Berger biography reframes critic as human
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Tom Overton wrote a biography of John Berger, the British critic and novelist, that Megan O’Grady reviewed as a sensitive portrayal of the artist as a person, not a myth.
O’Grady connected Overton’s approach to similar discussions around artists like James Baldwin, noting how canonization can sometimes obscure an artist’s full life. Other recent books also examine how artists' lives are told, including biographies of Dorothea Tanning and studies of Vermeer.
Hyperallergic published a roundup of recent art books focusing on textiles and fiber art, highlighting works on Black Southern quilting, Palestinian embroidery, Diné weaving, and the Bayeux Tapestry. The publication noted that these books often challenge traditional distinctions between craft and art, and reframe understandings of textile traditions. Additionally, Lakshmi Rivera Amin shared her reading list, currently including Isabel Allende’s memoir Story Telling: A Writing Life.
Authors Alana Hadid and Jenan Matari moved their children’s book about Palestine to InterLink Books, a Palestinian-owned publisher in the United States, after their original publisher requested changes to its language. In the United Kingdom, bookstores are restocking Sally Rooney’s novels following the government’s ban of her books due to her support for Palestine Action.
