The overlapping worlds of biography and literary criticism frequently result in distant dialogues. You write a biography, or any book really, a critic uses the opportunity to explore his or her own impulses and ideas. My year began with a generous review of Literary Alchemist in Harper’s, which was also in large part a personal essay of the writer Gemma Sieff’s experience in Connell’s world and in his head late in his life. Now comes Max Norman—whom I don’t know—writing in The New Yorker. It’s quite a nice essay about Connell, and he clearly gives credit to my book in overt and subtle ways. But it also made me realize that my biography of Connell has served as a vessel for some writers who seem to have been itching to write about him and his long overlooked work. C’est la vie.

https://www.newyorker.com/books/under-review/the-man-who-mastered-minor-writing