The 10 Best new biographies

From Banksy and Putin to two men who ran across America

Tuesday 15 May 2012

Print
A A A
view gallery VIEW GALLERY
Related articles
Suggested Topics

1. Night Thoughts by Robert Fraser

£30, oup.com

Colourful biography of the English surrealist poet David Gascoyne. Fabulous.

2. The Baroness by Hannah Rothschild

£20, virago.co.uk

The author's free-spirited great aunt left her life of fusty balls, Bentleys and stately homes for the 1950s New York Jazz scene.

 

3. Simon Cowell by Tom Bower

£18.99, faber.co.uk

From failed music exec to global pop behemoth. Not high art, but juicy as a pear and interesting.

 

4. Banksy: Man Behind The Wall by Will Ellsworth-Jones

£20, aurumpress.co.uk

Charting the move from spray-can-wielding teen tagging his youth club, to global art star.

 

5. Hitler: A Short Biography by AN Wilson

£14.99, harpercollins.co.uk

Despite some controversy stoked by a Cambridge Hitler expert, this is highly readable.

 

6. Putin: The Man Without A Face by Masha Gessen

£20, grantabooks.com

A brave book documenting Putin's corruption, and goes some way to explaining Russia's liberal turn.

 

7. Diamond Queen by Andrew Marr

£25, panmacmillan.com

Worth a read, even if just for the amusing anecdotes, which bring out the inner nosy parker in us all.

 

8. Wilkie Collins by Peter Ackroyd

£12.99, randomhouse.co.uk

Victorian author of sensational fiction and detective stories and a bosom buddy of Charles Dickens.

 

9. Running For Their Lives by Mark Whitaker

£17.99, randomhouse.co.uk

In 1928 two men ran across America in 80 days. An extraordinary tale.

 

10. A Card From Angela Carter by Susannah Clapp

£10, bloomsbury.com

A luminous picture of her friend and correspondent, this is an intimate, funny, ribald book.

Comments

Independent Comment
blog comments powered by Disqus
News in pictures
World news in pictures
Arts & Ents blogs

Owen Howells: From the UK to Australia and back again (and again!)

Owen Howells is a DJ/producer who grew up in Australia but was born in the UK. He came back to the U...

Brighton Fringe 2013 – Is everyone sitting uncomfortably?

Fancy seeing a play about serial killers? How about inviting a funeral director into your home for a...

The Fall ‘Darkness Visible’ – Series 1, episode 2

There are a good many moments in the second episode of this psychological thriller that deserve refl...

       
SPONSORED FEATURES

Get your summer started with British Military Fitness

BMF is the UK’s biggest and best loved outdoor fitness classes

Visit York Nook Get reading
Prizes & offers Business videos

Visit York

Find out what The Independent's resident travel expert has to say about one of the most beautiful small cities in the world

Military Fitness Nook Get reading
Prizes & offers Business videos

Making reading fun for kids

Nook is donating eReaders to volunteers at high-need schools and participating in exclusive events throughout the campaign.

Military Fitness Visit York Get reading
Prizes & offers Business videos

Introducing the 'Get Reading' campaign

Get the latest on The Evening Standard's campaign to get London's children reading.

Military Fitness Visit York Nook
Prizes & offers Business videos

Enter the latest Independent competitions

Win anything from gadgets to five-star holidays on our competitions and offers page.

Military Fitness Visit York Nook
Get reading Business videos

Business videos from commercial thought leaders

Watch the best in the business world give their insights into the world of business.

Military Fitness Visit York Nook
Get reading Prizes & offers

ES Rentals

    James Pembroke: The man who's eaten everywhere

    The man who's eaten everywhere

    Few people know more about restaurants than James Pembroke, who only spent five mealtimes at home during his entire childhood.
    A Berliner in 1963 – but did John F Kennedy once admire Adolf Hitler?

    A Berliner in 1963 – but did John F Kennedy once admire Adolf Hitler?

    The young JFK praised 'superior' Nordic races during visits to Germany
    Banned Iranian director Mohammad Rasoulof to attend Cannes Film Festival 2013, his first public appearance since prison

    Banned Iranian director to attend Cannes Film Festival

    Mohammad Rasoulof to make his first public appearance since being imprisoned three years ago
    Seeing the larger picture: Inspiring images of space

    Seeing the larger picture: Inspiring images of space

    An exhibition explores images how photography has shaped astronomy
    Eat Spam and carry on: Wartime pamphlets could teach us a thing or two about healthy, thrifty eating

    Eat Spam and carry on

    Wartime pamphlets could teach us a thing or two about healthy, thrifty eating
    Facial hair: Cat beards and the purrrsuit of excellence

    Facial hair

    Cat beards and the purrrsuit of excellence
    The 10 Best salt and pepper sets

    The 10 Best salt and pepper sets

    Whether they're for everyday use or to make your dining table look just right, it's worth getting a stylish shaker...
    Ferran Soriano: Predicting success if Manchester City 'vision' is followed

    Ferran Soriano: Predicting success if Manchester City 'vision' is followed

    Chief executive says trophies will come if a 'core' of suitable players is in place
    Thomas Müller: We couldn't handle losing a Champions League Final again

    Thomas Müller: We couldn't handle losing a Champions League Final again

    The Bayern Munich forward tells Tim Rich his side have to shed chokers' tag after two recent final defeats
    Giro d'Italia: The Stelvio Pass - cycling's killer climb

    The Stelvio Pass - cycling's killer climb

    As the Giro d'Italia tackles the brutal climb, Simon Usborne takes on the snow and switchbacks – and soon realises what the fuss is about
    National archives: Edward VIII’s phone calls - and how MI5 bugged them

    Edward VIII’s phone calls - and how MI5 bugged them

    Newly unearthed papers reveal a shocking extra dimension to the constitutional crisis over monarch’s abdication
    Sent down at the Old Bailey: A tour of the world's most famous court

    Sent down at the Old Bailey

    A tour of the world's most famous court
    Hollywood's random acts of red-carpet kindness

    Hollywood's random acts of red-carpet kindness

    The Hangover actor Zach Galifianakis’s date for his movie premieres isn’t arm candy  – it’s his 87-year-old friend who he saved from homelessness
    British football scores an own goal

    British football scores an own goal

    Many managers barely survive a year in post. Martin Baker talks to experts who make a case for clubs using forensic business skills to find the best staff
    James Lawton: Sergio Garcia cracks as major fault line opens up again

    James Lawton

    Sergio Garcia cracks as major fault line opens up again