I decided to buy this because the topic was interesting (and felt kind of meta) but sadly, the book did not live up to its promise.

According to its blurb, A Brief History of Biographies will take a look at biographies throughout the ages and see “how our attitude to life-writing [has] been affected by developments such as the rise of psychoanalysis and the destablisation of the self.” Sadly, while the book does attempt a survey of various types of biographies, it doesn’t actually develop into a coherent narrative.

A Brief History of Biographies is divided into six sections: Religious Leaders and Saints; Rulers, Warlords and Rebels; Parents and In-Laws; Philosophers, Mathematicians and Scientists; Musicians and Writers; Celebrities and Other Animals.” Within each section, the book takes a look at various biographies and considers a point or two about the genre of biography – or makes a joke.

While it’s interesting to read about the different types of biography, and the book can be humorous at times (The section ‘Life of Mozart’ simply reads: “First, Mozart was deified. These days, he is Amadeified.”), the book never forms into an argument. I don’t know if this is intentional, but I never felt like the book managed to achieve what the blurb promised – a survey of how the biography has developed/changed over time.

Part of this is because the book isn’t written linearly (see: the fact that it organises its sections into categories of people), and part of it is because it tends to discuss each biography as its own unit. So while the book occasionally offers up something to think about (for example: what if lost biographies of historical figures offer a vastly different view of them? can we have a definitive biography?), these bits and pieces tend to just float around.

Overall, A Brief History of Biographies may have been let down by its blurb, which primed me to expect something more linear and with a bit more analysis of how the art of biography has changed (or hasn’t changed) over the years. Sadly, the end result felt a bit scattershot. That said, it does contain a few gems so if you’re going to read this, be on the lookout for them.