Good (and bad) Biographies of Writers

[Murphy]

Les Hombres Invisible by Barry Miles and The Magical Universe of William Burroughs by ML Steven’s have strengths and weaknesses

It’s a shame the two can’t be moulded into one, having said that you could read both to compare but found myself skimming too often, or asking why more wasn’t extrapolated on re key sections/motifs/periods

Lunch-munch break fodder, so much has been picked over in the last few decades

 

[Benny Bunter]

Bloom liked to quote Emerson - "all is history is properly biography". Not sure if I fully agree or understand what he meant, but it's a good provocative quote in isolation.
I suppose it's to do with with the turns of history being more to do with 'great men', random unique geniuses, rather than wider social forces. Anti-ideology perhaps. What do you lot think?

 

[woops]

Bloom liked to quote Emerson - "all is history is properly biography". Not sure if I fully agree or understand what he meant, but it's a good provocative quote in isolation.
I suppose it's to do with with the turns of history being more to do with 'great men', random unique geniuses, rather than wider social forces. Anti-ideology perhaps. What do you lot think?

i think it smacks of scenius vs genius

 

[GhostofKinski]

The Che Guevara biography by John Lee Anderson is excellent.

 

[wg-]

There's a book about Nelson Algren by Colin Asher that's got maybe a bit of a dry style but he led a rambling, odd life & it is pretty good

The drunk and half skint gambler writer is such a great archetype but I think the drunk gamblers have stopped writing? A shame