Biography - Art Music & Literature

Here, through the sweeping lens of his own and his father's life, Ai Weiwei tells an epic tale of China over the last 100 years, from the Cultural Revolution to the modern-day Chinese Communist Party. Here is the story of a childhood spent in desolate exile after his father, Ai Qing, once China's most celebrated poet, fell foul of the authorities. Here is his move to America as a young man and his return to China, his rise from unknown to art-world superstar and international rights activist. Here is his extraordinary account of how his work has been shaped by living under a totalitarian regime. It's the story of a father and a son, of exceptional creativity and passionate belief, and of how two indomitable spirits enabled the world to understand their country.

Andrew Eames set out to retrace Agatha Christie's life-changing trip of 1928. Following her route through the Balkans to the Middle East he encountered the people who live in these regions and developed an insight into the politics of two very troubled areas. Contains some strong language.

Adele touches the hearts of millions of people who love her for her music and share the real and honest emotion she brings to each and every song. In Adele, best-selling biographer Sean Smith talks to those close to her as he follows her astonishing journey to fame that began on the gritty streets of Tottenham. Through compelling new research and interviews, he reveals that there is far more to Adele than the superstar we all think we know.

The remarkable story of a language that began as a minor Germanic dialect, to its position as a global language. This is also the story of the people who shaped the language.

A new and fascinating account of the life of Agatha Christie from acclaimed historian Lucy Worsley.

Why did Agatha Christie spend her career pretending that she was 'just' an ordinary housewife, when clearly she wasn't? As Lucy Worsley says, 'She was thrillingly, scintillatingly modern'. Her life was 'modern' too: she went surfing in Hawaii, she loved fast cars, and she was intrigued by the new science of psychology, which helped her through devastating mental illness.

So why - despite all the evidence to the contrary - did Agatha present herself as a retiring Edwardian lady of leisure?
She was born in 1890 into a world which had its own rules about what women could and couldn't do. Lucy Worsley's biography is not just of a massively, internationally successful writer. It's also the story of a person who, despite the obstacles of class and gender, became an astonishingly successful working woman.

Agatha's life is fascinating for its mysteries and its passion.

With access to personal letters and papers that have rarely been seen, Lucy Worsley's biography is both authoritative and entertaining and makes us realise what an extraordinary pioneer Agatha Christie was - truly a woman who wrote the twentieth century.

From the very first book publication in 1920 to the upcoming film release of Death on the Nile, this investigation into Agatha Christie’s Hercule Poirot celebrates a century of probably the world’s favourite fictional detective. This book tells his story decade-by-decade, exploring his appearances not only in the original novels, short stories and plays but also across stage, screen and radio productions. Poirot has had near-permanent presence in the public eye ever since the 1920 publication of The Mysterious Affair at Styles. From character development, publication history and private discussion concerning the original stories themselves, to early forays on to the stage and screen, the story of Poirot is as fascinating as it is enduring. Based on the author’s original research, review excerpts and original Agatha Christie correspondence, Poirot: The Greatest Detective in the World is a lively and accessible history of the character, offering new information and helpful pieces of context, that will delight all Agatha Christie fans, from a new generation of readers to those already highly familiar with the canon.

Aled Jones found fame as the young chorister who sang the title track for the Christmas favourite 'The Snowman'. After his voice broke he had to carve out a new career, which he has done with great success, and is now a popular presenter on Songs of Praise, Classic FM and BBC Radio 2.

When Sean meets Elias, the two fall headlong into a love story. But as Elias struggles with severe depression, the couple comes face-to-face with crisis. Wrestling with this, Sean Hewitt delves deep into his own history, enlisting the ghosts of queer figures and poets before him. From a nineteenth-century cemetery in Liverpool to the pine forests of Gothenburg, Hewitt plumbs the darkness in search of solace and hope.

All Down Darkness Wide is an unflinching meditation on the burden of living in a world that too often sets happiness and queer life at odds, and a tender portrayal of what it's like to be caught in the undertow of a loved one's suffering. By turns devastating and soaring, it is a mesmerising story of heartache and renewal, and a work of rare and transcendent beauty.

In this charming but powerful memoir, Penelope Lively reports from beyond the horizon of old age. She examines the tricks and truths of memory and looks back over a lifetime of reading and writing. And finally she looks at her identifying cargo of possessions - two ammonites, a cat, a pair of American ducks and a leaping fish sherd, amongst others.

The gentle and sharply-observed diary of the young James Lees-Milne who, invalided out of the Army before the end of the Second World War, joins the tiny staff of the National Trust, visiting stately homes to discover whether they are suitable for acquisition by the Trust.

In one of the funniest autobiographies ever written, the author recalls the earlier years of his life.

It was 1934 and one morning in June, Laurie Lee, then aged 19, set out to walk to London. Here he recounts his carefree journey that ended in Spain on the brink of civil war.

A study of the life and ideas of the poet W H Auden examined within the context of the wars, ideologies, spiritual pursuits and sexual attitudes of the 20th century.

In this captivating memoir, Melvyn Bragg recalls growing up in the Cumbrian market town of Wigton, from his early childhood during the war to the moment he had to decide between staying on or spreading his wings.

This is the tale of a boy who lived in a pub and expected to leave school at fifteen yet won a scholarship to Oxford. Derailed by a severe breakdown when he was thirteen, he developed a passion for reading and study - though that didn't stop him playing in a skiffle band or falling in love. 

It is equally the tale of the people and place that formed him. Bragg indelibly portrays his parents and local characters from pub regulars to vicars, teachers and hardmen, and vividly captures the community-spirited northern town - steeped in the old ways but on the cusp of post-war change. A poignant elegy to a vanished era as well as the glories of the Lake District, it illuminates what made him the writer, broadcaster and champion of the arts he is today.

Barbara Hepworth is one of the most important artists of the 20th century, yet she has been the subject of relatively few monographs in comparison to her male counterparts. This biography moves beyond the traditional narratives of modernism, truth to materials, and the landscape to provide a penetrating insight into Hepworth’s remarkable life, work and legacy.

Beatrix Potter's books are adored by millions, but they were just one aspect of an extraordinary life. She was also a powerful landowner who conserved acres of Lakeland countryside. This captivating biography brings us the passionate, unconventional woman behind the beloved stories.

The Beautiful Ones is the story of how Prince became Prince - a first-person account of a kid absorbing the world around him and then creating a persona, an artistic vision, and a life, before the hits and fame that would come to define him.

The audiobook is told in four parts. The first is composed of the memoir Prince was writing before his tragic death, which brings us into his childhood world through his own lyrical prose. The second part takes us through Prince's early years as a musician, before his first album was released, via an evocative scrapbook of Prince's writing. The third section shows us Prince's evolution, going up to the cusp of his greatest achievement, which we see in the audiobook's fourth section: his original treatment for Purple Rain - the final stage in Prince's self-creation, where he retells the autobiography of the first three parts as a heroic journey.

Ludwig van Beethoven: to some, simply the greatest ever composer of Western classical music. Yet his life remains shrouded in myths. Oxford professor Laura Tunbridge cuts through the noise. With each chapter focusing on a period of his life, a piece of music and a revealing theme, she provides a rich insight into the man and his works. With a wealth of new material, this is a compelling, accessible portrayal of one of the world's most creative minds and it will transform how you listen for ever.

He was a revolutionary, an innovator, a disruptor. A man who accomplished incredible success, but endured serious personal hardships. A legend who changed the way audiences listen to music and whose melodies still resonate today, 250 years after his birth. Go on a journey to explore the life and works of arguably the greatest composer in history: Ludwig van Beethoven. Join Donald Macleod, presenter of BBC Radio 3's Composer of the Week, as he brings Beethoven vividly to life: from his childhood in Bonn to how he won over the aristocratic music circles of Vienna, from the creation of his timeless works to the tragic loss of his hearing - and everything in between.

Beethoven the legendary composer is just part of the story. In this exclusive BBC Audio release, other sides to his personality will be revealed, such as the man who experienced ordinary difficulties in family, friendship and love; and the playful character who introduced the scherzo (literally, "joke") into symphony. Over 60 episodes, this radio masterpiece includes more than six hours of Beethoven's timeless music performed by the BBC Philharmonic and BBC Symphony Orchestra.

In their own words they each look back on their shared adventures. Playing music together, riding freight trains, spraying graffiti and stealing records. Walking in one another's footsteps by day and rising up through the city's exploding pub music scene by night. Before We Was We is irreverent, funny and full of character. Just like them.

Simon Callow plunges headlong into Wagner's world to discover what it was like to be Wagner, and to be around one of music's most influential figures. The perfect introduction to the Master, a hundred and thirty-five years after his death, Richard Wagner's music dramas stand at the centre of the culture of classical music.

Leigh-Anne Pinnock's life changed overnight when she became part of the first ever girl band to win the X-Factor. The multi-platinum selling supergroup Little Mix, went on to become one of the biggest girl bands of all time.

Launched into chart-topping global fame, Leigh-Anne was living her childhood dream of becoming a popstar. But behind the scenes, as a Black woman within an industry and team with little diversity, Leigh-Anne was struggling with her identity and felt completely lost.

In her highly anticipated memoir, Leigh-Anne shares her journey from growing up in a mixed-race family in Britain to taking the pop world by storm.

From shabby roadhouses to fabulous estates, from the psychiatric ward of Bellevue to worlds of mysticism and solitude, these are the celebrated, demonic, anguished and above all, profoundly moving memoirs of the great jazz bassist and composer Charles Mingus. It is a masterpiece of a memoir, and a riveting insight into one of the giants of twentieth century music.

A classic collection of journalism from the legendary Jilly Cooper. Wonderfully warm and astonishingly acerbic, Jilly's observations from her days as a much-loved newspaper columnist cover everything on sex, socialising and survival - from marriage and friendship; the minutiae of family life and the tedium of going to visit people for the weekend; to the stress of hosting dinner parties and the descent of middle age. Entertaining and full of heart, join Jilly Between the Covers to explore the very highs and lows of everyday life.

John Buchan's name is known across the world for The Thirty-Nine Steps (5967). The classic thriller has inspired numerous adaptations for film, television, radio and stage, beginning with the celebrated version by Alfred Hitchcock. Ursula Buchan, his granddaughter, has drawn on recently discovered family documents to write this comprehensive and illuminating biography, which brings vividly to life this remarkable man and his times.

John Buchan's name is known across the world for The Thirty-Nine Steps. In the past one hundred years the classic thriller has never been out of print and has inspired numerous adaptations for film, television, radio and stage, beginning with the celebrated version by Alfred Hitchcock. Yet there was vastly more to 'JB'.

Ursula Buchan, his granddaughter, has drawn on recently discovered family documents to write this comprehensive and illuminating biography. With perception, style, wit and a penetratingly clear eye, she brings vividly to life this remarkable man and his times.

The Metal God himself, Rob Halford - lead vocalist of Judas Priest and author of the critically acclaimed and reader-beloved autobiography, Confess - delivers a bible of hard rock and heavy metal, all in his enlightening, hilarious, and one-of-a-kind voice.

Rob Halford has long been known for his legendary voice. As the front man of Judas Priest, his vocals have always been tremendous, and tremendously influential. In 2020, he brought his voice to the page with a glorious autobiography. Fans and readers loved Halford's frank and open narrative, as well as his terrific insight and sense of humour. Now, in Biblical, Halford runs his expert eye over all facets of the hard rock history and the heavy metal world. Biblical is a lively encyclopaedia in which Halford shares his opinions, memories, and anecdotes regarding every element of the rock and roll work and lifestyle from tours to tattoos, riffs to riders, and drugs to devil horns. In Halford's relaxed and honest tone, the audiobook mixes serious and in-depth pieces with whimsical reflections on lessons learned during his fifty years of a life in music. Biblical is a handed-down-from-on-high holy tome that transports fans behind the scenes and back into their record collections, to the almighty ways of rock.

Driven mad by three years of endless telegrams, phonecalls, mail, reporters and snoopers in the wake of his hugely successful novel On the Road, Jack Kerouac, 'King of the Beats', needs peace, quiet and sobriety: surrounded and outnumbered he has to 'get away to solitude again or die'. Amidst the wild beauty of the Californian landscape, Kerouac struggles to come to terms with his own myth and its malign impact upon his life. The result is a moving account of a man struggling with inner demons: blessed by great talent and cursed with an urge towards self-destruction - a path lined with double bourbons, Manhattans and scotch ...

This biography of Sylvia Plath differs radically from the commonly held view of her tragic life (and death) by shifting the blame away from Ted Hughes and suggesting Plath's deep-rooted personality difficulties.

From his youth, through his brief but beautiful impact on the charts, to the diagnosis of multiple sclerosis that effectively ended his career, the names that define Clifford T. Ward's unique talent are as varied as they are impressive: Jimmy Page, Paul McCartney, Karl Hyde, Jeff Lynne and Tim Rice. All speak between these pages of a truly extraordinary man that the world, sadly, remembers only for an appearance on Top of the Pops in 1973. In this affectionate, exhaustively researched book, recently revised and expanded, readers will come to reconsider this amazing talent. 

Christine Marion Fraser grew up in the Govan district of Glasgow in the 1940s and 1950s, one of a large, poor family. At the age of ten she contracted a rare disease which led to months in hospital and her eventual life as a wheelchair user. Yet Christine was always resourceful and never once looked down. She knew that if you looked hard enough, there was always some blue up above the chimneys.

Raised by scientifically minded parents, Atwood spent most of each year in the wild forest of northern Quebec: a vast playground for her entomologist father and independent, resourceful mother. It was an unfettered and nomadic childhood, sometimes isolated but also thrilling and beautiful.

From this unconventional start, Atwood unfolds the story of her life, linking key moments to the books that have shaped our literary landscape, from the cruel school year that would become Cat's Eye to the unease of 1980s Berlin, where she began The Handmaid's Tale. In pages alive with the natural world, reading and books, major political turning points and her lifelong love for the charismatic writer Graeme Gibson, we meet poets, bears, Hollywood stars and larger-than-life characters straight from the pages of an Atwood novel.

As a composer, pianist, conductor and the creator of the Aldeburgh Festival, Britten was a distinctive figure in twentieth century music.

In this selection of autobiographical fragments and letters we hear the authentic voices of the Brontë family.

D H Lawrence is no longer censored, but he is still on trial - and we are still unsure what the verdict should be, or even how to describe him. History has remembered him, and not always flatteringly, as a nostalgic modernist, a sexually liberator, a misogynist, a critic of genius, and a sceptic who told us not to look in his novels for 'the old stable ego', yet pioneered the genre we now celebrate as auto-fiction. But where is the real Lawrence in all of this?

Delving into the memoirs of those who both loved and hated him most, Burning Man follows Lawrence from the peninsular underworld of Cornwall in 1915 to post-war Italy to the mountains of New Mexico, and traces the author's footsteps through the pages of his lesser known work.