Biography contenders show their derring-do

Sydney Morning Herald 3 April.

WITH subjects ranging from Napoleon to Alan Jones to Barry Jones to the thoughts and feelings of a convict, William Sykes, transported from Britain for life to Western Australia, this year's shortlist for the National Biography Award reflects the adventurousness and diversity of biographical writing in Australia today.

There were 33 entries from across the country, from which six have been chosen as contenders for the $20,000 award.

Napoleon: The Path To Power 1769-1799 by Philip Dwyer,

Lucy Osburn, A Lady Displaced by Judith Godden,

A Thinking Reed by Barry Jones,

The Mascot by Mark Kurzem,

Jonestown: The Power And The Myth Of Alan Jones by Chris Masters

These Few Lines: A Convict Story - The Lost Lives Of Myra & William Sykes by Graham Seal.

Inaugurated in 1996 by the philanthropist Dr Geoffrey Cains to enhance the writing and reading of biography, its previous winners have included Mandy Sayer's Dreamtime Alice, Don Watson's study of Paul Keating, Recollections Of A Bleeding Heart, and Barry Hill's mammoth Broken Song, the inspiring biography of the anthropologist and linguist Theodor Strehlow, which took him 12 years to research and write.
Broken Song has since been described as "one of the monumental works of all Australian culture".
The winner will be announced during a ceremony at the State Library of NSW on April 10.