One Life is Not Enough

This book collects the short-form biographical writings of American modernist author John Dos Passos (1896-1970). Primarily associated with the U.S.A. trilogy, Dos Passos's prose-poem biographies of historical figures have long been popular with readers and a staple of college classrooms through their frequent appearance in anthologies. They include some of the author's most celebrated and enduring pieces of writing, such as his portraits of Henry Ford, the Wright Brothers, Isadora Duncan, and most well-known of all, his elegy for the Unknown Soldier in "The Body of an American." Broadening the compass of its selection, the book also recognizes Dos Passos's continuing interest in biographical writing by including later, lesser-known profiles of notables such as James Dean, Malcolm X, and Robert Oppenheimer in addition to a previously uncollected portrait of his friend Ernest Hemingway. Given their self-contained nature, Dos Passos had long wanted to publish his short-form biographies as stand-alone pieces in a single volume, but the ambition went unfulfilled. This collection finally realizes that project, in a volume that is sure to interest scholars, students, and general readers alike.