"Great biographies are more than a chronicle of a life; rather, they resonate deeply with and evoke the drama of the time"—Elizabeth Taylor
If you're looking for the best new biographies, or even outstanding works written decades or centuries ago, we have some recommendations for you. For the past two years, we've turned to Elizabeth Taylor, chair of the judging panel for the National Book Critics Circle (NBCC) prize for biography, to talk us through the books written over the past year that the judges viewed as outstanding, chosen for their shortlist for the best of the year. Here are the best biographies of 2020, according to the NBCC judges (and, in case you missed it, here's their 2019 shortlist).
For the most outstanding biographies ever written, we have the legendary Lyndall Gordon recommending five that she feels push the boundaries of the genre.
If you're looking for a book about a specific person or group of people, you'll find our website an incredible resource. To get you to the right place, we've divided up our book recommendations and interviews into a number of sections, including:
The best historical biographies
The best books on literary figures (like the best books on Shakespeare’s life, recommended by James Shapiro of Columbia University)
The lives of the philosophers
Lives of the classical composers
The lives of scientists
Artists' lives
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1
Gods of the Upper Air: How a Circle of Renegade Anthropologists Reinvented Race, Sex, and Gender in the Twentieth Century
by Charles King -
2
The Queen: The Forgotten Life Behind an American Myth
by Josh Levin -
3
L.E.L.: The Lost Life and Scandalous Death of Letitia Elizabeth Landon, the Celebrated "Female Byron"
by Lucasta Miller -
4
Our Man: Richard Holbrooke and the End of the American Century
by George Packer -
5
A Woman of No Importance: The Untold Story of the American Spy Who Helped Win World War II
by Sonia Purcell
The Best of Biography: the 2020 NBCC Shortlist, recommended by Elizabeth Taylor
The Best of Biography: the 2020 NBCC Shortlist, recommended by Elizabeth Taylor
How do you find the perfect subject for a biography? “Pick a real bitch, or real bastard, and make sure they’re dead,” a famous biographer once told Elizabeth Taylor. The author, critic and chair of the National Book Critics’ Circle biography committee talks us through the books that made their 2020 shortlist.
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1
Flash: The Making of Weegee the Famous
by Christopher Bonanos -
2
Ninety-Nine Glimpses of Princess Margaret
by Craig Brown -
3
Inseparable: The Original Siamese Twins and Their Rendezvous with American History
by Yunte Huang -
4
The Man in the Glass House: Philip Johnson, Architect of the Modern Century
by Mark Lamster -
5
The Big Fella: Babe Ruth and the World He Created
by Jane Leavy
The Best Biographies: the 2019 NBCC Shortlist, recommended by Elizabeth Taylor
The Best Biographies: the 2019 NBCC Shortlist, recommended by Elizabeth Taylor
Biography is booming, says the longtime book critic and biographer Elizabeth Taylor. Here she highlights the five fantastic books shortlisted for the National Book Critics Circle 2019 biography award, and how historical lives provide insight into contemporary culture.
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1
Alexander the Great: The Anabasis and the Indica
by Arrian -
2
The History of Alexander
by Quintus Curtius Rufus -
3
The First European: A History of Alexander in the Age of Empire
by Pierre Briant -
4
The Persian Empire: A Corpus of Sources from the Achaemenid Period
by Amélie Kuhrt -
5
Fire from Heaven: A Novel of Alexander the Great
by Mary Renault
The best books on Alexander the Great, recommended by Hugh Bowden
The best books on Alexander the Great, recommended by Hugh Bowden
Alexander the Great never lost a battle and established an empire that stretched from the Mediterranean to the Indian subcontinent. From the earliest times, historians have argued about the nature of his achievements and what his failings were, both as a man and as a political leader. Here, Hugh Bowden, professor of ancient history at King’s College London, chooses five books to help you understand the controversies, the man behind the legends, and why the legends have taken the forms they have.
The best books on Gandhi, recommended by Ramachandra Guha
Gandhi's peaceful resistance to British rule changed India and inspired freedom movements around the globe. But as well as being an inspiring leader, Gandhi was also a human being. Ramachandra Guha, author of a new two-part biography of Gandhi, introduces us to books that give a fuller picture of the man who came to be known as 'Mahatma' Gandhi.
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1
My Early Life 1874-1904
by Winston Churchill -
2
Churchill and the Islamic World: Orientalism, Empire and Diplomacy in the Middle East
by Warren Dockter -
3
In Command of History: Churchill Fighting and Writing the Second World War
by David Reynolds -
4
Churchill and the Dardanelles
by Christopher M Bell -
5
Winston Churchill As I Knew Him
by Violet Bonham Carter
The best books on Winston Churchill, recommended by Richard Toye
The best books on Winston Churchill, recommended by Richard Toye
Winston Churchill’s role as a global statesman remains immensely controversial. For some he was the heroic champion of liberty, saviour of the free world; for others a callous imperialist with a doleful legacy. Here, historian Richard Toye chooses the best books to help you understand the man behind the myths and Churchill’s own role in making those myths.
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1
Emil and the Detectives
by Eileen Hall (translator) & Erich Kästner -
2
Private View: The Lively World of British Art
by Antony Armstrong-Jones (Lord Snowdon), Bryan Robertson & John Russell -
3
A Free House!: Or, The Artist as Craftsman
by Walter Richard Sickert -
4
Memoirs of the Life of John Constable: Composed Chiefly of His Letters
by C.R. Leslie -
5
Nollekens and his Times: Comprehending A Life Of That Celebrated Sculptor, And Memoirs Of Several Contemporary Artists
The best books on Lucian Freud, recommended by William Feaver
The best books on Lucian Freud, recommended by William Feaver
Though ferociously private, Lucian Freud spoke about painting, the art world and his life and loves to his confidante and frequent collaborator, William Feaver, on the phone most weeks for many years. Feaver’s transcript forms the core of his definitive two-volume biography. He speaks with us about the best books for understanding the life and work of this renowned painter, and the very particular collaboration that led to this magisterial account of one of the finest painters of the last century.
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1
The Campaigns of Napoleon
by David G Chandler -
2
Talleyrand
by Duff Cooper -
3
With Eagles to Glory: Napoleon and His German Allies in the 1809 Campaign
by John H Gill -
4
Private Memoirs Of The Court Of Napoleon
by Louis François Joseph Bausset-Roquefort -
5
With Napoleon in Russia: Memoirs of General de Caulaincourt, Duke of Vicenza
by Armand de Caulaincourt
The best books on Napoleon, recommended by Andrew Roberts
The best books on Napoleon, recommended by Andrew Roberts
How did Napoleon Bonaparte, an upstart Corsican, go on to conquer half of Europe in the 16 years of his rule? Was he a military genius? And was he really that short? Historian Andrew Roberts, author of a bestselling biography of Napoleon, introduces us to the books that shaped how he sees l’Empereur—including little-known sources from those who knew Napoleon personally.
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1
Catherine of Aragon: Henry's Spanish Queen
by Giles Tremlett -
2
de Kooning: An American Master
by Annalyn Swan & Mark Stevens -
3
El «Cuaderno italiano», 1770-1786: los orígenes del arte de Goya
by Jesús Urrea Fernández & Manuela B. Mena Marqués -
4
Cartas a Martín Zapater
by Mercedes Águeda & Xavier de Salas -
5
The Peninsular War: A New History
by Charles Esdaile
The best books on Goya and the art of biography, recommended by Janis Tomlinson
The best books on Goya and the art of biography, recommended by Janis Tomlinson
The art of Francisco de Goya reflects the social and political chaos of Spain in his day, leaving later generations to read into his prolific work—by turns formal and bizarre, official and fantastic—many often contradictory interpretations. Art historian Janis Tomlinson recommends books that disentangle Goya from the retroactive projections of later admirers and situates him in his own time. We also consider what makes for a compelling biography.
The best books on Wagner, recommended by Michael Tanner
Richard Wagner’s works are as immense as they are influential: the four-part, 15-hour saga Der Ring des Nibelungen is the most analysed opera of all time. And yet, Wagner was arrogant and virulently anti-semitic. Can we separate the musical genius from the man? Opera critic Michael Tanner recommends the best books on Wagner.
The best books on Margaret Thatcher, recommended by Simon Heffer
Simon Heffer, journalist, historian and friend of Margaret Thatcher, recommends the best books to read to gain an understanding of the United Kingdom’s first female prime minister—and explains why she was the most influential British leader of the modern era.
The best books on Marx and Marxism, recommended by Terrell Carver
Few people have had their ideas reinvented as many times as the German intellectual and political activist, Karl Marx. Professor of political theory, Terrell Carver, takes us through the most influential books, in English, about Marx, Marxism and his friend, publicist and financial backer, Friedrich Engels.
The best books on Socrates, recommended by M M McCabe
The classical Greek philosopher is credited with laying the foundation of Western philosophy – without ever having written a word. Here, the eminent scholar M M McCabe recommends the best books to read to understand Socrates and engage with the eternal question: How best to live?
The best books on Hitler, recommended by Michael Burleigh
Hitler has a reputation as the incarnation of evil. But, as British historian Michael Burleigh points out in selecting the best books on the German dictator, Hitler was a bizarre and strangely empty character who never did a proper day’s work in his life, as well as a raving fantasist on to whom Germans were able to project their longings.
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1
Elizabeth I
by David Starkey and Susan Doran -
2
The Faerie Queene
by edited by Thomas P Roche Jr and C Patrick O’Donnell Jr & Edmund Spenser -
3
Translations by Elizabeth I, 1592-98
by Janel Mueller and Joshua Scodel -
4
Rewriting the Renaissance
by Margaret W Ferguson, Maureen Quilligan and Nancy Vickers -
5
Representing Elizabeth in Stuart England
by John A Watkins
The best books on Elizabeth I, recommended by Helen Hackett
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1
Handel: The Man and His Music
by Jonathan Keates -
2
Handel and the English Chapel Royal
by Donald Burrows -
3
Charles Jennens: The Man Behind Handel's Messiah
by Ruth Smith -
4
A General History of Music: From the Earliest Ages to the Present Period
by Charles Burney -
5
The Autobiography and Correspondence of Mary Granville, Mrs Delany
by Mary Delany
The best books on Handel, recommended by Andrew Gant
The best books on Handel, recommended by Andrew Gant
George Frideric Handel was born near Leipzig, became established in Italy, and ended life as England’s national treasure. Andrew Gant—author of a new book on Handel’s most famous composition—selects the five best texts for gaining an understanding of Handel’s life and work, and explains why opera divas were the premiership footballers of the Baroque period.
The best books on Samuel Johnson, recommended by Peter Lilley
Samuel Johnson, author of the 1755 A Dictionary of the English Language, was not a hard-hearted Tory caricature, but a champion of the poor and enslaved, according to Margaret Thatcher’s Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, Peter Lilley.
The best books on Andy Warhol, recommended by Blake Gopnik
Andy Warhol’s ubiquitous soup cans – and his willingness to play the naïf – eclipse the leading Pop Art figure’s depth, as Blake Gopnik reveals in his magisterial new biography. Here, Gopnik discusses five key books that offer crucial insight into Warhol the man.
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1
The Divine Comedy: Inferno, Purgatorio, Paradiso
by Dante Alighieri -
2
Art and Illusion: A Study in the Psychology of Pictorial Representation
by E.H. Gombrich -
3
Leonardo da Vinci: i documenti e le testimonianze contemporanee
by Edoardo Villata -
4
The Literary Works of Leonardo da Vinci
by Jean Paul Richter -
5
Leonardo da Vinci
by Kenneth Clark
The best books on Leonardo da Vinci, recommended by Martin Kemp
The best books on Leonardo da Vinci, recommended by Martin Kemp
Every generation has its own Leonardo, and for many he remains a man of mystery. Martin Kemp, Emeritus Professor in Art History at Oxford and the author of the recently published Mona Lisa: The People and the Painting, helps us identify the non-mythical Leonardo. What might Leonardo be doing were he alive today, in our own digital age?
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1
The Rise and Fall of Athens: Nine Greek Lives
by Ian Scott-Kilvert & Plutarch -
2
The Greek Alexander Romance
by Richard Stoneman -
3
Atticus
by Cornelius Nepos & Nicholas Horsfall -
4
Agricola
by Harold Mattingly, James Rives & Tacitus -
5
Lives of the Eminent Philosophers
Diogenes Laertius (ed. James Miller, trans. Pamela Mensch)
The best books on Leadership (from Ancient Greece and Rome), recommended by Jeffrey Beneker
The best books on Leadership (from Ancient Greece and Rome), recommended by Jeffrey Beneker
Whatever modern leadership books may say about what’s required to be a good leader, for the ancients there was only one vital requirement: studying philosophy. Jeffrey Beneker, Professor of Classics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, talks us through what ancient biographies reveal about how to be a leader.
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1
Beethoven: Impressions by his Contemporaries
by Oscar Sonneck (Editor) -
2
Beethoven Variations: Poems on a Life
by Ruth Padel -
3
Beethoven for a Later Age: The Journey of a String Quartet
by Edward Dusinberre -
4
Beethoven: The Man Revealed
by John Suchet -
5
Beethoven: Anguish and Triumph
by Jan Swafford
The best books on Beethoven, recommended by Jessica Duchen
The best books on The Lives of Artists, recommended by Maria Loh
We live in an age obsessed with self-image. Technology has made the ‘selfie’ a ubiquitous form of social currency. Renaissance means may have been very different, but celebrity artists in Medici Florence dealt with many of the issues relating to identity and authorship that we grapple with today. Maria Loh, author of Still Lives: Death, Desire, and the Portrait of the Old Master, talks to Five Books about the curated self.
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1
Still Life with Oysters and Lemon: On Objects and Intimacy
by Mark Doty -
2
The Embarrassment of Riches: An Interpretation of Dutch Culture in the Golden Age
by Simon Schama -
3
Vermeer
by Lawrence Gowing -
4
Rembrandt's Enterprise: The Studio and the Market
by Svetlana Alpers -
5
Art of the Everyday: Dutch Painting and the Realist Novel
by Ruth Bernard Yeazell
The best books on The Dutch Masters, recommended by Adam Eaker
The best books on The Dutch Masters, recommended by Adam Eaker
The past may be a foreign country, but the world portrayed in the art of the Dutch Masters is not so very far from our own, says Adam Eaker of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. For a society that struggles with materialism and consumption, there are a lot of lessons to be learnt from the 17th century Golden Age.
The best books on British Prime Ministers, recommended by Anthony Seldon
It’s their frailty that makes politicians such interesting characters, says Tony Blair’s biographer Anthony Seldon. He tells us about the art of political biography and the writers who’ve best captured leaders such as Churchill and Thatcher
The Best Thomas Cromwell Books, recommended by Benedict King
The Mirror and the Light—the final instalment of Hilary Mantel’s epic trilogy covering the life of Thomas Cromwell, Henry VIII’s chief minister and architect of the English Reformation—was published to great acclaim this month. Here, Five Books contributing editor Benedict King chooses five of the best books to help you get to grips with the real Thomas Cromwell and the political and religious environment in which he operated. You can watch Benedict talking about his Thomas Cromwell book choices here.