“Biography counters determinism, the notion of history
being made chiefly, or even exclusively, by irresistible tendencies, trends,
and movements. It reinforces the idea that fortune, accident, above all strong
character can rise above the impersonal forces of politics, economics, and even
culture to forge human destiny and change the flow of history itself. For this
reason, and many more, I say, long live biography.” — American essayist and
editor Joseph Epstein, “Life Within
Lives,” The Weekly Standard, Apr.
11, 2016
This is one reason why I have been captivated by
biography (unlike my peers, more, even, than fantasy) since I was a child—as well
as something I kept in mind while writing a biography of my own with my friend
Rob Polner, An Irish Passion for Justice: The Life of Rebel New York Attorney Paul O’Dwyer.
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