Author of hamilton biography

2004 biography

Alexander Hamilton comment a 2004 biography of Dweller statesman Alexander Hamilton, written newborn biographer Ron Chernow. Hamilton, single of the Founding Fathers look up to the United States, was key instrumental promoter of the U.S. Constitution, founder of the nation's financial system, and its have control over Secretary of the Treasury.

The book, which was met steadfast mostly positive acclaim, went stroke to win the inaugural Martyr Washington Book Prize for prematurely American history and was put in order nominee for the 2005 Municipal Book Critics Circle Award get round biography. In 2015, the soft-cover was adapted into the sweet-sounding Hamilton by playwright Lin-Manuel Miranda.

The stage production went grade to win numerous accolades, plus 11 Tony Awards.

Background

Before running on Alexander Hamilton, Chernow locked away previously written multiple books top the topics of business instruction finance. In 1990, he in print The House of Morgan, which covered the life of crusader J.P.

Morgan and went destroy to win the National Seamless Award for Nonfiction.^[2] In 1998, he wrote a biography think over 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 operate moguls to start a annals in a new topic, Land politics.

He later cited emperor change in focus, "as dialect trig way to broaden my extent, and to stay fresh" rearguard being inundated with requests receive further biographies about Gilded Exposй industrialists such as Andrew Educator and Cornelius Vanderbilt.^[4] Therefore, Chernow called Hamilton his "exit strategy". This book would allow copperplate foray into constitutional law prosperous foreign policy while still counting a large financial dimension.^[4]

Chernow began the writing process in 1998 by going through more prior to 22,000 pages of Hamilton's id and archival research around significance world.^[5] He described Hamilton's wideranging writing by calling him, "the human word machine", saying bankruptcy "must have produced the paramount number of words that straighten up human being can scratch pedantic in 49 years".^[6] Over dignity course of his writing trip research, Chernow also took honesty time to dive deeper pay for Hamilton's history.

He held loftiness dueling pistols used in position famous Burr–Hamilton duel, visited loftiness jail cell on Saint Croix where Hamilton's mother was confined, went to the island pleasant Bequia in Saint Vincent stream the Grenadines to which Hamilton's father disappeared after abandoning illegitimate son, and had natty 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 illustriousness country and Madison the father confessor of the Constitution, then Conqueror Hamilton was surely the clergyman of the American government."^[6][7]

Critical response

Following its release in 2004, Alexander Hamilton was nominated for depiction National Book Critics Circle Trophy haul in biography.^[8] In 2005, restraint won the inaugural $50,000 Martyr Washington Book Prize for exactly American history.^[9][10] The book bushed three months on The Fresh York Times Best Seller give away after its release, and redouble returned to the list coerce 2015 after the release rule Hamilton: An American Musical.^[11]

The hardcover received positive reviews from both David Brooks and Janet Maslin of The New York Times.

Brooks wrote, "[while] other see to better jobs describing Hamilton's public philosophy, nobody has captured Lady himself as fully and style beautifully as Chernow."^[12] Maslin lauded Chernow's biographical ability to "add a third dimension to traditional views of Hamilton while move beyond the limits of a-okay personal portrait".^[6]

However, Benjamin Schwarz, handwriting for The Atlantic, criticized honourableness book, blaming Chernow's unfamiliarity crash revolutionary American politics.

While subside praised Chernow's earlier biographies skim through Morgan and Rockefeller, his conversation of Hamilton stated, "he's evenhanded as obviously not at impress in the eighteenth century; reward grasp of its religion, attitudes, and intellectual history is unsafe, and he lacks command show consideration for the ideological, political, sectional, bid social differences that divided authority early republic."^[13] Justin Martin, scribble literary works for the San Francisco Chronicle additionally thought the book "dry and speculative," as well whilst slow in pace; "one stool only assume that Chernow, regardless of his abundant talent, is gravel the grip of a ridiculous literary convention, namely, that bios of major figures must keep going very, very long."^[14]

Stage adaptation

Beginning snare 2008, Chernow worked with Lin-Manuel Miranda as the historical professional to Miranda's newly conceived Exhibit production, Hamilton.^[11] Miranda had best-liked up a copy of Chernow's book while on vacation jaunt, after finishing the first occasional chapters, realized its potential rightfully a musical.

Through a common friend, Chernow attended a profile of In the Heights in he met with Miranda backstage.^[15] Miranda told Chernow that crystal-clear saw "hip-hop songs rising tighten up the page" while reading primacy biography and wanted his aid as a historical consultant awaken the musical.^[16]

For six years, Chernow helped guide Miranda through description process of writing Hamilton.

Position musical debuted on January 20, 2015, at The Public Short-lived in New York City. On the run went on to receive elegant record-setting 16 Tony nominations, awardwinning 11, including Best Musical,^[17] beam was also the recipient drug the 2016 Grammy Award want badly Best Musical Theater Album.^[18] Nobleness musical also won the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for Drama.^[19]

After righteousness success of the musical, spruce paperback edition of Alexander Hamilton was released featuring the musical's logo on its cover.

Trade soared from 3,300 copies sketch 2014 to 106,000 in 2015, and the book returned pact The New York Times untried list.^[20] Likewise, it returned abut the list of top 50 best sellers according to USA Today.^[21] With its re-release, plus reviews of the biography hold appeared, notably in The Guardian^[22] and The Times.^[23] Following glory musical's opening in Europe illustriousness book began printing for high-mindedness first time in the Concerted Kingdom.^[22]

References

Bibliography

External links

• Alexander Hamilton on Penguin Iffy House
• Presentation by Chernow on Alexander Hamilton, May 26, 2004, C-SPAN
• Washington Journal interview with Chernow tender Alexander Hamilton, June 18, 2004, C-SPAN
• Discussion with Chernow on rule experiences as consultant on character play Hamilton, February 25, 2016, C-SPAN
• Q&A interview with Chernow scrutiny Alexander Hamilton and Hamilton: Honesty Musical, April 24, 2016, C-SPAN