In the world of books, the period leading up to Christmas yields lots of interesting autobiographies and memoirs from the rich, the writerly, the famous and the fabulous …
BOOK OF LIVES: A MEMOIR OF SORTS (Chatto & Windus, €30) by Margaret Atwood is the memoir we’ve been waiting for from the grande dame of Canadian letters. Now 85, Atwood offers a comprehensive picture of her life, from her outdoorsy childhood in Quebec to encounters with other famous writers, to her relationship with her late husband and of course, her extraordinary writing career. All told in her beautifully droll, intelligent tone. Save this one for Christmas.
FIRES WHICH BURNED BRIGHTLY: A LIFE IN PROGRESS (Hutchinson Heinemann, €20) by Sebastian Faulks is not technically a memoir, rather a collection of ten essays in place of a memoir. The essays deal with Faulks’ rural childhood, his time as a journalist on Fleet Street and his life as a bestselling author of novels like Birdsong among others.
Nicholas Blincoe’s OLIVER TWIST AND ME: THE TRUE STORY OF MY FAMILY AND CHARLES DICKENS’S BESTLOVED NOVEL (The Bridge Street Press, €23.74) tells the extraordinary story of how Blincoe’s great-great-great-grandfather Robert Blincoe, an orphan, wrote a memoir that gave Dickens the inspiration for his much-loved novel. A fascinating dual story.
AFTER OSCAR: THE LEGACY OF A SCANDAL (Europa Editions, €26.77) by Oscar Wilde’s grandson Merlin Holland explores Wilde’s posthumous reputation and the fallout of the scandals he endured in his life, while deconstructing the sensationalist and homophobic conjecture that surrounded Wilde after his death
Paul Burrell is synonymous with British royal exposés, and his roles as footman to Queen Elizabeth, then butler to King Charles, and most famously Diana’s confidante, perfectly placed him to know the innermost workings of the royal family. THE ROYAL INSIDER: MY LIFE WITH THE QUEEN, THE KING AND PRINCESS DIANA (Sphere, €16.99) is an intimate memoir about his life working for the royal family, including his relationships with William and Harry.
Tim Berners-Lee is known as the inventor of the world wide web. In THIS IS FOR EVERYONE (Macmillan, €20.92) Berners-Lee tells the incredible story of his iconic invention that changed the world.
BREAD OF ANGELS: A MEMOIR (Bloomsbury, €21.17) is the latest in Patti Smith’s series of memoirs. This one focuses on her teenage years, where the beginnings of her creativity emerged in the poetry and lyrics that went on to form her unique style.
Nineties rock heartthrob Evan Dando has written his autobiography in RUMOURS OF MY DEMISE: A MEMOIR (Faber, €17.10), an account of his life as one of the most successful and troubled musicians of his era.
Mark Ronson is best known as the hitmaker producer behind acts like Amy Winehouse, Lady Gaga, Adele, Dua Lipa, Bruno Mars, Miley Cyrus, even the Barbie soundtrack. NIGHT PEOPLE: HOW TO BE A DJ IN ’90S NEW YORK CITY (Century, €20.92) is a riveting account of his formative years as a DJ.
Lin-Manuel Miranda’s global hit musical Hamilton made him one of the most successful stars of musical theatre. LIN MANUEL MIRANDA: THE EDUCATION OF AN ARTIST (Atlantic, €17.80) by Daniel Pollack-Pelzner takes a look at the formative experiences that shaped the artist Miranda became.
THE UNCOOL (Fourth Estate, €21.68) is the new memoir from award-winning filmmaker and journalist, Cameron Crowe. Crowe’s film Almost Famous was based on his life as a young reporter with Rolling Stone magazine. The Uncool is filled with music legends, and lore, as it charts Crowe’s unlikely journey to becoming one of the best loved filmmakers and music reporters of the last 50 years.
It’s easy to forget just how successful and influential Lionel Richie is but his longawaited memoir TRULY (William Collins, €14.46) is a good reminder. It takes in his childhood growing up in Tuskegee, Alabama, during the Civil Rights movement, his time as a member of The Commodores, his big break when he signed to Motown Records, his solo career which included writing and recording the hit “We Are The World,” right up to his current status as a judge on American Idol.
Leo Varadkar was always outspoken as Taoiseach and he carries that trait forward into his memoir SPEAKING MY MIND (Sandycove, €20). Varadkar’s story is remarkable – the youngest ever Taoiseach, the first gay Taoiseach and the first person of colour to be Taoiseach. He shares his pride in helping to bring about marriage equality and describes his experiences of speaking to Pope Francis on the legacy of church abuses, bonding with Barack Obama about both being the “tall, dark guy with the funny name”, and how he navigated the pandemic and the fallout from Brexit.
When Jung Chang’s memoir Wild Swans was first published in 1991 it became a global sensation that went on to sell 13 million copies and captivated a generation of readers. It told the saga of three generations of Chang’s family. FLY WILD SWANS (William Collins, €19.99) is the long-awaited sequel and brings the story of Chang’s family up to date in changing modern China.
Malala Yousafzai became an international icon at the age of 15 when she was shot by the Taliban on her way home from school. But behind the international acclaim and political support that followed was a vulnerable young woman trying to find her way. FINDING MY WAY (Weidenfeld and Nicolson, €20.55) is a coming-of-age story of Malala’s personal journey through the vagaries of college life, dating and love.
When Sanna Marin became Prime Minister of Finland at the age of 34 she became the youngest head of state in the world at the time. HOPE IN ACTION: A MEMOIR ABOUT THE COURAGE TO LEAD (Macmillan, €25) talks about her experiences of leading Finland through the Covid-19 pandemic, joining NATO following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and the criticism she endured for singing, dancing and drinking at a party in 2022.
Anthony Hopkins’ WE DID OKAY, KID: A MEMOIR (Simon and Schuster, €14.45) is the big Hollywood biography of the season and spans decades, from Hopkins’ childhood in a Welsh town to his iconic roles on stage and screen. Hopkins shares his experience of working under Laurence Olivier at RADA, as well as meetings with Richard Burton. He also talks about his addiction and subsequent life of sobriety.
Later this month Wicked superstar Cynthia Erivo will publish her book SIMPLY MORE: A BOOK FOR ANYONE WHO HAS BEEN TOLD THEY’RE TOO MUCH (Macmillan, €12.50). Through a series of personal accounts, she shares how she has grown as an actor and a person, and the wisdom she has learned along the way.
SHE DIED YOUNG: A LIFE IN FRAGMENTS (Apollo, €15.99) is Brenda Fricker’s story. Fricker was the first Irish actress to win an Oscar and this book takes in her career in films including The Field, Home Alone 2 and My Left Foot, as well as her difficult adult relationships and experiences with mental illness.
I SHOP THEREFORE I AM: THE ‘90S, HARVEY NICKS AND ME (Canongate, €16.99) is fashion insider Mary Portas’ account of her transformation of Harvey Nichols from fusty old brand to the favourite shop of the Cool Britannia years. Portas was still in her 20s when she got the job to modernise the store – she shares the lessons she learned along the way.
Make-up artist Bobbi Brown has had a phenomenal career, first as a make-up artist and then as an entrepreneur, setting up her billion-dollar brand Bobbi Brown, and then establishing the equally iconic Jones Road, in her 60s. In STILL BOBBI: MY STORY (Bloomsbury, €17.90), she tells her personal story and shares her business experience too.
Boris Becker was Wimbledon champion at 17 and went on to achieve fame and success as a tennis player. But in April 2022, he was sentenced to two and a half years in prison on bankruptcy charges. INSIDE (Harper Collins, €11) is his account of his life in prison, the lessons learned and the philosophy that kept him going. Becker is never less than utterly compelling.
Fellow tennis legend Bjorn Borg left tennis at the height of his career, never commenting on his decision to leave at the peak of his powers. In HEARTBEATS (Sphere, €19.69) he finally breaks his silence, and talks about his childhood, his career and his uneasy relationship with fame.
Jen Hatmaker was a role model for Christian women – the perfect wife and mother, and with an apparently strong marriage of 26 years. But then in July 2020 she awoke to hear her husband beside her in bed voice-messaging his girlfriend. AWAKE: A MEMOIR (Bluebird, €14.75) is the story of discovering who she is for the first time in middle age.
After taking up writing at the age of 30, Sue Monk Kidd wrote the best-selling The Secret Life of Bees and The Book of Longing. In her new book, WRITING CREATIVITY AND SOUL (Canongate, €13.99), part memoir, part philosophical inquiry, she shares her own creative journey.
A fascinating debut memoir, DRYSTONE (Polygon, €14.99) is the story of Kristie De Garis, one of Scotland’s few female drystone wallers. De Garis had spent years running from places and people and herself when she moved to rural Scotland and was forced to confront everything she had been fleeing, including racism, undiagnosed ADHD, addiction, trauma, and the realities of motherhood. Through the slow, meditative craft of drystone walling, she began to rebuild her own life.
SEE MORE: New Book Releases To Read This November
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