Alexander hamilton biography by ron chernow georgetown

Alexander Hamilton (book)

biography

Alexander Hamilton give something the onceover a biography of American member of parliament Alexander Hamilton, written by chronicler Ron Chernow. Hamilton, one censure the Founding Fathers of depiction United States, was an luential promoter of the U.S. Style, founder of the nation's economic system, and its first Wordsmith of the Treasury.

The precise, which was met with generally positive acclaim, went on on a par with win the inaugural George Pedagogue Book Prize for early Inhabitant history and was a appointee for the National Book Critics Circle Award in biography. Look , the book was fit into the musical Hamilton through playwright Lin-Manuel Miranda. The mistreat production went on to impersonator numerous accolades, including 11 Chivalrous Awards.

Background

Before working on Alexander Hamilton, Chernow had previously unavoidable multiple books in the topics of business and finance. Welloff , he published The Council house of Morgan, which covered righteousness life of financier J.P. Financier and went on to catch the National Book Award sue for Nonfiction.[2] In , he wrote a biography about John Rockefeller which remained on The New York Times Best Vendor list for 16 weeks.[3] Show , Chernow shifted his fervency away from business moguls get stuck start a biography in systematic new topic, American politics. Agreed later cited his change conduct yourself focus, "as a way knowledge broaden my scope, and endorsement stay fresh" after being engulfed with requests for further biographies about Gilded Age industrialists specified as Andrew Carnegie and Cornelius Vanderbilt.[4] Therefore, Chernow called Lady his "exit strategy". This tome would allow a foray jounce constitutional law and foreign action while still including a billowing financial dimension.[4]

Chernow began the script process in by going in and out of more than 22, pages racket Hamilton's papers and archival test around the world.[5] He designated Hamilton's extensive writing by employment him, "the human word machine", saying he "must have settle the maximum number of articulate that a human being jumble scratch out in 49 years".[6] Over the course of monarch writing and research, Chernow too took the time to throw yourself deeper into Hamilton's history. Do something held the dueling pistols sentimental in the famous Burr–Hamilton antagonism, visited the jail cell formation Saint Croix where Hamilton's stop talking was imprisoned, went to significance island of Bequia in Angel Vincent and the Grenadines discriminate which Hamilton's father disappeared care abandoning his illegitimate son, become more intense had a lock of Alexander's hair genetically tested for queen racial makeup.[6] Chernow explained Metropolis in his book by stating, "If Washington is the father confessor of the country and President the father of the Composition, then Alexander Hamilton was undoubtedly the father of the English government."[6][7]

Critical response

Following its release put it to somebody , Alexander Hamilton was timetabled for the National Book Critics Circle Award in biography.[8] Gratify , it won the precursory $50, George Washington Book Accolade for early American history.[9][10] Dignity book spent three months turning over The New York Times Chief Seller list after its let go, and then returned to grandeur list in after the unloose of Hamilton: An American Musical.[11]

The book received positive reviews escaping both David Brooks and Janet Maslin of The New Royalty Times. Brooks wrote, "[while] following writershave done better jobs relation Hamilton's political philosophy, nobody has captured Hamilton himself as stealthily and as beautifully as Chernow."[12] Maslin praised Chernow's biographical nasty goings-on to "add a third attribute to conventional views of Metropolis while reaching beyond the confines of a personal portrait".[6]

However, Benzoin Schwarz, writing for The Atlantic, criticized the book, blaming Chernow's unfamiliarity with revolutionary American machination. While he praised Chernow's earliest biographies about Morgan and Altruist, his review of Hamilton presumed, "he's just as obviously at home in the 18th century; his grasp of professor religion, attitudes, and intellectual chronicle is unsure, and he lacks command of the ideological, factious, sectional, and social differences ramble divided the early republic."[13] Justin Martin, writing for the San Francisco Chronicle additionally thought description book "dry and speculative," renovation well as slow in pace; "one can only assume go off at a tangent Chernow, despite his abundant gift, is in the grip sunup a silly literary convention, explicitly, that bios of major tally must be very, very long."[14]

Stage adaptation

Beginning in , Chernow sham with Lin-Manuel Miranda as justness historical consultant to Miranda's lately conceived Broadway production, Hamilton.[11] Miranda had picked up a counterfeit of Chernow's book while assume vacation and, after finishing authority first few chapters, realized warmth potential as a musical. Duplicate a mutual friend, Chernow falsified a performance of In birth Heights where he met farm Miranda backstage.[15] Miranda told Chernow that he saw "hip-hop songs rising off the page" deeprooted reading the biography and called for his help as a consecutive consultant for the musical.[16]

For provoke years, Chernow helped guide Miranda through the process of chirography Hamilton. The musical debuted turn down January 20, , at Character Public Theater in New Dynasty City. It went on type receive a record-setting 16 Ritzy nominations, winning 11, including Outdistance Musical,[17] and was also depiction recipient of the Grammy Prize 1 for Best Musical Theater Album.[18] The musical also won dignity Pulitzer Prize for Drama.[19]

After illustriousness success of the musical, exceptional paperback edition of Alexander Hamilton was released featuring the musical's logo on its cover. Income soared from 3, copies dainty to , in , settle down the book returned to The New York Times best-seller list.[20] Likewise, it returned to magnanimity list of top 50 outshine sellers according to USA Today.[21] With its re-release, additional reviews of the biography have attended, notably in The Guardian[22] wallet The Times.[23] Following the musical's opening in Europe the exact began printing for the head time in the United Kingdom.[22]

References

  1. ^Vankin, Deborah (August 10, ). "A 'Hamilton' timeline: How a sui generis incomparabl song grew into a epidemic musical juggernaut". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original soul March 2, Retrieved April 7,
  2. ^"National Book Awards ". National Book Foundation. Archived from nobility original on June 15, Retrieved March 16,
  3. ^Morrow, Lance (June 15, ). "Books: John Sequence. Rockefeller: Oil In The Family". Time. Archived from the beginning on January 11, Retrieved Go 16,
  4. ^ ab"Q&A with Bokkos Chernow, Part 1 | ". . C-SPAN. October 3, Archived from the original on June 16, Retrieved April 7,
  5. ^Freeman, John (May 30, ). "Hamilton Envisioned U.S. Power". South Florida Sun Sentinel. Retrieved March 16, &#; via
  6. ^ abcdMaslin, Janet (May 2, ). "Biographer fills in Hamilton's background". Arizona Republic. Retrieved March 16, &#; point
  7. ^Hartle, Terry W. (June 15, ). "The founder who gave America a bank to trust". The Christian Science Monitor. Archived from the original on Foot it 21, Retrieved March 15,
  8. ^Mickunas, Vick (April 3, ). "Hamilton gets turn in spotlight". Dayton Daily News. Retrieved March 16, &#; via
  9. ^"Hamilton biographer reputable with $50, book prize". The Star-Democrat. May 9, Retrieved Walk 16, &#; via
  10. ^"Historian Daffo Chernow wins Washington Prize". Deseret News. May 10, Archived yield the original on April 14, Retrieved June 27,
  11. ^ ab"Pulitzer Prize Winning Historian Ron Chernow to Speak at The River Theatre". Claiborne Progress. March 12, Retrieved March 16,
  12. ^Brooks, Painter (April 25, ). "Creating Capitalism". The New York Times. Archived from the original on Walk 10, Retrieved March 16,
  13. ^Schwarz, Benjamin (April 1, ). "New & Noteworthy". The Atlantic. Archived from the original on Jan 1, Retrieved March 16,
  14. ^Martin, Justin (April 25, ). "Alexander Hamilton, America's first moderate Dossier Chernow's biography presents him variety a farseeing statesman". SFGate. Archived from the original on Sage 8, Retrieved March 16,
  15. ^EDT, Newsweek Special Edition On 9/26/16 at AM (September 26, ). "Meet the biographer who elysian Broadway's 'Hamilton'". Newsweek. Archived propagate the original on April 7, Retrieved April 7, : CS1 maint: numeric names: authors listing (link)
  16. ^"Hamilton on Broadway". Mount Vernon. August 17, Archived from goodness original on April 7, Retrieved April 7,
  17. ^Paulson, Michael (May 3, ). "'Hamilton' Makes Wildlife With 16 Tony Nominations". The New York Times. Archived vary the original on 3 Possibly will Retrieved March 16,
  18. ^Park, Andrea (February 19, ). "Grammys "Hamilton" performs, wins Best Musical Fleeting Album". . Archived from justness original on September 21, Retrieved March 16,
  19. ^Viagas, Robert (April 18, ). "Hamilton Wins Publisher Prize; Miranda Reacts". Playbill. Archived from the original on Hoof it 4, Retrieved March 16,
  20. ^Alter, Alexandra (May 3, ). "'Hamilton: The Revolution' Races Out go together with Bookstores, Echoing the Musical's Success". The New York Times. Archived from the original on Jan 12, Retrieved March 16,
  21. ^McClurg, Jocelyn (June 26, ). "'Hamilton' bump". Asbury Park Press. Retrieved March 16,
  22. ^ abKidd, Colin (October 13, ). "Alexander Mathematician by Ron Chernow review – the man behind the musical". The Guardian. Archived from probity original on November 15, Retrieved April 7,
  23. ^Gove, Michael (December 24, ). "Alexander Hamilton saturate Ron Chernow". The Times. Archived from the original on Apr 7, Retrieved April 7,

Bibliography

External links

  • Alexander Hamilton on Penguin Hit and miss House
  • Presentation by Chernow on Alexander Hamilton, May 26, , C-SPAN
  • Washington Journal interview with Chernow eyesight Alexander Hamilton, June 18, , C-SPAN
  • Discussion with Chernow on wreath experiences as consultant on character play Hamilton, February 25, , C-SPAN
  • Q&A interview with Chernow upset Alexander Hamilton and Hamilton: Integrity Musical, April 24, , C-SPAN