List Challenges
Movies Books Travel Food Other
Trending
New
Popular
Sign In
 Make a List Browse Lists Search Lists Leaders Help / Contact Newsletter

50 Essential Literary Biographies

Enjoy the 50 essential literary biographies from Flavorwire. So many to read, so little time! Get to it!
Read More
131 users · 2,171 views
 
from flavorwire.com · made by Shannon_2121
avg. score: 1 of 51 (2%)
required scores: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 
type to search

How many have you read?

Page 1 of 2
Jane Austen: A Life (CLAIRE TOMALIN)
Jane Austen: A Life
1
CLAIRE TOMALIN
How to Live: Or a Life of Montaigne in One Question and Twenty Attempts at an Answer (Sarah Bakewell)
How to Live: Or a Life of Montaigne in One Question and Twenty Attempts at an Answer
2
Sarah Bakewell
Sylvia Plath: A Biography
Sylvia Plath: A Biography
3
The Life of Langston Hughes (Arnold Rampersad)
The Life of Langston Hughes
4
Arnold Rampersad
Dostoevsky: A Writer in His Time (Joseph Frank)
Dostoevsky: A Writer in His Time
5
Joseph Frank
Flannery: A Life of Flannery O'Connor (Brad Gooch)
Flannery: A Life of Flannery O'Connor
6
Brad Gooch
Literchoor Is My Beat: A Life of James Laughlin, Publisher of New Directions (Ian S. Macniven)
Literchoor Is My Beat: A Life of James Laughlin, Publisher of New Directions
7
Ian S. Macniven
Why This World: A Biography of Clarice Lispector (Benjamin Moser)
Why This World: A Biography of Clarice Lispector
8
Benjamin Moser
Boswell's Presumptuous Task: The Making of the Life of Dr. Johnson (Adam Sisman)
Boswell's Presumptuous Task: The Making of the Life of Dr. Johnson
9
Adam Sisman
Virginia Woolf (Hermione Lee)
Virginia Woolf
10
Hermione Lee
JAMES JOYCE by Richard Ellmann
JAMES JOYCE by Richard Ellmann
11
Marcel Proust: A Biography (George D. Painter)
Marcel Proust: A Biography
12
George D. Painter
Simone De Beauvoir: A Biography (Deirdre Bair)
Simone De Beauvoir: A Biography
13
Deirdre Bair
Samuel Beckett (Deirdre Bair)
Samuel Beckett
14
Deirdre Bair
Savage Beauty: The Life of Edna St. Vincent Millay (Nancy Milford)
Savage Beauty: The Life of Edna St. Vincent Millay
15
Nancy Milford
Elizabeth Gaskell (Jenny Uglow)
Elizabeth Gaskell
16
Jenny Uglow
George Eliot (Jenny Uglow)
George Eliot
17
Jenny Uglow
Wrapped in Rainbows (Valerie Boyd)
Wrapped in Rainbows
18
Valerie Boyd
Borges: A Life
Borges: A Life
19
The Bronte Myth (Lucasta Miller)
The Bronte Myth
20
Lucasta Miller
Byron: Life and Legend (Fiona MacCarthy)
Byron: Life and Legend
21
Fiona MacCarthy
Rebecca West (Victoria Glendinning)
Rebecca West
22
Victoria Glendinning
Charles Dickens: A Life (Claire Tomalin)
Charles Dickens: A Life
23
Claire Tomalin
Edith Wharton: A Life (Hermione Lee)
Edith Wharton: A Life
24
Hermione Lee
Dante: The Poet, the Political Thinker, the Man (Barbara Reynolds)
Dante: The Poet, the Political Thinker, the Man
25
Barbara Reynolds
Becoming Modern: The Life of Mina Loy (Carolyn Burke)
Becoming Modern: The Life of Mina Loy
26
Carolyn Burke
Frantz Fanon: A Biography (David Macey)
Frantz Fanon: A Biography
27
David Macey
Hart Crane: A Life (Clive Fisher)
Hart Crane: A Life
28
Clive Fisher
Vindication: A Life of Mary Wollstonecraft (Lyndall Gordon)
Vindication: A Life of Mary Wollstonecraft
29
Lyndall Gordon
Richard Wright: The Life and Times (Hazel Rowley)
Richard Wright: The Life and Times
30
Hazel Rowley
Anne Sexton: A Biography (Diane Wood Middlebrook)
Anne Sexton: A Biography
31
Diane Wood Middlebrook
Will in the World: How Shakespeare Became Shakespeare (Stephen Greenblatt)
Will in the World: How Shakespeare Became Shakespeare
32
Stephen Greenblatt
Mary Shelley (Miranda Seymour)
Mary Shelley
33
Miranda Seymour
I Am Alive and You Are Dead: A Journey Into the Mind of Philip K. Dick (Emmanuel Carrere)
I Am Alive and You Are Dead: A Journey Into the Mind of Philip K. Dick
34
Emmanuel Carrere
Kafka: The Decisive Years (Reiner Stach)
Kafka: The Decisive Years
35
Reiner Stach
James Baldwin (David Leeming)
James Baldwin
36
David Leeming
Walt Whitman: A Life (Justin Kaplan)
Walt Whitman: A Life
37
Justin Kaplan
Mark Twain: A Life (Ron Powers)
Mark Twain: A Life
38
Ron Powers
Herman Melville (Hershel Parker)
Herman Melville
39
Hershel Parker
My Wars Are Laid Away in Books: The Life of Emily Dickinson (Alfred Habegger)
My Wars Are Laid Away in Books: The Life of Emily Dickinson
40
Alfred Habegger
Page 1 of 2
Click books you've read
Lists Similar to '50 Essential Literary Biographies'
Book Riot's 51 Must-Read Literary Biographies
Book Riot's 51 Must-Read Literary Biographies
138
51
The Lives of Writers: Literary Biographies, Letters, Journals and Essays
The Lives of Writers: Literary Biographies, Letters, Journals and Essays
121
40
The Guardian: Top 10 Literary Biographies
The Guardian: Top 10 Literary Biographies
116
10
The Ultimate Bucket List of Books (1,800 Essential Novels, Biographies, Essays, Plays, Science and Sports Books)
The Ultimate Bucket List of Books (1,800 Essential Novels, Biographies, Essays, Plays, Science and Sports Books)
1,180
1800
175 Essential Biographies
175 Essential Biographies
488
175
Book Smart: Your Essential Reading List for Becoming a Literary Genius in 365 Days
Book Smart: Your Essential Reading List for Becoming a Literary Genius in 365 Days
1,685
273
33 Essential Literary Fiction Books to Read Now
33 Essential Literary Fiction Books to Read Now
764
33
Donald Barthelme's 81 Books Essential for a Literary Education
Donald Barthelme's 81 Books Essential for a Literary Education
670
81
50 Essential Literary Fiction Novels to Read
50 Essential Literary Fiction Novels to Read
549
50
Guy's Literary Fiction 400: Literary Fiction Classic and Contemporary
Guy's Literary Fiction 400: Literary Fiction Classic and Contemporary
1,012
418
Literary Hub: Reviews of Literary Fiction
Literary Hub: Reviews of Literary Fiction
346
167
Five Essential Books From Essential Authors
Five Essential Books From Essential Authors
2,116
320
DC Essential Graphic Novels 2019 (25 Essential Graphic Novels)
DC Essential Graphic Novels 2019 (25 Essential Graphic Novels)
325
25
Xandry's Essential Books (Books Essential to Xandry)
Xandry's Essential Books (Books Essential to Xandry)
96
110
Biographies, Autobiographies, Memoirs, and Diaries
Biographies, Autobiographies, Memoirs, and Diaries
1,980
246
100 Biographies/Memoirs to Read
100 Biographies/Memoirs to Read
1,351
100
Amazon's 100 Biographies and Memoirs to Read in a Lifetime
Amazon's 100 Biographies and Memoirs to Read in a Lifetime
963
100
Memoirs Autobiographies and Biographies
Memoirs Autobiographies and Biographies
592
70
100 Must-Read Biographies and Memoirs of Remarkable Women
100 Must-Read Biographies and Memoirs of Remarkable Women
420
100
Autobiographies, Biographies, Memoirs, and Nonfiction (2017 Update)
Autobiographies, Biographies, Memoirs, and Nonfiction (2017 Update)
399
30
Biographies, Autobiographies, and Memoirs
Biographies, Autobiographies, and Memoirs
389
65
Biographies, Autobiographies, and Memoirs I've Read
Biographies, Autobiographies, and Memoirs I've Read
386
26
The Best Memoirs, Biographies, and Autobiographies
The Best Memoirs, Biographies, and Autobiographies
319
150
Memoirs, Autobiographies, Biographies & Nonfiction Read
Memoirs, Autobiographies, Biographies & Nonfiction Read
314
25
Ccs 60 Favourite Books From Sports Biographies to Chick Lit and Everything in Between!
Ccs 60 Favourite Books From Sports Biographies to Chick Lit and Everything in Between!
289
60
The 40 Most Popular Histories & Biographies...In Recent History
The 40 Most Popular Histories & Biographies...In Recent History
287
40
Book Riot's 50 Must-Read Biographies
Book Riot's 50 Must-Read Biographies
277
50
Auto/Biographies
Auto/Biographies
258
105
Real People- Autobiographies, Biographies, Memoirs
Real People- Autobiographies, Biographies, Memoirs
260
99
Goodreads: Readers Top Histories and Biographies of the Last 5 Years
Goodreads: Readers Top Histories and Biographies of the Last 5 Years
256
40
All Similar Lists
Newsletter · Help/Contact · Privacy · Copyright Claim   © 2025 App Spring, Inc. · This product uses the TMDb API but is not endorsed or certified by TMDb.
Seen It - Movies & TV 
Android & iOS
Seen It is a new app from the creators of List Challenges. You can view movies and shows in one place and filter by streaming provider, genre, release year, runtime, and rating (Rotten Tomatoes, Imdb, and/or Metacritic). Also, you can track what you've seen, want to see, like, or dislike, as well as track individual seasons or episodes of shows. In addition, you can see the most watched/liked stuff amongst your friends. Learn more at SEENIT.FUN