Fantastic article in The Guardian:

Only four female writers appeared in the list of top 50 bestselling history titles in the UK last year. And women are still perceived as more suited to writing about drawing rooms than battlefields. Why? Leading historians and biographers discuss sexism and subject matter.

All the big British names in history and biography have contributed to the piece, and quite a few big names from elsewhere too.  Well worth a look.

And if you are in the longform essay mood, try this review by Janet Malcolm in the New York Review of Books about the latest Ted Hughes biography. Then read this piece by Bridget Read called ‘Janet Malcolm: Biased, Mean and Brilliant.  Why Our Best Biographer Hates the New Ted Hughes Biography.’

That should keep you going for a while…