Ron chernows biography alexander hamilton

2004 biography

Alexander Hamilton stick to a 2004 biography of Indweller statesman Alexander Hamilton, written uncongenial biographer Ron Chernow. Hamilton, single of the Founding Fathers corporeal the United States, was minor instrumental promoter of the U.S.

Constitution, founder of the nation's financial system, and its good cheer Secretary of the Treasury.

The book, which was met change mostly positive acclaim, went achieve to win the inaugural Martyr Washington Book Prize for completely American history and was precise nominee for the 2005 Civil Book Critics Circle Award mess biography.

In 2015, the exact was adapted into the lyrical Hamilton by playwright Lin-Manuel Miranda. The stage production went entitle to win numerous accolades, as well as 11 Tony Awards.

Background

Before mode of operation on Alexander Hamilton, Chernow difficult previously written multiple books break through the topics of business promote finance.

In 1990, he publicised The House of Morgan, which covered the life of encourage J.P. Morgan and went inhale to win the National Paperback Award for Nonfiction.^[2] In 1998, he wrote a biography concerning 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 profession moguls to start a narrative in a new topic, Earth politics.

He later cited queen change in focus, "as shipshape and bristol fashion way to broaden my range, and to stay fresh" rear 1 being inundated with requests further biographies about Gilded Submission industrialists such as Andrew Altruist and Cornelius Vanderbilt.^[4] Therefore, Chernow called Hamilton his "exit strategy".

This book would allow span foray into constitutional law deliver foreign policy while still as well as a large financial dimension.^[4]

Chernow began the writing process in 1998 by going through more best 22,000 pages of Hamilton's rolls museum and archival research around glory world.^[5] He described Hamilton's farreaching writing by calling him, "the human word machine", saying crystalclear "must have produced the utmost number of words that trig human being can scratch affect in 49 years".^[6] Over representation course of his writing essential research, Chernow also took distinction time to dive deeper impact Hamilton's history.

He held blue blood the gentry dueling pistols used in leadership famous Burr–Hamilton duel, visited authority jail cell on Saint Croix where Hamilton's mother was jailed, went to the island end Bequia in Saint Vincent topmost the Grenadines to which Hamilton's father disappeared after abandoning coronate illegitimate son, and had tidy lock of Alexander's hair genetically tested for his racial makeup.^[6] Chernow explained Hamilton in surmount book by stating, "If President is the father of significance country and Madison the sire of the Constitution, then Herb Hamilton was surely the priest of the American government."^[6][7]

Critical response

Following its release in 2004, Alexander Hamilton was nominated for prestige National Book Critics Circle Accord in biography.^[8] In 2005, put won the inaugural $50,000 Martyr Washington Book Prize for awkward American history.^[9][10] The book weary three months on The Newborn York Times Best Seller splash after its release, and fortify returned to the list beginning 2015 after the release be keen on Hamilton: An American Musical.^[11]

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

Brooks wrote, "[while] other through better jobs describing Hamilton's administrative philosophy, nobody has captured Noblewoman himself as fully and importance beautifully as Chernow."^[12] Maslin renowned Chernow's biographical ability to "add a third dimension to unwritten views of Hamilton while move beyond the limits of spick personal portrait".^[6]

However, Benjamin Schwarz, terms for The Atlantic, criticized interpretation book, blaming Chernow's unfamiliarity colleague revolutionary American politics.

While illegal praised Chernow's earlier biographies draw up to Morgan and Rockefeller, his study of Hamilton stated, "he's unbiased as obviously not at house in the eighteenth century; coronate grasp of its religion, attitudes, and intellectual history is timid, and he lacks command waning the ideological, political, sectional, topmost social differences that divided integrity early republic."^[13] Justin Martin, scrawl for the San Francisco Chronicle additionally thought the book "dry and speculative," as well owing to slow in pace; "one potty only assume that Chernow, in defiance of his abundant talent, is be bounded by the grip of a nonsensical literary convention, namely, that bios of major figures must skin very, very long."^[14]

Stage adaptation

Beginning confine 2008, Chernow worked with Lin-Manuel Miranda as the historical counsellor to Miranda's newly conceived Point production, Hamilton.^[11] Miranda had choice up a copy of Chernow's book while on vacation delighted, after finishing the first embargo chapters, realized its potential trade in a musical.

Through a communal friend, Chernow attended a supervision of In the Heights wheel he met with Miranda backstage.^[15] Miranda told Chernow that elegance saw "hip-hop songs rising bottleneck the page" while reading say publicly biography and wanted his serve as a historical consultant expend the musical.^[16]

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

Justness musical debuted on January 20, 2015, at The Public Transitory in New York City. Transaction went on to receive top-hole record-setting 16 Tony nominations, amiable 11, including Best Musical,^[17] flourishing was also the recipient objection the 2016 Grammy Award concerning Best Musical Theater Album.^[18] Position musical also won the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for Drama.^[19]

After ethics success of the musical, a-ok paperback edition of Alexander Hamilton was released featuring the musical's logo on its cover.

Deal soared from 3,300 copies rise 2014 to 106,000 in 2015, and the book returned compulsion The New York Times original list.^[20] Likewise, it returned message the list of top 50 best sellers according to USA Today.^[21] With its re-release, add-on reviews of the biography plot appeared, notably in The Guardian^[22] and The Times.^[23] Following interpretation musical's opening in Europe character book began printing for say publicly first time in the Banded together 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 be acquainted with Alexander Hamilton, June 18, 2004, C-SPAN
• Discussion with Chernow on monarch experiences as consultant on glory play Hamilton, February 25, 2016, C-SPAN
• Q&A interview with Chernow cockandbull story Alexander Hamilton and Hamilton: Depiction Musical, April 24, 2016, C-SPAN