Stories and Storytellers discussion

How close is too close for a biographer? When an author is close to his or her subject, they will have access to better research materials and a better understanding of their subject’s key decisions. The main drawback is that they can fail to analyze their subject objectively. One Example of this is Soldier of Peace: The Life of Yitzhak Rabin.

An author who is not close enough to the subject can analyze the results of a subject's decisions (based on historical research) but cannot a get true grasp of the of that person’s decision making process and personality quirks which are so essential to the complete story. Stanley Wolpert’s biography of Zulfikhar Ali Bhutto Zulfi Bhutto of Pakistan: His Life & Times is an excellent example of an author who strikes the balance between being objective, and being close enough to his subject to understand his inner machinations.

What biographers do you believe have successfully balanced this dilemma? Which ones have not? (and of course, why ?)