I like this Very Short Introductions because you get a lot of information about a subject in a short period of time, then you can decide from there whether you want or need to read more about the subject. I've been reading more biographies lately so I thought an intro to the subject itself would be interesting. This book covers the critiques people have leveled against biographies and how they have changed over time. Recommended to readers who enjoy a good biography or history lovers. ( )

This is a competent survey of biography by one of the contemporary masters of the genre. But it is rather dull and surprisingly textbook-like, lacking the verve and sweep of Nigel Hamilton’s recent Biography: A Brief History. Lee limits herself to British biography, except for the unavoidable references to classics such as Plutarch. Chapter titles are not very helpful, and the bibliography omits several recent efforts to deal with both the history and methodology of biography. As a literary biographer Lee concentrates mainly on that narrow range of the genre. And yet with the small font this book is not quite so short as all that. Nevertheless, topics such as Freud’s influence on biography, the disputes about the veracity of life writing, and why the telling of lives excites so much hostility and controversy, are essayed in informative and succinct fashion. Consulted as a reference book, Lee’s work can be a valuable resource for beginners as well as advanced scholars. Lee’s own approach to biography seems entirely conventional, which makes her shy away from more daring psychoanalytical approaches pioneered by Leon Edel and George Painter. ( )

interesting but...... ( )