Compiled over more than a decade, the Nobel winner’s notebooks combine memoir with his own colourful paintings
Most politicians are fundamentally unsuited to the painful and exposing reckoning that is required
Jonathan Watts nimbly dissects the brilliance and flaws of the father of Gaia theory
The former German chancellor’s remarkable story is undermined by a failure to admit mistakes — though she does not pull her punches on Putin and Trump
Carl Wilkinson selects his must-read titles
Richard Fairman and Ludovic Hunter-Tilney select their must-read titles
Johanna Ekström’s notebooks, translated by her friend Sigrid Rausing, offer a moving testament to love, friendship and loss
No one likes to admit it — but life’s lottery has a big role to play in success
An enjoyably free-roaming collection of essays and poems explores everything from the courage of Colette to the influence of Freud
After his crushing accident, the author’s droll, trenchant voice records humour and small joys — without prettifying the pain
Black holes, space-time . . . Roger Penrose’s work won him a Nobel — but tore his family apart, as Patchen Barss reveals in a fascinating biography
The Nobel-winner’s memoir, co-written with Marc Marie, examines life, passion and mortality with resolute honesty
The memoir of Putin’s murdered opponent is a worthy testament to his courage, defiance and humour
Lionel Barber’s pacy biography charts the tech investor’s audacious career and gets a glimpse of the man behind the enigma
Escape from Nazi Germany through the Kindertransport initiative was the catalyst for a lifetime of writing
The man who would be world king claims many triumphs but reveals his mortal failings in this racy account of his political career
Yes, please do. Everyone is dying to know why it wasn’t your fault
Sonia Purnell’s supremely enjoyable biography views the socialite’s life through a new and sympathetic lens
A brilliantly funny and well researched biography of Elizabeth II has to contend with its uniquely inscrutable subject
An autobiography that’s also a work of criticism — and all the better for it
Gauguin’s quasi memoir, rediscovered in 2020, is a key source for a biography that captures the painter’s contradictory character
Moon Unit Zappa’s memoir of a childhood spent in the chaotic household of her zany rocker father is lyrical, moving and funny
The BBC newsreader pays tribute to the grandparents who witnessed the turbulent birth of an independent India
Anupreeta Das investigates the power of Microsoft co-founder to shape our world — and asks: is it effective and accountable?
Susanna Crossman recounts the pain, joy and trauma of communal life
