A Spiritual Quest Derailed by the Mortal Weight of the Material World
Andrew Durbin impressively renders the personal and artistic bond between resolute secularist Peter Hujar and religious painter Paul Thek.
By CARL ROLLYSON
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CARL ROLLYSON
Cape May County, New Jersey
Carl Rollyson is a Book Reviewer for the Sun.
Mr. Rollyson is the author of The Life of William Faulkner and The Last Days of Sylvia Plath. He has published fourteen biographies and has written about biography for the Wall Street Journal, the Washington, Post, the San Francisco Chronicle, the New Criterion, and other publications.
Latest Articles
Debunking Carlos Castaneda’s Great American Con
Ironically, given his subject’s talent for deception, Ru Marshall’s forensic biography endured several rounds of punishing peer review.
By CARL ROLLYSON
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A Union Leader Who Bonded More With His Comrades Than With His Family
Alan Reuther’s biography of his father Roy Reuther shows how an activist’s profound commitment to social and political causes exacted a toll on those in his household.
By CARL ROLLYSON
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An Absorbing Biographical Novel of Marilyn Monroe Taking Charge of ‘Herself’
In his re-imagining of the final months of the screen icon’s life, M. J. Moore avoids conspiracy theories, instead focusing on her fight for control of her career.
By CARL ROLLYSON
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Just in Time for Its 500th Anniversary, a New Edition of Copernicus on Minting Money
It’s a deft presentation of a scientist who observed carefully not only the heavens but the political economy of his time.
By CARL ROLLYSON
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At 250, America Is Still Writing and Rewriting its Presidents
The range of approaches taken by the first presidential biographers persists today but the respectful distance, once maintained, has been broken.
By CARL ROLLYSON
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The Hemingway Shelf Rises
Ernest Hemingway’s epic persona explains the continual reimagining of his life in both fiction and fact.
By CARL ROLLYSON
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Mining Arthur Miller’s Tale for Fresh Material
Christopher Bigsby revisits the late, great playwright but the full extent of his subject remains out of reach.
By CARL ROLLYSON
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An Unsettling, Relentless Biography of an Unsettling, Relentless Movie Star
Roger Lewis’s study of Peter Sellers, first published in 1994, demonstrates a ferocity and tenacity seldom seen in contemporary biography.
By CARL ROLLYSON
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Setting Stein and Wilde Straight
New studies of Gertrude Stein and Oscar Wilde correct previous mistakes and misleading commentary made by biographers and critics.
By CARL ROLLYSON
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A Novelist’s Deep Dive Into Sylvia Plath Pays Off
Several novels have depicted the doomed marriage of Sylvia Plath and Ted Hughes, but none quite like Helen Bain’s ‘The Daffodil Days.’
By CARL ROLLYSON
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The Marilyn Monroe Doctrine: Star Quality and Self-Doubt
The latest biography of the actress recognizes how much progress has been made in regards to the recognition of her brilliance as a perfomer.
By CARL ROLLYSON
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