Biographers in Conversation

Stephen J. Campbell: "Leonardo da Vinci: An Untraceable Life"

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In this episode of Biographers in Conversation, Dr Stephen J. Campbell chats with Dr Gabriella Kelly-Davies about his choices while crafting Leonardo da Vinci: An Untraceable Life.

Here’s what you’ll discover in this episode:

  • Why Stephen Campbell resists the urge to create a seamless narrative and instead embraces the mystery, silence and gaps in Leonardo da Vinci’s story.
  • How the book’s structure reflects the fragmented reality of Leonardo’s life.
  • The origin of the book’s title and how it challenges traditional biographical expectations by leaning into ambiguity.
  • How Campbell uses philosophical chapter titles and historical nuance to explore mythmaking and modern interpretations of Leonardo da Vinci.
  • Why Campbell avoids speculation and instead invites readers to sit with what we don’t know, treating uncertainty as revealing rather than inconvenient.
  • The biographer’s role as a curator of questions rather than authority, a model of life writing that prioritises transparency over certainty.
  • The myths the book gently dismantles, from the lonely genius trope to misconceptions about Leonardo’s inventions and personality.
  • How An Untraceable Life encourages us to rethink what biography can be and to rediscover awe in the unresolvable aspects of a life.
    • ...more
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    Biographers in ConversationBy Gabriella
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