Epstein (former editor of American Scholar and author of Gossip: The Untrivial Pursuit) brings an erudite gift for portraiture to the subjects of this volume’s 40 essays. Focused primarily on figures ...

Joseph Epstein is one of the best essayists in contemporary American letters. A traditionalist who adopts a wary view of literary trends and personalities, he takes no prisoners when confronting ...

Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... CRITICISM: LIFE STORIES Essays in Biography by Joseph Epstein (Axios Press) Essayist Joseph Epstein is a writer whose flaws are difficult to separate from ...

Max Beerbohm once observed there were some writers who have been spoiled by their desire to do “important” work: “Some people are born to lift heavy weights. Some are born to juggle with golden balls.

As an experienced biographer, Hermione Lee knows a hungry audience. “Readers of biography are greedy readers, with an insatiable appetite for detail and story,” writes the British scholar, a professor ...

Four area students won a local essay competition, “2002 Biography of the Year National Scholarship Challenge,” conducted by Arts and Entertainment cable network and based on its “Biography” series.