Memoir & Biography

Sophia Tolstoy: A Biography

The revival of interest in Sophia Tolstoy doesn’t begin or end with Michael Hoffman’s 2009 film The Last Station, in which Helen Mirren portrayed Leo Tolstoy’s wife and muse. A year earlier, for instance, Cathy ... Read More »

June 9, 2010 | Filed under: Memoir & Biography

Bennett: The Rebel Who Challenged and Changed a Nation

By John Boyko

At first glance, there is something almost reassuringly Canadian about the fact that R.B. Bennett, who was prime minister during the worst years of the Great Depression, between 1930 and 1935, has mostly avoided the ... Read More »

May 31, 2010 | Filed under: Children and YA Non-fiction, Memoir & Biography

The Secret Life of Glenn Gould: A Genius in Love

By Michael Clarkson

The title of this addition to the lengthening shelf of books about Glenn Gould carries a slight suggestion of tabloid journalism. The suggestion is not altogether misplaced, given this volume’s subject matter. Many of Gould’s ... Read More »

April 30, 2010 | Filed under: Children and YA Non-fiction, Memoir & Biography

★ The English Opium Eater: A Biography of Thomas de Quincey

By Robert Morrison

Robert Morrison’s The English Opium Eater, the first major biography of Thomas de Quincey (1785–1859) in more than 25 years, draws on previously unknown letters from de Quincey’s daughters and his 21-volume collected works published ... Read More »

April 30, 2010 | Filed under: Memoir & Biography

★ The Year of Finding Memory: A Memoir

By Judy Fong Bates

In this new memoir, Judy Fong Bates returns to the lives of her parents, Chinese launderers in small-town Ontario, who also served as the inspiration for her novel, Midnight at the Dragon Café, and her ... Read More »

April 12, 2010 | Filed under: Memoir & Biography

Jew and Improved: How Choosing to Be Chosen Made Me a Better Man

By Benjamin Errett

Benjamin Errett’s memoir about his conversion to Judaism upon becoming engaged to a Jewish woman has at its centre a potentially interesting subject, but the author squanders opportunities to explore his spiritual journey in any ... Read More »

February 25, 2010 | Filed under: Memoir & Biography

Lonely: Learning to Live with Solitude

By Emily White

In recent years, the memoir has shifted from the tell-all to the personal essay, and from there it has branched out into various forms of creative non-fiction: often beautiful me-centered takes on some aspect of ... Read More »

February 1, 2010 | Filed under: Memoir & Biography

I Am Here and Not Not-There

By Margaret Avison

A high-school teacher once told a young Margaret Avison to eschew the first person singular in her writing for 10 years. It was a directive the naturally withdrawn Avison readily took to heart. Nevertheless, the ... Read More »

January 4, 2010 | Filed under: Memoir & Biography

Just Watch Me: The Life of Pierre Elliott Trudeau, 1968–2000

By John English

John English was given a tremendous opportunity, but one that came loaded with risk, when he was invited by the executor and family of Pierre Elliott Trudeau to write the former prime minister’s biography, for ... Read More »

January 4, 2010 | Filed under: Memoir & Biography

Frank McKenna: Beyond Politics

By Harvey Sawler

A frequent criticism of political journalists is that they get too close to the people they are covering. On the other hand, biographers are sometimes seen by their subjects as having betrayed their trust (think ... Read More »

January 4, 2010 | Filed under: Memoir & Biography

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Quill and Quire

Sophia Tolstoy: A Biography

Bennett: The Rebel Who Challenged and Changed a Nation

The Secret Life of Glenn Gould: A Genius in Love

★ The English Opium Eater: A Biography of Thomas de Quincey

★ The Year of Finding Memory: A Memoir

Jew and Improved: How Choosing to Be Chosen Made Me a Better Man

Lonely: Learning to Live with Solitude

I Am Here and Not Not-There

Just Watch Me: The Life of Pierre Elliott Trudeau, 1968–2000

Frank McKenna: Beyond Politics

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