biography

Book Review: Gene Krupa –“Master of the Drums”

May 22, 2025
Posted in , , , ,

Chronicling Gene Krupa’s ups and downs and registering his impact on contemporary music, Master of the Drums is a well-deserved account of one of the key musical artists of the past century.

Book Review: “Fallen Angel” — Edgar Allan Poe’s “Black Electricity of Guilt”

December 3, 2023
Posted in , ,

Robert Morgan has written a fascinating reconsideration of the life of Edgar Allan Poe.

Book Review: “Leon Russell: The Master of Space and Time’s Journey Through Rock & Roll History”

March 14, 2023
Posted in , , , ,

Even more impressive than the sheer amount of raw knowledge Bill Janovitz puts on display is the way he expertly elaborates on Leon Russell’s familiar resume highlights to create a full, three-dimensional portrait of a very complicated artist (and person).

Book Review: “In Extremis” — A Flawed Heroine

July 5, 2019
Posted in , ,

In Extremis is required reading not only for anyone interested in war, but for anyone interested in how an unusual woman makes her way in the world.

Book Review: “The Songs We Know Best” — The Youth of Poet John Ashbery

August 3, 2017
Posted in , ,

This book captures — beautifully — poet John Ashbery’s youth and dreams and struggles.

Book Review: The “Inexhaustibility” of Angela Carter

March 20, 2017
Posted in , ,

May this superb biography, The Invention of Angela Carter, spark more interest in this amazing writer, especially in the United States.

Book Review: A Biography of T.S. Eliot — Before, During, and After “The Waste Land”

July 7, 2015
Posted in , ,

In this excellent biography, Robert Crawford succeeds admirably in detailing T.S. Eliot’s early intellectual development.

Book Review: A Well-Rounded Look at Napoleon the Man and the Myth

December 17, 2014
Posted in , ,

Andrew Roberts has succeeded in a single volume in reconciling the two faces of this historical colossus.

Fuse CD Review: Jay-Z’s “Magna Carta Holy Grail” — More Miss Than Hit

July 5, 2013
Posted in , ,

Those cynical about the album’s extravagant promotional campaign will be glad to hear that Jay-Z’s latest studio effort is very hit-or-miss.

Book Review: A Compelling Look at the Life of Poet John Keats

May 9, 2013
Posted in ,

There is a steadiness about Nicholas Roe’s writing that is deceptive; the life in the Life does not jump off the page, but it accumulates during the reading so that something of what it felt like to be around John Keats remains, as things do when truly experienced.

Recent Posts

Popular Posts

Categories

Archives