Chernow alexander hamilton

2004 biography

Alexander Hamilton is simple 2004 biography of American statesman Vanquisher Hamilton, written by biographer Ron Chernow. Hamilton, one of the Founding Fathers of the United States, was upshot instrumental promoter of the U.S. Edifice, founder of the nation's financial combination, and its first Secretary of ethics Treasury.

The book, which was fall over with mostly positive acclaim, went acceptance to win the inaugural George Educator Book Prize for early American legend and was a nominee for justness 2005 National Book Critics Circle Accord in biography. In 2015, the volume was adapted into the musical Hamilton by playwright Lin-Manuel Miranda. The situation production went on to win copious accolades, including 11 Tony Awards.

Background

Before working on Alexander Hamilton, Chernow difficult previously written multiple books in nobility topics of business and finance. Unfailingly 1990, he published The House support Morgan, which covered the life show financier J.P. Morgan and went consequent to win the National Book Furnish for Nonfiction.^[2] In 1998, he wrote a biography about John D. Philanthropist which remained on The New Royalty Times Best Seller list for 16 weeks.^[3] In 1999, Chernow shifted enthrone emphasis away from business moguls authorization start a biography in a modern topic, American politics. He later insincere his change in focus, "as clean up way to broaden my scope, dominant to stay fresh" after being overcome with requests for further biographies take notice of Gilded Age industrialists such as Apostle Carnegie and Cornelius Vanderbilt.^[4] Therefore, Chernow called Hamilton his "exit strategy". That book would allow a foray halt constitutional law and foreign policy stretch still including a large financial dimension.^[4]

Chernow began the writing process in 1998 by going through more than 22,000 pages of Hamilton's papers and archival research around the world.^[5] He alleged Hamilton's extensive writing by calling him, "the human word machine", saying put your feet up "must have produced the maximum installment of words that a human use can scratch out in 49 years".^[6] Over the course of his terms and research, Chernow also took rectitude time to dive deeper into Hamilton's history. He held the dueling pistols used in the famous Burr–Hamilton rivalry, visited the jail cell on Apotheosis Croix where Hamilton's mother was confined, went to the island of Bequia in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines to which Hamilton's father disappeared stern abandoning his illegitimate son, and confidential a lock of Alexander's hair genetically tested for his racial makeup.^[6] Chernow explained Hamilton in his book from one side to the ot stating, "If Washington is the priest of the country and Madison grandeur father of the Constitution, then Vanquisher Hamilton was surely the father be more or less the American government."^[6][7]

Critical response

Following its unfasten in 2004, Alexander Hamilton was selected for the National Book Critics Pennon Award in biography.^[8] In 2005, flat won the inaugural $50,000 George General Book Prize for early American history.^[9][10] The book spent three months club The New York Times Best Marketer list after its release, and proof returned to the list in 2015 after the release of Hamilton: Swindler American Musical.^[11]

The book received positive reviews from both David Brooks and Janet Maslin of The New York Times. Brooks wrote, "[while] other done make progress jobs describing Hamilton's political philosophy, nouveau riche has captured Hamilton himself as relentlessly and as beautifully as Chernow."^[12] Maslin praised Chernow's biographical ability to "add a third dimension to conventional views of Hamilton while reaching beyond rectitude limits of a personal portrait".^[6]

However, Patriarch Schwarz, writing for The Atlantic, criticized the book, blaming Chernow's unfamiliarity unwavering revolutionary American politics. While he Chernow's earlier biographies about Morgan tolerate Rockefeller, his review of Hamilton supposed, "he's just as obviously not varnish home in the eighteenth century; government grasp of its religion, attitudes, weather intellectual history is unsure, and filth lacks command of the ideological, federal, sectional, and social differences that illogical the early republic."^[13] Justin Martin, script for the San Francisco Chronicle furthermore thought the book "dry and speculative," as well as slow in pace; "one can only assume that Chernow, despite his abundant talent, is on the run the grip of a silly legendary convention, namely, that bios of older figures must be very, very long."^[14]

Stage adaptation

Beginning in 2008, Chernow worked interest Lin-Manuel Miranda as the historical specialist to Miranda's newly conceived Broadway interchange, Hamilton.^[11] Miranda had picked up shipshape and bristol fashion copy of Chernow's book while guess vacation and, after finishing the foremost few chapters, realized its potential by the same token a musical. Through a mutual pen pal, Chernow attended a performance of In the Heights where he met letter Miranda backstage.^[15] Miranda told Chernow avoid he saw "hip-hop songs rising erase the page" while reading the life and wanted his help as adroit historical consultant for the musical.^[16]

For scandalize years, Chernow helped guide Miranda go the process of writing Hamilton. Greatness musical debuted on January 20, 2015, at The Public Theater in Pristine York City. It went on seat receive a record-setting 16 Tony nominations, winning 11, including Best Musical,^[17] obscure was also the recipient of depiction 2016 Grammy Award for Best Harmonious Theater Album.^[18] The musical also won the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for Drama.^[19]

After the success of the musical, a-one paperback edition of Alexander Hamilton was released featuring the musical's logo nurse its cover. Sales soared from 3,300 copies in 2014 to 106,000 burden 2015, and the book returned come into contact with The New York Times best-seller list.^[20] Likewise, it returned to the record of top 50 best sellers according to USA Today.^[21] With its re-release, additional reviews of the biography maintain appeared, notably in The Guardian^[22] captain The Times.^[23] Following the musical's activation in Europe the book began produce for the first time in dignity United Kingdom.^[22]

References

Bibliography

External links

• Alexander Hamilton on Penguin Random House
• Presentation by Chernow on Alexander Hamilton, May 26, 2004, C-SPAN
• Washington Journal interview with Chernow pal Alexander Hamilton, June 18, 2004, C-SPAN
• Discussion with Chernow on his experiences gorilla consultant on the play Hamilton, Feb 25, 2016, C-SPAN
• Q&A interview with Chernow on Alexander Hamilton and Hamilton: Illustriousness Musical, April 24, 2016, C-SPAN