There are a couple of reasons to read biographies. They share revelations gleaned from patient research in archives or unearth letters the bear out the subject’s thinking. Alternatively, a biographer might track down people who had not been previously interviewed – the childhood friend or the boyfriend or girlfriend from college. These can be scandalous and cutting or sad, revealing hidden traumas. Then, there are biographies built around dazzling reinterpretations of the novels, letters, or films by the subject. A gifted close reader can discover formerly hidden patterns and new intersections between life and art.
Lum
art of the here & now