Paul Brody: 22 books

Among twentieth century authors, P. L. Travers was by far the most productive and famous to hail from the British colony of Australia. After a brief and modestly successful acting career, she moved to London and pursued her own brand of journalism. She was a well-regarded drama critic and travel...

During her lifetime, Emily Dickinson did not seek out recognition or attempt to change the world around her, even in the smallest way. A private but not antisocial person, she kept her life’s work, and her innermost feelings, almost entirely to herself. Her life was rich in intellectual pursuits,...

She was the 17 year-old daughter of noted philosophers William Godwin and Mary Wollstonecraft; he was a 22-year-old trapped in an unhappy marriage. Their love was forbidden...that didn't matter. They inspired each other and became one of the  most memorable literary couples of all time....

Glamour, alcohol, reckless and carefree behavior--all themes of a great F. Scott Fitzgerald novel? Yes. But, in the case of Fitzgerald, fiction imitates life. Fitzgerald's marriage to Zelda was volatile from the start--it was plagued by alcohol abuse, debt, and mental illness. "The...

Paris was a Mecca for artists in the early 20th century. Anyone who wrote, sculpted, acted, drew, painted, composed, or philosophized was drawn to the bustling, European city. World War I was over, and the future, which had been so uncertain for Europe, now seemed bright.  For nearly...

Born in what was then still considered the American West, educated in the Ivy Halls of the Northeast, and repatriated as an English subject in 1927, Thomas Stearns Eliot today stands as one of the most important figures in the whole history of English literature. His signature works include poetry...

Few authors achieve fame in their lifetime and then have that fame compound and grow long after their death. Fewer still spend much of their lives harboring resentment for the work that made them famous. Such was the case for Alan Alexander Milne.  Long before he wrote Winnie-the-Pooh, Milne...

  For over 100 years, L. Frank Baum's clazzic fantasy series "The Wizard of Oz" has inspired films, books, and even fan clubs. Despite the success of the series, not a lot has been written about the author: L. Frank Baum.

Charles Bukowski didn't write about high society or the life most people will never live; he wrote about the ordinary man--the ones you are more likely to see living next to you than glamorized on TV. He wrote what he knew and he wrote it well. Bukowski knew Los Angeles—women—the drudgery of work—and...

Ezra Pound was one of the most important figures of Modernism in English literature. Ironically, it was his work on behalf of other more so than his own contributions that created this reputation. James Joyce, T.S. Eliot and Ernest Hemingway all owed an enormous debt to the redheaded, loudmouthed...

Gertrude Stein came from unassuming beginnings in Pennsylvania to become a central figure in the birth and development of Modern Art. She was friends with many of the leading painters and writers of multiple generations, as well as being on the sidelines of several of the 20th century’s most profound...

Starting in the summer of 1976, one man terrorized a city and fascinated a nation: Son of Sam.  Over 30 years after his capture, David Berkowitz (AKA Son of Sam), is still one of the most known serial killers of all time. The life, murders, trial, and prison life of David Berkowitz...

Writers are complicated beast with troubled minds. Genius doesn’t come without consequences, and the authors profiled in this book, show that the minds behind some literatures greatest works were no exception to this rule. The following authors are profiled in this book: P.L. Travers, Emily...