Artistic tastemaker extraordinaire or charlatan merely posing as a genius writer? For a biographer-detective, there is no more thrilling case
A richly detailed biography tracks the puzzles, betrayals and much more that underpinned the writer’s fiction
This acutely observed memoir of postwar England might be the highlight of the writer’s illustrious four-decade career
As a cultural figure, Stein has too often been relegated to the margins. This beguiling biography reasserts her legacy
Tiffany Watt Smith’s fascinating book asks why friendships are less valued by society than conjugal or familial relationships
The celebrated historian of Vichy France recalls her closest relatives’ collaboration with the Nazis in a harrowing but elegant fictional debut
Christopher Clarey traces how the Spaniard came to dominate the French Open, among his 22 Grand Slam titles
Iain Pears’ biography of Francis Haskell and Larissa Salmina is a tale of east-west romance in the cold war
Jane Draycott skilfully evokes the strangeness and intensity of one of ancient Rome’s most complex figures
The German writer explores friendship, family and generational trauma in three luminous interconnected essays
This scurrilous, wonderfully detailed potted history of 12 Roman rulers still resonates in a sparky new translation
Rob Cowen’s discovery of a skull near the A1 motorway leads him to explore layers of Britain’s history — and battle his own historical demons along the way
The novelist and poet interrogates his great-grandfather’s life story, taking in Nazi Germany, 1930s Turkey and the world of chemical weapons
The former Vanity Fair editor takes a nostalgic look back at an era when print was king and the publishing industry thrived
The American poet, now 93, has carved out a place as one of her generation’s most admired writers
The French author took longer to come out as working-class than as gay. His newly translated memoir confronts poverty and racism in the milieu he fled
‘How to End a Story’ places the Australian pioneer of autofiction firmly among the great chroniclers of daily life
A Russian missile strike killed Ukrainian writer and war-crimes investigator Victoria Amelina, leaving her unfinished diaries as a poignant tribute to what might have been
The first in a projected three-volume memoir from the Microsoft founder offers a moving account of his early years
The city of constant reinvention that has drawn women in search of a new life is captured in a stunning new graphic novel — plus classic reissued memoirs and novels
A memoir by the artist’s nephew details how his vivid portraits of working-class life remained undiscovered until his death in 2018
This mould-breaking memoir leaves questions unanswered, but its humour and enthusiasm are hard to resist
The Morgan Library’s sparkling centenary exhibition shows there was far more to the writer than the solitary antiheroes of his work
Talented but unassuming news editor who was universally admired in the FT newsroom
A dive into the lives of the storyteller brothers tells how the pair made their way to literary fame
