Literary Biography

George Russell Jr. had a gift. He could walk into any room, any bar, any party, any crowd, and within minutes everyone knew his name. Women were drawn to him. Men wanted to be around him. He was handsome, magnetic, and unfailingly entertaining. He knew how to make people feel seen, special, and safe. He was also, beneath every carefully constructed smile, a predator. In the summer of 1990, three women were murdered in the affluent suburbs of Seattle. Their bodies were posed, arranged with grotesque deliberateness, as if the killer wanted to send a message.

In Russian literary marriages, the wives of some of the most famous authors of all time did not resent taking a "secondary position", although to call their position secondary does not do justice to the vital role these women played in the creation of some of the greatest literary works in history. Living under restrictive regimes, many of these women battled censorship and preserved the writers' illicit archives, often risking their own lives to do so. They established a tradition all their own, unmatched in the West.

Novelists, poets and playwrights live double lives, sharing the real world with everyone else while spending a good deal of time in a universe of their own making. When they fall out with each other, they are able to kindle feuds and antagonisms as passionate and public as workers in any trade. Richard Bradford’s highly entertaining audiobook looks at some of the closest and most complex relationships in literary history, examining their dramatic effects on literature itself.

Did you know Shel Silverstein drew cartoons in a military newspaper while serving in the army? Discover how an aspiring writer and cartoonist went on to become a best-selling children's author.

Meet one of the most significant and notorious American writers of the 20th century. Ernest Hemingway is considered one of the greatest writers in modern history, and his novels and stories are read, studied, and imitated around the world. His concise prose style earned him both a Pulitzer and a...

Listeners will learn about the life and works of Stephenie Meyer. This young adult author’s life leading up to her success as the best-selling author of the Twilight series is discussed. Listeners will also learn about the author’s writing process and what inspires her. What’s next for this author and other interesting details are also included.

A Chinese proverb says, "Falling leaves return to their roots." In Chinese Cinderella, Adeline Yen Mah returns to her roots to tell the story of her painful childhood and her ultimate triumph and courage in the face of despair. Adeline's affluent, powerful family considers her bad luck after her mother dies giving birth to her. Life does not get any easier when her father remarries. She and her siblings are subjected to the disdain of her stepmother, while her stepbrother and stepsister are spoiled.

Bloomsbury presents For Your Eyes Only, written and read by Ben Macintyre The official history of Ian Fleming and James Bond by the bestselling author of Operation Mincemeat 'Marvellously entertaining and informative' Spectator 'Thrilling' Sunday Times 'An entertaining mix of history, espionage...

This highly enjoyable account of the life of Jane Austen is regarded as the classic biography of one of the greatest English novelists. It illustrates not only the character and opinions of an unusually perceptive and gifted woman, but also the social life amonst the county gentry of Georgian England. Outside her writing, Jane Austen's main interest was her large and affectionate family and their circle of friends.

When X - an iconoclastic artist, writer and polarizing shape-shifter - dies suddenly, her widow, wild with grief, hurls herself into writing a biography of the woman she deified. Though X was recognised as a crucial creative force of her era, she kept a tight grip on her life story. Not even CM, her wife, knew where X had been born, and in her quest to find out, she opens a Pandora's box of secrets, betrayals and destruction.

Brought to you by Penguin. From the eminent philosopher, an authoritative exploration of the great questions of how to live 'There is a question everyone has to ask and answer - in fact, has to keep on asking and keep on answering. It is, 'How should I live my life?' meaning, 'What values shall...

Predator is a true crime account of Edward Lee King, a serial rapist whose crimes spanned more than a decade across Washington State, as well as the related wrongful rape conviction of Steve Titus. Jack Olsen uses the pseudonym “McDonald Smith,” for Edward Lee King, to avoid any legal issues as the convictions, at the time of Predator’s publication, were still potentially subject to legal review/appeal.

Between 1978 and 1981, a rapist prowled the South Hill neighborhood of Spokane, Washington. He targeted women jogging alone, waiting for buses, walking home after dark. His signature: a gloved fist rammed into his victim's mouth to silence her screams. By the time police made an arrest, more than forty women had been attacked.

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER A NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK In Susan Orlean's mesmerizing true story of beauty and obsession is John Laroche, a renegade plant dealer and sharply handsome guy, in spite of the fact that he is missing his front teeth and has the posture of al dente spaghetti. In...

Bloomsbury presents John le Carré by Adam Sisman, read by Richard Trinder. The definitive biography of the undisputed giant of English literature, a man whose own true history has long been hidden behind the fictional world of his books 'Compendious and compelling ... it is impossible to...

Brought to you by Penguin. From Sunday Times bestselling author Gyles Brandreth comes the remarkable life of A.A. Milne and the bear who captured millions of hearts... ‘Whatever subject an author chooses or has chosen for him, he reveals no secret but the secret of himself’ A A Milne When...

 Abraham Lincoln, our greatest president, believed that our national character was defined by three key moments: the writing of the Constitution, our declaration of independence from England, and the beginning of slavery on the North American continent.

It all started with a book that made me curious. When rare books dealer Rebecca Romney found an emerald clothbound edition of Evelina by Frances Burney, she was happy to discover that she'd stumbled across a novel by one of Jane Austen's favourite authors. Inspired by the connection between the...

Agatha Christie’s ‘most absorbing mystery’ – her own autobiography. Over the three decades since her death on 12 January 1976, many of Agatha Christie’s readers and reviewers have maintained that her most compelling book is probably still her least well-known. Her candid Autobiography...

How much do you know about Amanda Gorman? Find out the facts you need to know about this impressive young poet. You’ll learn about the childhood, challenges, and accomplishments of this rising star.