s novels. You won’t want to pass this one up.

How to read it: Purchase Updike on Amazon

Virginia woolf by hermione lee.

When I was a senior in college, I did an independent study of Virginia Woolf with a great professor. To get ready for the course, I read biographies of Virginia Woolf, including Hermione Lee’s bio that I’m including in this list of the best literary biographies. Lee tackles her larger-than-life subject, Virginia Woolf, known for her Modernist novels like Mrs. Dalloway and, my personal favorite, To the Lighthouse . Lee is more than up to the task, and the result is, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer : “A biography wholly worthy of the brilliant woman it chronicles. . . . It rediscovers Virginia Woolf afresh.” If you’re at all curious about Woolf, the Modernists, the Bloomsbury Group, or the history of English literature, pick this one up.

How to read it: Purchase Virginia Woolf on Amazon

Will in the world: how shakespeare became shakespeare by stephen greenblatt.

Any list of the best biographies of famous English writers would be incomplete without a bio of the father of English literature: yep, William Shakespeare. What’s left to say about the Bard, who penned some of the most important writing in the English language ? Turns out, plenty. And that’s exactly what you’ll find in Stephen Greenblatt’s masterful biography Will in the World , which attempts to uncover Shakespeare’s origin story. Greenblatt explores Shakespeare’s early life, and the cultural, historical, and artistic forces that explain, so the subtitle says, “How Shakespeare Became Shakespeare.” The outcome is Will in the World , a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and part of the curriculum of anyone looking for the best biographies of writers. This literary biography proves it’s still possible to write fresh, surprising, captivating, and engrossing biographies of famous writers. And Will in the World is the ultimate mic-drop, making it the only Shakespeare biography you need.

How to read it: Purchase Will in the World on Amazon

Wrapped in rainbows: the life of zora neale hurston by valerie boyd.

Many people discover Harlem Renaissance author Zora Neale Hurston through her novel Their Eyes Were Watching God , but in the award-winning Wrapped in Rainbows , Valerie Boyd uncovers the writer’s total miraculous output and undeniable influence. This key book is for sure one of the best literary biographies that any student of American literature will want to check out.

How to read it: Purchase Wrapped in Rainbows on Amazon

And there you have it an essential list of the 20 best biographies of writers. which of these best literary biographies will you read first, share this:.

• biographies

You might be interested in

October 2023 Recommended Reads

Learn How to Read Tea Leaves with the Best Tea Leaf Reading Books

The 30 Best Politics Books of All Time

• Latest posts

Sarah S. Davis is the founder of Broke by Books, a blog about her journey as a schizoaffective disorder bipolar type writer and reader. Sarah's writing about books has appeared on Book Riot, Electric Literature, Kirkus Reviews, BookRags, PsychCentral, and more. She has a BA in English from the University of Pennsylvania, a Master of Library and Information Science from Clarion University, and an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts.

• 5 Books I'm Looking Forward to This Summer

The Best Books of 2023

• Four Romance Writing Tips from TITANIC

15 Best New Christmas Romance Books for 2023

The 25 Best Fairy Tale and Folklore Books for Adults

The 20 Best Fantasy Books for Teens

Latest from book lists.

5 Books I’m Looking Forward to This Summer

I’m back to blogging! It’s been an eventful last sixteen months as

Welcome to my roundup of the Best Books of 2023! Wow, can

In this list of the best new Christmas romance books for 2023,

If you want to learn how to read tea leaves, there’s no

The best politics books of all time capture the drama of political

Join Discovery, the new community for book lovers

Trust book recommendations from real people, not robots 🤓

Blog – Posted on Monday, Jan 21

The 30 best biographies of all time.

Biographer Richard Holmes once wrote that his work was “a kind of pursuit… writing about the pursuit of that fleeting figure, in such a way as to bring them alive in the present.”

At the risk of sounding cliché, the best biographies do exactly this: bring their subjects to life. A great biography isn’t just a laundry list of events that happened to someone. Rather, it should weave a narrative and tell a story in almost the same way a novel does. In this way, biography differs from the rest of nonfiction .

All the biographies on this list are just as captivating as excellent novels , if not more so. With that, please enjoy the 30 best biographies of all time — some historical, some recent, but all remarkable, life-giving tributes to their subjects.

If you're feeling overwhelmed by the number of great biographies out there, you can also take our 30-second quiz below to narrow it down quickly and get a personalized biography recommendation  😉

Which biography should you read next?

Discover the perfect biography for you. Takes 30 seconds!

1. A Beautiful Mind by Sylvia Nasar

This biography of esteemed mathematician John Nash was both a finalist for the 1998 Pulitzer Prize and the basis for the award-winning film of the same name. Nasar thoroughly explores Nash’s prestigious career, from his beginnings at MIT to his work at the RAND Corporation — as well the internal battle he waged against schizophrenia, a disorder that nearly derailed his life.

2. Alan Turing: The Enigma: The Book That Inspired the Film The Imitation Game - Updated Edition by Andrew Hodges

Hodges’ 1983 biography of Alan Turing sheds light on the inner workings of this brilliant mathematician, cryptologist, and computer pioneer. Indeed, despite the title ( a nod to his work during WWII ), a great deal of the “enigmatic” Turing is laid out in this book. It covers his heroic code-breaking efforts during the war, his computer designs and contributions to mathematical biology in the years following, and of course, the vicious persecution that befell him in the 1950s — when homosexual acts were still a crime punishable by English law.

3. Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow

Ron Chernow’s Alexander Hamilton is not only the inspiration for a hit Broadway musical, but also a work of creative genius itself. This massive undertaking of over 800 pages details every knowable moment of the youngest Founding Father’s life: from his role in the Revolutionary War and early American government to his sordid (and ultimately career-destroying) affair with Maria Reynolds. He may never have been president, but he was a fascinating and unique figure in American history — plus it’s fun to get the truth behind the songs.

Prefer to read about fascinating First Ladies rather than almost-presidents? Check out this awesome list of books about First Ladies over on The Archive.

4. Barracoon: The Story of the Last "Black Cargo" by Zora Neale Hurston

A prolific essayist, short story writer, and novelist, Hurston turned her hand to biographical writing in 1927 with this incredible work, kept under lock and key until it was published 2018. It’s based on Hurston’s interviews with the last remaining survivor of the Middle Passage slave trade, a man named Cudjo Lewis. Rendered in searing detail and Lewis’ highly affecting African-American vernacular, this biography of the “last black cargo” will transport you back in time to an era that, chillingly, is not nearly as far away from us as it feels.

5. Churchill: A Life by Martin Gilbert

Though many a biography of him has been attempted, Gilbert’s is the final authority on Winston Churchill — considered by many to be Britain’s greatest prime minister ever. A dexterous balance of in-depth research and intimately drawn details makes this biography a perfect tribute to the mercurial man who led Britain through World War II.

Just what those circumstances are occupies much of Bodanis's book, which pays homage to Einstein and, just as important, to predecessors such as Maxwell, Faraday, and Lavoisier, who are not as well known as Einstein today. Balancing writerly energy and scholarly weight, Bodanis offers a primer in modern physics and cosmology, explaining that the universe today is an expression of mass that will, in some vastly distant future, one day slide back to the energy side of the equation, replacing the \'dominion of matter\' with \'a great stillness\'--a vision that is at once lovely and profoundly frightening.

Without sliding into easy psychobiography, Bodanis explores other circumstances as well; namely, Einstein's background and character, which combined with a sterling intelligence to afford him an idiosyncratic view of the way things work--a view that would change the world. --Gregory McNamee

6. E=mc²: A Biography of the World's Most Famous Equation by David Bodanis

This “biography of the world’s most famous equation” is a one-of-a-kind take on the genre: rather than being the story of Einstein, it really does follow the history of the equation itself. From the origins and development of its individual elements (energy, mass, and light) to their ramifications in the twentieth century, Bodanis turns what could be an extremely dry subject into engaging fare for readers of all stripes.

7. Enrique's Journey by Sonia Nazario

When Enrique was only five years old, his mother left Honduras for the United States, promising a quick return. Eleven years later, Enrique finally decided to take matters into his own hands in order to see her again: he would traverse Central and South America via railway, risking his life atop the “train of death” and at the hands of the immigration authorities, to reunite with his mother. This tale of Enrique’s perilous journey is not for the faint of heart, but it is an account of incredible devotion and sharp commentary on the pain of separation among immigrant families.

8. Frida: A Biography of Frida Kahlo by Hayden Herrera

Herrera’s 1983 biography of renowned painter Frida Kahlo, one of the most recognizable names in modern art, has since become the definitive account on her life. And while Kahlo no doubt endured a great deal of suffering (a horrific accident when she was eighteen, a husband who had constant affairs), the focal point of the book is not her pain. Instead, it’s her artistic brilliance and immense resolve to leave her mark on the world — a mark that will not soon be forgotten, in part thanks to Herrera’s dedicated work.

9. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot

Perhaps the most impressive biographical feat of the twenty-first century, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks is about a woman whose cells completely changed the trajectory of modern medicine. Rebecca Skloot skillfully commemorates the previously unknown life of a poor black woman whose cancer cells were taken, without her knowledge, for medical testing — and without whom we wouldn’t have many of the critical cures we depend upon today.

10. Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer

Christopher McCandless, aka Alexander Supertramp, hitchhiked to Alaska and disappeared into the Denali wilderness in April 1992. Five months later, McCandless was found emaciated and deceased in his shelter — but of what cause? Krakauer’s biography of McCandless retraces his steps back to the beginning of the trek, attempting to suss out what the young man was looking for on his journey, and whether he fully understood what dangers lay before him.

11. Let Us Now Praise Famous Men: Three Tenant Families by James Agee

"Let us now praise famous men, and our fathers that begat us.” From this line derives the central issue of Agee and Evans’ work: who truly deserves our praise and recognition? According to this 1941 biography, it’s the barely-surviving sharecropper families who were severely impacted by the American “Dust Bowl” — hundreds of people entrenched in poverty, whose humanity Evans and Agee desperately implore their audience to see in their book.

12. The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon by David Grann

Another mysterious explorer takes center stage in this gripping 2009 biography. Grann tells the story of Percy Fawcett, the archaeologist who vanished in the Amazon along with his son in 1925, supposedly in search of an ancient lost city. Parallel to this narrative, Grann describes his own travels in the Amazon 80 years later: discovering firsthand what threats Fawcett may have encountered, and coming to realize what the “Lost City of Z” really was.

13. Mao: The Unknown Story by Jung Chang

Though many of us will be familiar with the name Mao Zedong, this prodigious biography sheds unprecedented light upon the power-hungry “Red Emperor.” Chang and Halliday begin with the shocking statistic that Mao was responsible for 70 million deaths during peacetime — more than any other twentieth-century world leader. From there, they unravel Mao’s complex ideologies, motivations, and missions, breaking down his long-propagated “hero” persona and thrusting forth a new, grislier image of one of China’s biggest revolutionaries.

14. Mad Girl's Love Song: Sylvia Plath and Life Before Ted by Andrew Wilson by Andrew Wilson

Titled after one of her most evocative poems, this shimmering bio of Sylvia Plath takes an unusual approach. Instead of focusing on her years of depression and tempestuous marriage to poet Ted Hughes, it chronicles her life before she ever came to Cambridge. Wilson closely examines her early family and relationships, feelings and experiences, with information taken from her meticulous diaries — setting a strong precedent for other Plath biographers to follow.

15. The Minds of Billy Milligan by Daniel Keyes

What if you had twenty-four different people living inside you, and you never knew which one was going to come out? Such was the life of Billy Milligan, the subject of this haunting biography by the author of Flowers for Algernon . Keyes recounts, in a refreshingly straightforward style, the events of Billy’s life and how his psyche came to be “split”... as well as how, with Keyes’ help, he attempted to put the fragments of himself back together.

16. Mountains Beyond Mountains: The Quest of Dr. Paul Farmer, a Man Who Would Cure the World by Tracy Kidder

This gorgeously constructed biography follows Paul Farmer, a doctor who’s worked for decades to eradicate infectious diseases around the globe, particularly in underprivileged areas. Though Farmer’s humanitarian accomplishments are extraordinary in and of themselves, the true charm of this book comes from Kidder’s personal relationship with him — and the sense of fulfillment the reader sustains from reading about someone genuinely heroic, written by someone else who truly understands and admires what they do.

17. Napoleon: A Life by Andrew Roberts

Here’s another bio that will reshape your views of a famed historical tyrant, though this time in a surprisingly favorable light. Decorated scholar Andrew Roberts delves into the life of Napoleon Bonaparte, from his near-flawless military instincts to his complex and confusing relationship with his wife. But Roberts’ attitude toward his subject is what really makes this work shine: rather than ridiculing him ( as it would undoubtedly be easy to do ), he approaches the “petty tyrant” with a healthy amount of deference.

18. The Passage of Power: The Years of Lyndon Johnson IV by Robert A. Caro

Lyndon Johnson might not seem as intriguing or scandalous as figures like Kennedy, Nixon, or W. Bush. But in this expertly woven biography, Robert Caro lays out the long, winding road of his political career, and it’s full of twists you wouldn’t expect. Johnson himself was a surprisingly cunning figure, gradually maneuvering his way closer and closer to power. Finally, in 1963, he got his greatest wish — but at what cost? Fans of Adam McKay’s Vice , this is the book for you.

19. Prairie Fires: The American Dreams of Laura Ingalls Wilder by Caroline Fraser

Anyone who grew up reading Little House on the Prairie will surely be fascinated by this tell-all biography of Laura Ingalls Wilder. Caroline Fraser draws upon never-before-published historical resources to create a lush study of the author’s life — not in the gently narrated manner of the Little House series, but in raw and startling truths about her upbringing, marriage, and volatile relationship with her daughter (and alleged ghostwriter) Rose Wilder Lane.

20. Prince: A Private View by Afshin Shahidi

Compiled just after the superstar’s untimely death in 2016, this intimate snapshot of Prince’s life is actually a largely visual work — Shahidi served as his private photographer from the early 2000s until his passing. And whatever they say about pictures being worth a thousand words, Shahidi’s are worth more still: Prince’s incredible vibrance, contagious excitement, and altogether singular personality come through in every shot.

21. Radioactive: Marie & Pierre Curie: A Tale of Love and Fallout by Lauren Redniss

Could there be a more fitting title for a book about the husband-wife team who discovered radioactivity? What you may not know is that these nuclear pioneers also had a fascinating personal history. Marie Sklodowska met Pierre Curie when she came to work in his lab in 1891, and just a few years later they were married. Their passion for each other bled into their passion for their work, and vice-versa — and in almost no time at all, they were on their way to their first of their Nobel Prizes.

22. Rosemary: The Hidden Kennedy Daughter by Kate Clifford Larson

She may not have been assassinated or killed in a mysterious plane crash, but Rosemary Kennedy’s fate is in many ways the worst of “the Kennedy Curse.” As if a botched lobotomy that left her almost completely incapacitated weren’t enough, her parents then hid her away from society, almost never to be seen again. Yet in this new biography, penned by devoted Kennedy scholar Kate Larson, the full truth of Rosemary’s post-lobotomy life is at last revealed.

23. Savage Beauty: The Life of Edna St. Vincent Millay by Nancy Milford

This appropriately lyrical biography of brilliant Jazz Age poet and renowned feminist, Edna St. Vincent Millay, is indeed a perfect balance of savage and beautiful. While Millay’s poetic work was delicate and subtle, the woman herself was feisty and unpredictable, harboring unusual and occasionally destructive habits that Milford fervently explores.

24. Shelley: The Pursuit by Richard Holmes

Holmes’ famous philosophy of “biography as pursuit” is thoroughly proven here in his first full-length biographical work. Shelley: The Pursuit details an almost feverish tracking of Percy Shelley as a dark and cutting figure in the Romantic period — reforming many previous historical conceptions about him through Holmes’ compelling and resolute writing.

25. Shirley Jackson: A Rather Haunted Life by Ruth Franklin

Another Gothic figure has been made newly known through this work, detailing the life of prolific horror and mystery writer Shirley Jackson. Author Ruth Franklin digs deep into the existence of the reclusive and mysterious Jackson, drawing penetrating comparisons between the true events of her life and the dark nature of her fiction.

26. The Stranger in the Woods: The Extraordinary Story of the Last True Hermit by Michael Finkel

Fans of Into the Wild and The Lost City of Z will find their next adventure fix in this 2017 book about Christopher Knight, a man who lived by himself in the Maine woods for almost thirty years. The tale of this so-called “last true hermit” will captivate readers who have always fantasized about escaping society, with vivid descriptions of Knight’s rural setup, his carefully calculated moves and how he managed to survive the deadly cold of the Maine winters.

27. Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson

The man, the myth, the legend: Steve Jobs, co-founder and CEO of Apple, is properly immortalized in Isaacson’s masterful biography. It divulges the details of Jobs’ little-known childhood and tracks his fateful path from garage engineer to leader of one of the largest tech companies in the world — not to mention his formative role in other legendary companies like Pixar, and indeed within the Silicon Valley ecosystem as a whole.

28. Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand

Olympic runner Louis Zamperini was just twenty-six when his US Army bomber crashed and burned in the Pacific, leaving him and two other men afloat on a raft for forty-seven days — only to be captured by the Japanese Navy and tortured as a POW for the next two and a half years. In this gripping biography, Laura Hillenbrand tracks Zamperini’s story from beginning to end… including how he embraced Christian evangelism as a means of recovery, and even came to forgive his tormentors in his later years.

29. Vera (Mrs. Vladimir Nabokov) by Stacy Schiff

Everyone knows of Vladimir Nabokov — but what about his wife, Vera, whom he called “the best-humored woman I have ever known”? According to Schiff, she was a genius in her own right, supporting Vladimir not only as his partner, but also as his all-around editor and translator. And she kept up that trademark humor throughout it all, inspiring her husband’s work and injecting some of her own creative flair into it along the way.

30. Will in the World: How Shakespeare Became Shakespeare by Stephen Greenblatt

William Shakespeare is a notoriously slippery historical figure — no one really knows when he was born, what he looked like, or how many plays he wrote. But that didn’t stop Stephen Greenblatt, who in 2004 turned out this magnificently detailed biography of the Bard: a series of imaginative reenactments of his writing process, and insights on how the social and political ideals of the time would have influenced him. Indeed, no one exists in a vacuum, not even Shakespeare — hence the conscious depiction of him in this book as a “will in the world,” rather than an isolated writer shut up in his own musty study.

If you're looking for more inspiring nonfiction, check out this list of 30 engaging self-help books , or this list of the last century's best memoirs !

Continue reading

More posts from across the blog.

The 21 Best Novels of the 21st Century

When you think of the best novels of the 21st century, what are the first titles that come to mind? Jonathan Safran Foer’s Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close? Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides? Perhaps The Corrections, or The Road,...

Read for Charity: What You Can Do This June

We all love reading challenges — but you know what’s even better than setting records and out-reading your friends? Reading to raise money for a great cause.That’s why this June, Reedsy Discovery is partnering with Room to Read to raise money for child literacy and g...

The 16 Best Dean Koontz Books to Make You Shiver

Question: What do you get when you cross thriller, sci-fi, fantasy, and horror all together? Answer: A killer Dean Koontz novel. The master of genre-bending, Koontz has published a remarkable range of 100+ books sin...

Heard about Reedsy Discovery?

Trust real people, not robots, to give you book recommendations.

Or sign up with an

Or sign up with your social account

• Submit your book
• Reviewer directory

We made a writing app for you

Yes, you! Write. Format. Export for ebook and print. 100% free, always.

The Gran Turismo Movie Tells a Remarkable True Story—With One Big Exception

The movie, now streaming on Netlfix, dramatizes Jann Mardenborough’s unlikely rise from video gamer to professional driver.

We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we back.

The British 31-year-old’s unlikely path from gamer to real-life racer is the subject of the new movie Gran Turismo , based on the popular Playstation series of the same name. The movie—which is now streaming on Netflix and stars Archie Madekwe as Mardenborough, Orlando Bloom , and David Harbour—tells a dramatized version of how a teenaged Mardenborough beat more than 90,000 players around the world in the 2011 GT Academy to become a professional driver.

Here’s what you need to know about Mardenborough’s unlikely rise and how the film takes creative liberty with one of the most horrifying moments of the racer’s career.

Early Racing Dreams

Whereas his father, Steve, was a former professional soccer player, Jann dreamed of holding a steering wheel from an early age. He grew up in Cardiff, Wales, and when he went to a local go-kart track at age 8 with Steve, he even impressed the track’s owner .

But within three years, the track closed down, and Mardenborough gave up racing because it was too expensive. “I didn’t do any karting, I didn’t know anyone in motorsport,” he said in a 2016 interview with Car Throttle . “So it became just a dream, just a goal which is so unachievable.”

Get the true stories behind all the latest movies and TV shows delivered straight to your inbox .

Described by his mother as “quite a home boy,” the shy Mardenborough instead retreated to his bedroom to play Gran Turismo . Unlike other arcade-style racing titles, the game series—which debuted in 1997 for the original Playstation console—is meant to accurately simulate the look and feel of driving a race car. On modern consoles, the experience is almost photorealistic.

This was Mardenborough’s only outlet to live out his racing dreams until age 19, when Nissan and Sony Computer Entertainment’s GT Academy would change his life forever.

Proving His Skills on the Track

Mardenborough entered the hybrid gaming-driving competition, which offered a contract in the 2012 Dubai 24 Hour race to the winner. The first six weeks were completely virtual, with players asked to lay down their fastest laps on Gran Turismo 5 . Mardenborough, who had a simulator rig complete with pedals and a steering wheel, said he played as much as five hours a day. By the end, he advanced as the 11 th ranked player in the United Kingdom and Ireland.

In the next round, Mardenborough drove an actual car at the Brands Hatch circuit in southeast England. He was one of two participants to advance to the final portion at Silverstone, which hosts the annual Formula 1 British Grand Prix. After more cuts were made, he was one of only four drivers left to compete in a winner-take-all race on the Silverstone circuit. “The only time I thought I’d have a chance of winning was when I qualified first,” he told Car Throttle . “It was just impossible. You don’t think about that stuff.”

Sure enough, he won and moved to Silverstone for a six-month development program to earn his international driver’s license. Mardenborough quickly proved his success wasn’t a fluke by finishing third in class at both the Dubai 24 and the 24 Hours of Le Mans—arguably the world’s most prestigious auto race—a year later in 2013.

Since then, Mardenborough has competed in various racing series, including Formula 3, GT3, British GT, and Super GT. “The downforce, the G-force, the vibrations—it’s intoxicating bliss for me,” Mardenborough told The Irish Times in a recent interview. “Your body takes a pounding. Your heart rate is a minimum of 150 beats per minute. And it stays at that rate for hours. And you can burn 1,000 calories in two hours. It’s not just sitting down and driving. You are really wrestling a machine.”

The Crash at Nürburgring

While the Gran Turismo movie focuses on Mardenborough’s discovery and development, it also features an infamous accident involving the driver. In March 2015, Mardenborough was competing in a GT3 sportscar at Germany’s Nürburgring Nordschleife course when his car became airborne and flew over safety barriers. Multiple spectators were injured by the car and flying debris, and one person died in the accident.

Mardenborough, who was shockingly uninjured, called it “the darkest moment of my personal and professional life” and implored director Neill Blomkamp to include it in the film. The crash is depicted, but early screenings revealed it’s shown out of chronological order—more specifically, prior to his impressive run at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2013—for narrative effect.

Despite this significant change, which Polygon reviewer Oli Welsh called a “tasteless reframing of a fatal event,” Mardenborough continues to stand by the scene’s inclusion. “The producers and the writers made sure, and I made sure, that it was meticulously done correctly,” he told Daily Express US . “And the movie does a really good job at representing that. Not only the way it happened but also the aftermath. Because it was like that.”

Watch Gran Turismo on Netflix

Watch Archie Madekwe put the pedal to the metal as Jann Mardenborough in Gran Turismo , which also stars David Harbour as his trainer.

Tyler Piccotti first joined the Biography.com staff as an Associate News Editor in February 2023, and before that worked almost eight years as a newspaper reporter and copy editor. He is a graduate of Syracuse University. When he's not writing and researching his next story, you can find him at the nearest amusement park, catching the latest movie, or cheering on his favorite sports teams.

Watch Next .css-16toot1:after{background-color:#262626;color:#fff;margin-left:1.8rem;margin-top:1.25rem;width:1.5rem;height:0.063rem;content:'';display:-webkit-box;display:-webkit-flex;display:-ms-flexbox;display:flex;}

Movies Based on True Stories

Meet the Real Gary Johnson Who Inspired ‘Hit Man’

Donald Trump Had an Influential Mentor in Roy Cohn

Inside Amy Winehouse’s Downward Spiral and Death

The Real-Life Hannibal Lecter

‘The Iron Claw:’ The Von Erich Family’s True Story

‘The Iron Claw’ Leaves Out a Von Erich Brother

Where Is Kevin Von Erich Today?

The True Story of Pop-Tarts and ‘Unfrosted’

Prince Andrew’s ‘Scoop’ Interview, Explained

Napoleon and Josephine Had a Stormy Relationship

The True Story of Bob Marley’s One Love Concert

NLA Publishing to release anthology on the craft of biography and life-writing

Telling Lives: The Seymour Biography Lecture 2005–2023  edited by Chris Wallace

‘What we now want from a biography, or autobiography, is the very thing that Virginia Woolf said that we have no right to want: art. Not only art, obviously, but art nevertheless. And we love the illumination of dark corners of the soul, having quite a few of our own, if we're honest with ourselves.’ - Robert Dessaix

Presented annually at the National Library from 2005 to 2023, the Seymour Biography Lecture was a platform for eminent biographers, autobiographers and memoirists to share their insights. From political profiles to poignant poems, these lectures examine the philosophical foundations of biography and the delicate art of truthfully portraying a life.

Telling Lives is a captivating anthology of these lectures, featuring contributions from 17 renowned authors:

• Dr Brenda Niall
• Professor Lawrence Goldman 
• Emeritus Professor Jill Roe
• Richard Holmes 
• Dr David Day 
• Professor Frances Spalding
• Robert Dessaix 
• Professor Jeffrey Meyers 
• Drusilla Modjeska 
• Professor Ray Monk 
• Robert Drewe 
• David Marr 
• Raimond Gaita 
• Richard Fidler 
• Emeritus Professor Judith Brett
• Jacqueline Kent 
• Professor Chris Wallace

Spanning the breadth of Australian cultural, artistic and political life, as well as exploring international examples, this collection sheds light on the enigmatic figures who have shaped our world.

The collection features thought-provoking topics such as Biography and the Struggle for the Soul of Australia by Jill Roe (2007), Truth. Truthfulness. Self. Voice. by Raimond Gaita (2017) and Honouring the Biographer's Contract by Chris Wallace (2023). With engaging storytelling and a touch of humour, the lectures captivate audiences and offer a deeper understanding of the art of life-writing.

Telling Lives will be released in September 2024.

Additional Information  

The editor, Chris Wallace, is available for interviews.

The book cover for media use is available for download via Dropbox .

Mirelle O'Mara, Media Liaison, National Library of Australia

M:  0401 226 697

E: [email protected]

The National Library of Australia acknowledges Australia’s First Nations Peoples – the First Australians – as the Traditional Owners and Custodians of this land and gives respect to the Elders – past and present – and through them to all Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

Cultural Notification

Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are advised that this website contains a range of material which may be considered culturally sensitive including the records of people who have passed away.

Elon Musk's daughter Vivian slams Walter Isaacson's Musk biography, saying it portrays her as her father's 'villain backstory'

• Elon Musk's daughter Vivian criticized Walter Isaacson's Musk biography over its portrayal of her.
• She called the book "one of the most humiliating experiences of my entire life."
• She also said Isaacson didn't reach out to her directly when he was writing the book.

Vivian Wilson, Elon Musk's daughter, isn't happy with how she says she was depicted in Walter Isaacson's best-selling biography about her father.

Wilson slammed the biography in a series of social-media posts Sunday night.

"To Walter Isaacson, you threw me to the wolves in what was one of the most humiliating experiences of my entire life," Wilson wrote in a series of Threads posts.

Wilson said Isaacson's book portrayed her "in a light that is genuinely defamatory" and positioned her and her father as opposing forces.

"I was treated as a VILLAIN BACKSTORY-ORIGIN to excuse or explain away his behavior," Wilson wrote.

Representatives for Musk, Wilson, Isaacson, and his publisher, Simon & Schuster, didn't respond to requests for comment from Business Insider.

Wilson and Musk's strained relationship was mentioned several times in Isaacson's book.

Musk told the author that his disagreements with Wilson, who is transgender, "became intense when she went beyond socialism to being a full communist and thinking that anyone rich is evil," according to the book.

Isaacson wrote that Musk learned of Wilson's transition from a secondhand source.

"I've made many overtures but she doesn't want to spend time with me," Musk told Isaacson in the book, adding that the rift with his daughter was as painful as the death of his firstborn son , Nevada.

Related stories

Wilson legally changed her name in 2022, citing a desire to better reflect her gender identity and to no longer "be related to my biological father in any way, shape or form."

On Sunday, Wilson also wrote on Threads that Isaacson didn't contact her directly for comment after spending months trailing Musk as research for the book. Wilson said she learned about the book a month before its September release last year.

Isaacson told NBC News in July that he'd reached out to Wilson via family members.

Isaacson's book contains quotes about Wilson from Musk's then-partner, Grimes ; his brother Kimbal's wife, Christiana; and Musk's right-hand man Jared Birchall — but there are no quotes from Wilson.

She has had plenty to say recently, though, about her father.

Last month, in an interview with NBC News' David Ingram, Wilson said Musk was a cruel and absent father.

"He was cold," Wilson said. "He's very quick to anger. He is uncaring and narcissistic."

The interview with Wilson was published days after Musk made anti-trans comments about her on July 22, saying she was "dead, killed by the woke mind virus ," and repeatedly misgendering her.

"I think he was under the assumption that I wasn't going to say anything and I would just let this go unchallenged," Wilson told Ingram. "Which I'm not going to do, because if you're going to lie about me, like, blatantly to an audience of millions, I'm not just gonna let that slide."

Watch: How Elon Musk makes and spends his billions

• Main content

Peter Marshall, 'Hollywood Squares' host, dies at 98 of kidney failure

Peter Marshall , best known as the original host of the iconic game show “The Hollywood Squares,” has died. He was 98.

Marshall, who began hosting the NBC series in 1966, died Thursday of kidney failure at his Encino, California, home, according to his spokesman, Harlan Boll.

Born Ralph Pierre LaCock, Marshall hosted more than 5,000 episodes of the Emmy Award-winning “Hollywood Squares” from 1966-1980. He also led a syndicated version of the show that aired from 1971-81.

Aside from his hosting duties, Marshall had a multifaceted career that spanned television, film, music and stage.

A contract player at 20th Century Fox, Marshall appeared in several films in the 1950s and 1960s, including “Ensign Pulver,” “The Rookie,” “Swingin’ Along/Double Trouble Rookie,” "The Cavern" and “Annie.”

Gena Rowlands dies: Hollywood legend and 'The Notebook' actress was 94

Marshall starred opposite Broadway icon Chita Rivera in a West End production of “Bye Bye Birdie” in London, and made his Broadway debut in 1965 in “Skyscraper” with Julie Harris. His other theater credits include “High Button Shoes,” “Anything Goes,” “The Music Man” and “42nd Street.”

Marshall, who was drafted into the Army in 1944, honed his hosting skills as a disc jockey for Armed Forces Radio. Two decades later, Marshall was cast as host of NBC's “Hollywood Squares” after appearing in commercials for Kellogg's cereals.

The show, a star-studded tic-tac-toe match featuring nine celebrity guests and two contestants, featured stars such as Paul Lynde, Joan Rivers, Rich Little, Rose Marie, George Gobel and Wally Cox as regular panelists.

Marshall went on to host other series including “The Peter Marshall Variety Show,” “Big Bands from Disneyland,” “Fantasy" with Leslie Uggams, “All-Star Blitz” and “Yahtzee.”

Rachael Lillis dies: 'Pokemon' voice actor for Misty and Jessie was 55

Marshall is survived by his wife Laurie, daughters Suzanne Browning and Jaime Dimarco and son Pete LaCock.

A revival of “Hollywood Squares” hosted by Nate Burleson and starring actress and talk-show host Drew Barrymore as the center square is set to premiere on CBS in January.

• Share full article

Advertisement

Supported by

Patti Yasutake of ‘Star Trek’ and ‘Beef’ Dies at 70

Ms. Yasutake played Nurse Alyssa Ogawa in “Star Trek: The Next Generation.”

By Alexandra E. Petri

Patti Yasutake, the actress known for her roles in the hit Netflix series “Beef” and in “Star Trek: The Next Generation,” died on Monday at a hospital in Los Angeles. She was 70.

The cause was cancer, her manager and friend of more than 30 years, Kyle Fritz, said.

Ms. Yasutake had a 30-year theater career, but she is most widely recognized for her recurring role as Nurse Alyssa Ogawa in Star Trek: The Next Generation , the television show that aired from 1987 to 1994. She appeared in 16 episodes and later reprised the role in the films “Star Trek Generations” and “Star Trek: First Contact.”

In an article on Startrek.com , the website’s managing editor Christine Dinh wrote that Ms. Yasutake’s Ogawa was one of two recurring ethnically Asian characters on the show at the same time, a rarity when there “were so few characters who looked like me on-screen in Western media that I could count them on one hand.”

“What stands out about Alyssa Ogawa’s story is that it spoke to the Asian American experience but wasn’t about that,” Ms. Dinh wrote.

More recently, she was cast in Netflix’s hit show “Beef,” a dark comedy in which Ms. Yasutake plays Fumi Nakai, the fierce and unapologetic mother-in-law of Amy Lau, played by Ali Wong.

Patricia Sue Yasutake was born in Gardena, Calif., on Sept. 6, 1953. She grew up there and in Inglewood. Ms. Yasutake graduated with honors from the University of California, Los Angeles, with a theater degree.

We are having trouble retrieving the article content.

Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.

Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and  log into  your Times account, or  subscribe  for all of The Times.

Thank you for your patience while we verify access.

Already a subscriber?  Log in .

Want all of The Times?  Subscribe .