The other day I was listening to author Jeff Pearlman on the Dan Patrick Show defend his decision to write his biography of Walter Payton. My take is an author can spend his time on the subject of his choosing. No big deal. What did get under my skin a little was Pearlman talking about his book as a "definitive" biography and his comparing his book to some of the great sports biographies that were published in the last 20 years.
The "definitive" remark made me think of the A. Scott Berg biography of Charles Lindbergh - Lindbergh - which was hailed at the time of its release as the definitive biography of Lucky Lindy. Of course a few years after publication it was found out that Lindbergh had lived a double life with a wife and three children in Germany that the "definitive" biography never knew about never mind mentioned. So much for being a "definitive" biography.
Pearlman touting his book as a "definitive" biography and comparing it to some of the great sports biographies of the past few years was very off-putting for me. It smelled of hubris. I probably won't be buying Pearlman's book but it isn't the subject matter keeping me away - it is the ego of the author.
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