The best biographies of writers cut through the gossip, the scandals, the myths, and the legends to deftly balance the life of the author with their literary legacy. This list features the best literary biographies of writers who penned classic works across more than four hundred years of literary history. From Shakespeare to Richard Wright to Mary Shelley and Virginia Woolf, these favorite biographies of writers encompass a deep bench of the best biographies of famous writers. Let’s dive in!
But first, if you’re interested in more of the best literary biographies, be sure to check out our list of the 10 best biographies of poets:
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And now for an epic list of the 20 best biographies of writers…
Agatha Christie: An Elusive Woman by Lucy Worsley
Agatha Christie, one of the “Masters of Suspense,” lived a remarkable life while penning classics like Murder on the Orient Express and And Then There Were None. Read all about it in Lucy Worsley’s Agatha Christie: An Elusive Woman. Among the best literary biographies, this one dispels the mysteries in the real life of this iconic mystery writer.
How to read it: Purchase Agatha Christie: An Elusive Woman on Amazon
Also a Poet: Frank O’Hara, My Father, and Me by Ada Calhoun
This unusual literary biography blends personal memoir with a bio of one of the greatest poets of all time, Frank O’Hara (for his collected poems, check out this edition). In Also a Poet, Ada Calhoun discovers tapes of interviews between Peter Schjeldahl, her father, an art critic, and poet Frank O’Hara. The recordings were intended to be used in Schjeldahl’s unfinished biography of O’Hara. One of the best biographies of writers, Calhoun sets out to complete her father’s book while also intertwining memoirs of her own complicated relationship with her father. The result is a raw and real read you won’t soon forget.
How to read it: Purchase Also a Poet on Amazon
Jane Austen: A Life by Claire Tomalin
Among readers who have favorite biographies of writers, Claire Tomalin’s Jane Austen: A Life often ranks high among the best literary biographies. We all know Jane Austen—author of, among other classics, Pride and Prejudice and Emma—right? Not so fast. Tomalin’s biography uncovers the previously limited life of this incredibly influential writer.
How to read it: Purchase Jane Austen: A Life on Amazon
Begin Again: James Baldwin’s America and Its Urgent Lessons for Our Own by Eddie S. Glaude Jr.
The best biographies of writers explore the legacy of the famous author whose portrait they are trying to draw. And that’s exactly what Eddie S. Glaude Jr. does in Begin Again: James Baldwin’s America and Its Urgent Lessonsf or Our Own. This bio of James Baldwin, perhaps most famous for his novel with queer themes, Giovanni’s Room, argues that Baldwin’s vision of America remains relevant today.
How to read it: Purchase Begin Again on Amazon
Born to Be Posthumous: The Eccentric Life and Mysterious Genius of Edward Gorey by Mark Dery
I’m a huge Edward Gorey fan. I’ve read his books—some of which are collected in Amphigorey: Fifteen Books—over and over again and count him as an influence on my own writing. So imagine how delightful it was to encounter Born to Be Posthumous, Mark Dery’s compelling portrait of Gorey, definitely one of he best biographies of writers. This engrossing literary biography captures the “eccentric life and mysterious genius” of Gorey in a book that illuminates this exceptional-but-often-overlooked pioneer of the macabre.
How to read it: Purchase Born to Be Posthumous on Amazon
The Bradbury Chronicles: The Life of Ray Bradbury by Sam Weller
I love Ray Bradbury. During a very difficult time in my life, I sought refuge in Bradbury’s imagination, devouring two of his most treasured short story collections, The Martian Chronicles and The Illustrated Man (get them both in this Ray Bradbury boxed collection by the Library of America). I was completely swept up in wonder and fascination. So I’m so excited to say that Sam Weller’s The Bradbury Chronicles illuminates the life of this towering figure in America’s literary history, easily one of the best biographies of famous writers. Read this book and learn about the incredible life of one of the most incredible authors ever.
How to read it: Purchase The Bradbury Chronicles on Amazon
The Brontë Myth by Lucasta Miller
One of the best biographies of famous English writers, Lucasta Miller’s The Brontë Myth is a deep dive into the lives and literary works of the Brontë sisters, whom you may know best from Jane Eyre (Charlotte Brontë) and Wuthering Heights (Emily Brontë). Miller’s bio unfurls the tangled reputation of these three brilliant sisters, liberating them from the various schools of thought—psychoanalytical, feminist, etc.—that have embraced the Brontës and counted them as their own. Instead, we get a fresh update on the lives of these influential sister-authors, free of the various schools of criticism that have ensnared them in their jaws. (If you’re just getting started with the Brontës, check out this handsome box set of their most well-known novels.)
How to read it: Purchase The Brontë Myth on Amazon
Cross of Snow: A Life of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow by Nicholas A. Basbanes
Chances are you’ve heard of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, but until now, this iconic 19th century American author has lived a life undiscovered. Read the best of Longfellow’s work before diving into this incredible look at an incredible writer. In Cross of Snow, Nicholas A. Basbanes reveals the life of Longfellow, charting his influences and the writer he influenced himself. This breakthrough study is easily one of the best literary biographies.
How to read it: Purchase Cross of Snow on Amazon
Every Love Story Is a Ghost Story: A Life of David Foster Wallace by D. T. Max
The turbulent life of David Foster Wallace, author of that infamous classic, Infinite Jest, is demystified in D. T. Max’s Every Love Story Is a Ghost Story, the must-read literary biography of this important America scribe. The best biographies of writers sort through the gossip, the speculation, and the larger-than-life reputations of their subjects, allowing the author’s life to be seen in line with their work without overtaking their literary genius. And that’s exactly what Max manages in one of the best biographies of famous writers.
How to read it: Purchase Every Love Story Is a Ghost Story on Amazon
I Am Alive and You Are Dead: A Journey Into the Mind of Philip K. Dick by Emmanuel Carrère
The genius of Philip K. Dick has left us with classic sci-fi works like Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep (inspiration for the SF film Blade Runner) and A Scanner Darkly. But who was the man behind these important books that helped establish the science fiction genre? You’ll find the answer to that question in Emmanuel Carrère’s I Am Alive and You Are Dead, an essential literary biography for any fan of Dick’s writing. Definitely one of the best biographies of writers, I Am Alive and You Are Dead is subtitled “A journey into the mind of Philip K. Dick,” an apt description of this deep dive into the brain of this key figure in science fiction and literature in general.
How to read it: Purchase I Am Alive and You Are Dead on Amazon
T.S. Eliot: An Imperfect Life by Lyndall Gordon
I consider many of T.S. Eliot’s poems to be perfect, not to mention Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats, which was illustrated by Edward Gorey (whose bio I included above in this list of the best biographies of writers). But there’s no denying that Eliot lived a, well, complicated life that included anti-Semitism and misogyny. So how do we reconcile the poet’s work with the poet himself? You’ll find out in Lyndall Gordon’s T.S. Eliot: An Imperfect Life, among the greatest biographies of poets. Gordon takes Eliot on in this unflinching study of Eliot’s life and literature. The best literary biographies face their subject head on, revealing the “imperfect” lives of their subjects, and it’s precisely that approach that makes this book among the most essential biographies of famous English writers.
How to read it: Purchase T.S. Eliot: An Imperfect Life on Amazon
J.R.R. Tolkien: A Biography by Humphrey Carpenter
Who was the man who wrote The Lord of the Rings, easily the most influential fantasy books ever written? You’ll find out in Humphrey Carpenter’s J.R.R. Tolkien: A Biography. This one definitely ranks among the best biographies of writers because of the nimble way Carpenter weaves together the life of Tolkien with his work, offering a master class of how to write literary biographies. Uncover the man from the myth in this close read on the man who penned a fictional universe as vast and complete as our own universe.
How to read it: Purchase J.R.R. Tolkien: A Life on Amazon
Mary Shelley by Miranda Seymour
She wrote the groundbreaking science fiction novel Frankenstein, but who was the woman behind this classic story? In Miranda Seymour’s Mary Shelley, we discover exactly that. Among the best literary biographies, this book is a saga of the life of Mary Shelley, a life that saw as much sorrow and trauma as joy. In this book, surely one of the must-have biographies of female writers, Seymour sifts through the documents about Shelley’s life to situate famous English author within her historical and cultural context while also surveying how Shelley influenced the canon of English literature.
How to read it: Purchase Mary Shelley on Amazon
Richard Wright: The Life and Times by Hazel Rowley
Richard Wright is perhaps best known for his novel Native Son, but the author also contributed many more books and writing to American letters. In this book, Hazel Rowley digs deep into Wright’s exceptional life and magnificent literature to braid the two together. The result is one of the best biographies of writers, one that highlights the important contributions of a leading figure in American literary history.
How to read it: Purchase Richard Wright: The Life and Times on Amazon
Savage Beauty: The Life of Edna St. Vincent Millay by Nancy Milford
The poetry of Edna St. Vincent Millay positions this influential author as one of the leading poets of twentieth century. And it’s precisely that legacy that Nancy Milford illuminates in Savage Beauty: The Life of Edna St. Vincent Millay. With this fresh perspective on Millay, the midcentury master of verse, readers get one of the best biographies of poets. If all biographies of female writers were this comprehensive and inquisitive, there’d be no time to read anything else, marking this as an exceptional biography. If you’re interested in important female authors, check out this one vibrant, bold life of Millay, and you won’t be disappointed.
How to read it: Purchase Savage Beauty on Amazon
Shirley Jackson: A Rather Haunted Life by Ruth Franklin
I’m a big fan of Shirley Jackson. I count We Have Always Lived in the Castle among my all-time favorite books. So it’s with great pleasure that I share that Ruth Franklin’s Shirley Jackson: A Rather Haunted Life definitely counts as one of the best biographies of writers. This literary biography goes deep into the life of Jackson, and in so doing, you’ll realize why Franklin subtitles this as “a rather haunted life.” Franklin highlights how this iconic writer danced on the edge of the macabre, radicalized the American literary world, and scandalized the public. It’s a book that’s as dishy as it is illuminating, ranking as among the best literary biographies.
How to read: Purchase Shirley Jackson: A Rather Haunted Life on Amazon
Updike by Adam Begley
John Updike. Just the name of this author conjures up visions of some of the best writing in the English language, like the Rabbit tetralogy and critically acclaimed short stories. How on earth do you begin to assemble the life of this significant author? Somehow Adam Begley manages it in Updike, one of the best biographies of writers. Begley’s bio of Updike meets its match, becoming as innovative and important as its titular subject. The result is a dazzling biography whose story is just as gripping as one of Updike’s novels. You won’t want to pass this one up.
How to read it: Purchase Updike on Amazon
Virginia Woolf by Hermione Lee
When I was a senior in college, I did an independent study of Virginia Woolf with a great professor. To get ready for the course, I read biographies of Virginia Woolf, including Hermione Lee’s bio that I’m including in this list of the best literary biographies. Lee tackles her larger-than-life subject, Virginia Woolf, known for her Modernist novels like Mrs. Dalloway and, my personal favorite, To the Lighthouse. Lee is more than up to the task, and the result is, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer: “A biography wholly worthy of the brilliant woman it chronicles. . . . It rediscovers Virginia Woolf afresh.” If you’re at all curious about Woolf, the Modernists, the Bloomsbury Group, or the history of English literature, pick this one up.
How to read it: Purchase Virginia Woolf on Amazon
Will in the World: How Shakespeare Became Shakespeare by Stephen Greenblatt
Any list of the best biographies of famous English writers would be incomplete without a bio of the father of English literature: yep, William Shakespeare. What’s left to say about the Bard, who penned some of the most important writing in the English language? Turns out, plenty. And that’s exactly what you’ll find in Stephen Greenblatt’s masterful biography Will in the World, which attempts to uncover Shakespeare’s origin story. Greenblatt explores Shakespeare’s early life, and the cultural, historical, and artistic forces that explain, so the subtitle says, “How Shakespeare Became Shakespeare.” The outcome is Will in the World, a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and part of the curriculum of anyone looking for the best biographies of writers. This literary biography proves it’s still possible to write fresh, surprising, captivating, and engrossing biographies of famous writers. And Will in the World is the ultimate mic-drop, making it the only Shakespeare biography you need.
How to read it: Purchase Will in the World on Amazon
Wrapped in Rainbows: The Life of Zora Neale Hurston by Valerie Boyd
Many people discover Harlem Renaissance author Zora Neale Hurston through her novel Their Eyes Were Watching God, but in the award-winning Wrapped in Rainbows, Valerie Boyd uncovers the writer’s total miraculous output and undeniable influence. This key book is for sure one of the best literary biographies that any student of American literature will want to check out.
