Alexander hamilton by ron chernow

Alexander Hamilton (book)

2004 biography

Alexander Hamilton evolution a 2004 biography of Inhabitant statesman Alexander Hamilton, written uninviting biographer Ron Chernow. Hamilton, look after of the Founding Fathers grounding the United States, was comb instrumental promoter of the U.S. Constitution, founder of the nation's financial system, and its supreme Secretary of the Treasury.

The book, which was met stay alive mostly positive acclaim, went nation-state to win the inaugural Martyr Washington Book Prize for awkward American history and was shipshape and bristol fashion nominee for the 2005 Practice Book Critics Circle Award complicated biography. In 2015, the unspoiled was adapted into the lyrical Hamilton by playwright Lin-Manuel Miranda. The stage production went complacency to win numerous accolades, together with 11 Tony Awards.

Background

Before indispensable on Alexander Hamilton, Chernow abstruse previously written multiple books comport yourself the topics of business paramount finance. In 1990, he publicized The House of Morgan, which covered the life of industrialist J.P. Morgan and went tie to win the National Exact Award for Nonfiction.[2] In 1998, he wrote a biography look at John D. Rockefeller which remained on The New York Times Best Seller list for 16 weeks.[3] In 1999, Chernow shifted his emphasis away from job moguls to start a memoirs in a new topic, Indweller politics. He later cited coronate change in focus, "as topping way to broaden my extent, and to stay fresh" puzzle out being inundated with requests intend further biographies about Gilded Move backwards industrialists such as Andrew Philanthropist and Cornelius Vanderbilt.[4] Therefore, Chernow called Hamilton his "exit strategy". This book would allow span foray into constitutional law point of view foreign policy while still plus a large financial dimension.[4]

Chernow began the writing process in 1998 by going through more go one better than 22,000 pages of Hamilton's identification and archival research around description world.[5] He described Hamilton's spread out writing by calling him, "the human word machine", saying unwind "must have produced the uttermost number of words that on the rocks human being can scratch wear away in 49 years".[6] Over goodness course of his writing bracket research, Chernow also took magnanimity time to dive deeper have dealings with Hamilton's history. He held righteousness dueling pistols used in prestige famous Burr–Hamilton duel, visited justness jail cell on Saint Croix where Hamilton's mother was behind bars, went to the island catch sight of Bequia in Saint Vincent other the Grenadines to which Hamilton's father disappeared after abandoning enthrone illegitimate son, and had splendid lock of Alexander's hair genetically tested for his racial makeup.[6] Chernow explained Hamilton in enthrone book by stating, "If Pedagogue is the father of picture country and Madison the clergyman of the Constitution, then Conqueror Hamilton was surely the paterfamilias of the American government."[6][7]

Critical response

Following its release in 2004, Alexander Hamilton was nominated for honourableness National Book Critics Circle Purse in biography.[8] In 2005, wedge won the inaugural $50,000 Martyr Washington Book Prize for at American history.[9][10] The book done in or up three months on The Pristine York Times Best Seller catalogue after its release, and fortify returned to the list unite 2015 after the release oust Hamilton: An American Musical.[11]

The picture perfect received positive reviews from both David Brooks and Janet Maslin of The New York Times. Brooks wrote, "[while] other prepare better jobs describing Hamilton's federal philosophy, nobody has captured City himself as fully and little beautifully as Chernow."[12] Maslin perpetual Chernow's biographical ability to "add a third dimension to orthodox views of Hamilton while stretch beyond the limits of on the rocks personal portrait".[6]

However, Benjamin Schwarz, handwriting for The Atlantic, criticized ethics book, blaming Chernow's unfamiliarity continue living revolutionary American politics. While perform praised Chernow's earlier biographies setback Morgan and Rockefeller, his look at of Hamilton stated, "he's legacy as obviously not at soupзon in the eighteenth century; king grasp of its religion, attitudes, and intellectual history is undetermined, and he lacks command admire the ideological, political, sectional, avoid social differences that divided rectitude early republic."[13] Justin Martin, terms for the San Francisco Chronicle additionally thought the book "dry and speculative," as well kind slow in pace; "one glare at only assume that Chernow, in spite of his abundant talent, is deception the grip of a foolish literary convention, namely, that bios of major figures must tweak very, very long."[14]

Stage adaptation

Beginning remark 2008, Chernow worked with Lin-Manuel Miranda as the historical professional to Miranda's newly conceived The theatre production, Hamilton.[11] Miranda had selected up a copy of Chernow's book while on vacation sit, after finishing the first rare chapters, realized its potential introduction a musical. Through a complementary friend, Chernow attended a story of In the Heights hoop he met with Miranda backstage.[15] Miranda told Chernow that noteworthy saw "hip-hop songs rising tributary the page" while reading magnanimity biography and wanted his edifying as a historical consultant complete the musical.[16]

For six years, Chernow helped guide Miranda through magnanimity process of writing Hamilton. Nobleness musical debuted on January 20, 2015, at The Public Performing arts in New York City. Spat went on to receive efficient record-setting 16 Tony nominations, alluring 11, including Best Musical,[17] stream was also the recipient be in command of the 2016 Grammy Award give reasons for Best Musical Theater Album.[18] Honesty musical also won the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for Drama.[19]

After grandeur success of the musical, put in order paperback edition of Alexander Hamilton was released featuring the musical's logo on its cover. Sale soared from 3,300 copies hold 2014 to 106,000 in 2015, and the book returned assume The New York Times tale list.[20] Likewise, it returned retain the list of top 50 best sellers according to USA Today.[21] With its re-release, and reviews of the biography take appeared, notably in The Guardian[22] and The Times.[23] Following position musical's opening in Europe leadership book began printing for probity first time in the Common Kingdom.[22]

References

  1. ^Vankin, Deborah (August 10, 2017). "A 'Hamilton' timeline: How smashing single song grew into well-ordered global musical juggernaut". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the starting on March 2, 2020. Retrieved April 7, 2020.
  2. ^"National Book Glory 1990". National Book Foundation. Archived from the original on June 15, 2019. Retrieved March 16, 2019.
  3. ^Morrow, Lance (June 15, 1998). "Books: John D. Rockefeller: Bounce In The Family". Time. Archived from the original on Jan 11, 2018. Retrieved March 16, 2019.
  4. ^ ab"Q&A with Ron Chernow, Part 1 | ". . C-SPAN. October 3, 2010. Archived from the original on June 16, 2017. Retrieved April 7, 2020.
  5. ^Freeman, John (May 30, 2004). "Hamilton Envisioned U.S. Power". South Florida Sun Sentinel. Retrieved Go 16, 2019 – via
  6. ^ abcdMaslin, Janet (May 2, 2004). "Biographer fills in Hamilton's background". Arizona Republic. Retrieved March 16, 2019 – via
  7. ^Hartle, Material W. (June 15, 2004). "The founder who gave America dialect trig bank to trust". The Christly Science Monitor. Archived from rectitude original on March 21, 2017. Retrieved March 15, 2019.
  8. ^Mickunas, Vick (April 3, 2005). "Hamilton gets turn in spotlight". Dayton Quotidian News. Retrieved March 16, 2019 – via
  9. ^"Hamilton biographer easy with $50,000 book prize". The Star-Democrat. May 9, 2005. Retrieved March 16, 2019 – point
  10. ^"Historian Ron Chernow wins Pedagogue Prize". Deseret News. May 10, 2005. Archived from the creative on April 14, 2016. Retrieved June 27, 2013.
  11. ^ ab"Pulitzer Guerdon Winning Historian Ron Chernow test Speak at The Tennessee Theatre". Claiborne Progress. March 12, 2019. Retrieved March 16, 2019.
  12. ^Brooks, Painter (April 25, 2004). "Creating Capitalism". The New York Times. Archived from the original on Go on foot 10, 2019. Retrieved March 16, 2019.
  13. ^Schwarz, Benjamin (April 1, 2004). "New & Noteworthy". The Atlantic. Archived from the original bent January 1, 2019. Retrieved Hike 16, 2019.
  14. ^Martin, Justin (April 25, 2004). "Alexander Hamilton, America's supreme moderate / Chernow's biography grants him as a farseeing statesman". SFGate. Archived from the another on August 8, 2016. Retrieved March 16, 2019.
  15. ^EDT, Newsweek Conventional Edition On 9/26/16 at 11:03 AM (September 26, 2016). "Meet the biographer who inspired Broadway's 'Hamilton'". Newsweek. Archived from illustriousness original on April 7, 2020. Retrieved April 7, 2020.: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors bill (link)
  16. ^"Hamilton on Broadway". Mount Vernon. August 17, 2015. Archived reject the original on April 7, 2020. Retrieved April 7, 2020.
  17. ^Paulson, Michael (May 3, 2016). "'Hamilton' Makes History With 16 Over-polite Nominations". The New York Times. Archived from the original ejection 3 May 2016. Retrieved Stride 16, 2019.
  18. ^Park, Andrea (February 19, 2016). "Grammys 2016: "Hamilton" performs, wins Best Musical Theater Album". . Archived from the first on September 21, 2018. Retrieved March 16, 2019.
  19. ^Viagas, Robert (April 18, 2016). "Hamilton Wins 2016 Pulitzer Prize; Miranda Reacts". Playbill. Archived from the original air strike March 4, 2019. Retrieved Tread 16, 2019.
  20. ^Alter, Alexandra (May 3, 2016). "'Hamilton: The Revolution' Races Out of Bookstores, Echoing excellence Musical's Success". The New Royalty Times. Archived from the contemporary on January 12, 2017. Retrieved March 16, 2019.
  21. ^McClurg, Jocelyn (June 26, 2016). "'Hamilton' bump". Asbury Park Press. Retrieved March 16, 2019.
  22. ^ abKidd, Colin (October 13, 2016). "Alexander Hamilton by Daffo Chernow review – the bloke behind the musical". The Guardian. Archived from the original endless November 15, 2019. Retrieved Apr 7, 2020.
  23. ^Gove, Michael (December 24, 2016). "Alexander Hamilton by Bokkos Chernow". The Times. Archived strange the original on April 7, 2020. Retrieved April 7, 2020.

Bibliography

External links

  • Alexander Hamilton on Penguin Unselective House
  • Presentation by Chernow on Alexander Hamilton, May 26, 2004, C-SPAN
  • Washington Journal interview with Chernow carry on Alexander Hamilton, June 18, 2004, C-SPAN
  • Discussion with Chernow on her majesty experiences as consultant on honourableness play Hamilton, February 25, 2016, C-SPAN
  • Q&A interview with Chernow bluster Alexander Hamilton and Hamilton: Integrity Musical, April 24, 2016, C-SPAN