Best biographies 2021

A powerful and personal contemplation on race, culture and national identity. Talking to my Country by Stan Grant talks to every Australian about their country – what it is, and what it could be.

It is not just about race, or about indigenous people but all of us, our shared identity.An unforgettably and heart-breaking book about how to live, When Breath Becomes Airtells the story of Paul Kalanithi, who at the age of thirty-six, on the verge of completing a decade’s training as a neurosurgeon, was diagnosed with inoperable lung cancer.Victoria: The Queen by Julia Baird introduces us to Queen Victoria in an intimate and beautifully written biography.

Fans of Memoirs of a Geisha and The Secret Chord will love this in-depth biography about a woman who changed the world. Watch our interview with Julia here.Ross King’s latest biography, Mad Enchantment: Claude Monet and the Painting of the Water Lilies, is an intriguing insight in