Lives for Sale: Biographers' Tales

by Mark Bostridge

Biography is well recognised as a peculiarly British vice. This new anthology is a collection of essays by some of the best biographers now writing in Britain. They tell of the ups and downs of life writing: of problems with families and friends of their subjects, of shocking new discoveries, and of bitter professional rivalries. Essays in favour of biography, others that describe disenchantment with an attempt to capture another human being in the pages of a book.

Published in the autumn of 2004 - to coincide with the appearance of the most important British publishing enterprise of the new century to date, the new Oxford Dictionary of National Biography - Lives For Sale is full of amusing anecdotes and fascinating experiences retold by some of the masters of the form, including Michael Holroyd, Fiona MacCarthy, Graham Robb, Andrew Roberts, Hermione Lee, Margaret Forster, Jenny Uglow, Antonia Fraser, as well as contributions from the rising generation, and an essay by Beryl Bainbridge on 'Waiting for the Biographer'.

Genres: Biography

220 pages, Hardcover

First published October 12, 2004

Reviews

[Bookthesp1 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent collection of short pieces about the nature of biography from its best exponents - despite being published in 2004 many of the contributors are still ploughing the same life writing furrow and there are witty pieces here along with more obvious “ thought pieces” and some that just describe their adventures in this field.
I particularly enjoyed Ian Thomson’s on writing the life of Primo Levi at the same time as carol Angier and the race to the finish line. Lyndall Gordon’s opener was suitably creepy in writing about Henry James and Miranda Seymour’s piece about Laura Ridings Scarab ring gifted to her was nerve jangling!! Michael Holroyd tried to explain why he hadn’t written about a woman as the main subject and the last article was Beryl Bainbridge rightly guessing her future suitable biographer.
This is a treasure trove and I disagree with any other reviews that claim this is a patchy book - to hear the thoughts of Claire Tomalin who at that point had just finished her Pepys book and had just started her Hardy tome was fascinating and there are numerous other writers and subjects.
The only problem was every time I finished a section I had to look up any books I didn’t know or own and speculate whether I should buy or not !! The editor Mark Bostridge wrote a brilliant piece about the writing of his Vera Brittain biography and the research that revealed the details of her brothers death in WW1 - previously shrouded in mystery.
An excellent primer for biography fans and for anyone curious about past lives and how they connect with here and now.

[Simon Edge · Rating 5 out of 5]

When this book came out in 2004 I gave it to my mother, who read nothing but biographies. She died a year later and it didn't look like she had read the book. I kept it on my shelves, where it sat untouched for the next 13 years, by which time I had started writing biographical fiction, so I had a much better sense of what biographers do. One day I picked it up and was entranced. It has taken me about a year to read it, because it works best when read a gobbet at a time, but it is no less enjoyable for that. Better late than never, I heartily recommend this beautifully curated collection.

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Tried it, wasn't my cup of tea.

[Avis Black · Rating 3 out of 5]

An uneven collection, but some of the essays are good. It made me mark a few authors to be added my to-read list. Some of the better passages are by Frances Spalding, Graham Robb on Rimbaud, Robert Skidelsky on Keynes, and Miranda Seymour on Laura Riding (who sounds like one of the most monstrous human beings ever- she gave Robert Graves a nervous breakdown).

[Bradford · Rating 4 out of 5]

A surprisingly entertaining collection of reflections about the genre of British literary biography in which inquisitive authors are always the hero of the story.

[Ian James · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent