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Biographies are funny things, and fictionalised biographies are no exception. Colm Tóibin’s latest work is a fictionalised book on the life of Thomas Mann, the German novelist and short story writer. In this book, he is not viewed so much in terms of his success as a writer and literary persona. Rather, we see him amongst his family. There are walk-ons from literary glitterati like W.H. Auden, etc.

It’s a great book. If you enjoyed Tóibin’s ‘The Master’ work on Henry James, you will love this too.

Another creative take on a biography of a fascinating person. Using George Orwell’s roses in his garden as a starting point, Rebecca Solnit shares Orwell’s complicated character perfectly.