British Biography

This compelling exploration of British biography traces how a single revolutionary work—James Boswell's Life of Samuel Johnson—transformed an entire literary genre in the eighteenth century. Carl Rollyson unpacks how Boswell's intimate approach, which included recording conversations, noting mannerisms, and revealing his subject's flaws, broke from traditional hagiography. The book reveals how these very innovations made biography a target for suppression and censorship, establishing the high-stakes literary battle over how we memorialize great figures.

Rollyson's work stands out by focusing on biography not just as history but as a contested art form, showing how Boswell's methods created the template for modern life writing. Readers interested in literary history, the ethics of portrayal, and the power dynamics of publishing will find this analysis particularly resonant. The book ultimately illuminates why the struggle to present complete human beings—flaws and all—remains central to biographical writing today.