Biography

Articles

Out of the Shadows: A Life of Gerda Taro by  (March 2009)

The reader feels the injustice of Gerda Taro’s exclusion from history, says Jess Vyvyan-Robinson in her review of Francois Maspero’s biography. Taro is all but forgotten, only mentioned in conjunction with Robert Capa

Sunbathing in the nude by Sheila Rowbotham (December 2008)

From his advocacy of a ‘simplified’ rural lifestyle to his backing for causes as diverse as women’s suffrage, sexual freedom and recycling, Edward Carpenter cuts a surprisingly modern radical figure. Sheila Rowbotham says it is time for a revival of interest in a man who challenged not only capitalism but the values of western civilisation

The patron saint of sandal-wearers by Matthew Beaumont (December 2008)

Matthew Beaumont welcomes Sheila Rowbotham’s biography of Edward Carpenter and reflects on the political counter-culture that emerged at the end of the 19th century as the economy plunged into depression

Grist to the radical Mill by Anthony Arblaster (September 2008)

At a time when the need for champions of both freedom and equality, civil liberties and state regulation of the economy is as great as ever, it is worth reading or rereading John Stuart Mill. Anthony Arblaster explains his importance for socialists and radical liberals in this discussion of a recent political biography