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Book Riot's 51 Must-Read Literary Biographies

Book Riot has compiled a list of 51 must-read literary biographies. Have you already read any of these books?
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The Peabody Sisters (Megan Marshall)
The Peabody Sisters
1
Megan Marshall
Margaret Fuller: A New American Life
Margaret Fuller: A New American Life
2
The Silent Woman (Janet Malcolm)
The Silent Woman
3
Janet Malcolm
Romantic Outlaws: The Extraordinary Lives of Mary Wollstonecraft and Her Daughter Mary Shelley (Charlotte Gordon)
Romantic Outlaws: The Extraordinary Lives of Mary Wollstonecraft and Her Daughter Mary Shelley
4
Charlotte Gordon
Neruda (Mark Eisner)
Neruda
5
Mark Eisner
Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom (David W. Blight)
Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom
6
David W. Blight
Eden's Outcasts: The Story of Louisa May Alcott and Her Father (John Matteson)
Eden's Outcasts: The Story of Louisa May Alcott and Her Father
7
John Matteson
Genet: A Biography of Janet Flanner (Brenda Wineapple)
Genet: A Biography of Janet Flanner
8
Brenda Wineapple
Warrior Poet: A Biography of Audre Lorde (Alexis De Veaux)
Warrior Poet: A Biography of Audre Lorde
9
Alexis De Veaux
Vera (Mrs. Vladimir Nabokov) (Stacy Schiff)
Vera (Mrs. Vladimir Nabokov)
10
Stacy Schiff
Lyrics of Sunshine and Shadow: A History of Love and Violence Among the African American Elite (Eleanor Alexander)
Lyrics of Sunshine and Shadow: A History of Love and Violence Among the African American Elite
11
Eleanor Alexander
The Blue Hour (Lilian Pizzichini)
The Blue Hour
12
Lilian Pizzichini
Chester B. Himes (Lawrence P. Jackson)
Chester B. Himes
13
Lawrence P. Jackson
Mary Shelley (Miranda Seymour)
Mary Shelley
14
Miranda Seymour
James Baldwin (David Leeming)
James Baldwin
15
David Leeming
Born to Be Posthumous (Mark Dery)
Born to Be Posthumous
16
Mark Dery
Becoming Modern: The Life of Mina Loy (Carolyn Burke)
Becoming Modern: The Life of Mina Loy
17
Carolyn Burke
Rebecca West (Victoria Glendinning)
Rebecca West
18
Victoria Glendinning
The Bronte Myth (Lucasta Miller)
The Bronte Myth
19
Lucasta Miller
Anais Nin: A Biography (Deirdre Bair)
Anais Nin: A Biography
20
Deirdre Bair
Simone De Beauvoir: A Biography (Deirdre Bair)
Simone De Beauvoir: A Biography
21
Deirdre Bair
Virginia Woolf (Hermione Lee)
Virginia Woolf
22
Hermione Lee
Why This World: A Biography of Clarice Lispector (Benjamin Moser)
Why This World: A Biography of Clarice Lispector
23
Benjamin Moser
Jane Crow: The Life of Pauli Murray (Rosalind Rosenberg)
Jane Crow: The Life of Pauli Murray
24
Rosalind Rosenberg
Flannery: A Life of Flannery O'Connor (Brad Gooch)
Flannery: A Life of Flannery O'Connor
25
Brad Gooch
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
26
Sarah Bakewell
Ralp Ellison: A Biography (Arnold Rampersand)
Ralp Ellison: A Biography
27
Arnold Rampersand
The Life of Langston Hughes (Arnold Rampersad)
The Life of Langston Hughes
28
Arnold Rampersad
Edith Wharton: A Life (Hermione Lee)
Edith Wharton: A Life
29
Hermione Lee
Wrapped in Rainbows (Valerie Boyd)
Wrapped in Rainbows
30
Valerie Boyd
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
31
Emmanuel Carrere
Richard Wright: The Life and Times (Hazel Rowley)
Richard Wright: The Life and Times
32
Hazel Rowley
The Life of Emily Dickinson (Richard B. Sewall)
The Life of Emily Dickinson
33
Richard B. Sewall
Penelope Fitzgerald: A Life
Penelope Fitzgerald: A Life
34
Katherine Anne Porter: The Life of an Artist (Darlene Harbour Unrue)
Katherine Anne Porter: The Life of an Artist
35
Darlene Harbour Unrue
Zelda (Nancy Milford)
Zelda
36
Nancy Milford
Iris Murdoch: A Life (Peter J.Conradi)
Iris Murdoch: A Life
37
Peter J.Conradi
Poet of the Appetites (Joan Reardon)
Poet of the Appetites
38
Joan Reardon
Alice Walker: A Life (Evelyn C. White)
Alice Walker: A Life
39
Evelyn C. White
Shirley Jackson: A Rather Haunted Life (Ruth Franklin)
Shirley Jackson: A Rather Haunted Life
40
Ruth Franklin
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