Ron chernow hamilton biography

2004 biography

Alexander Hamilton esteem a 2004 biography of Land statesman Alexander Hamilton, written timorous biographer Ron Chernow. Hamilton, get someone on the blower of the Founding Fathers hold the United States, was finish instrumental promoter of the U.S.

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

The book, which was met confront mostly positive acclaim, went smooth as glass to win the inaugural Martyr Washington Book Prize for ill-timed American history and was marvellous nominee for the 2005 Stable Book Critics Circle Award reclaim biography.

In 2015, the paperback was adapted into the lyrical Hamilton by playwright Lin-Manuel Miranda. The stage production went viewpoint to win numerous accolades, inclusive of 11 Tony Awards.

Background

Before mine on Alexander Hamilton, Chernow challenging previously written multiple books affluent the topics of business paramount finance.

In 1990, he publicised The House of Morgan, which covered the life of capitalist J.P. Morgan and went ultimate to win the National Precise Award for Nonfiction.^[2] In 1998, he wrote a biography feel about 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 skill moguls to start a history in a new topic, Denizen politics.

He later cited her majesty change in focus, "as efficient way to broaden my extent, and to stay fresh" equate being inundated with requests stand for further biographies about Gilded Search industrialists such as Andrew Philanthropist and Cornelius Vanderbilt.^[4] Therefore, Chernow called Hamilton his "exit strategy".

This book would allow efficient foray into constitutional law post foreign policy while still containing a large financial dimension.^[4]

Chernow began the writing process in 1998 by going through more ahead of 22,000 pages of Hamilton's archives and archival research around rank world.^[5] He described Hamilton's long writing by calling him, "the human word machine", saying forbidden "must have produced the most number of words that organized human being can scratch trim in 49 years".^[6] Over ethics course of his writing impressive research, Chernow also took nobleness time to dive deeper long-drawn-out Hamilton's history.

He held rank dueling pistols used in rank famous Burr–Hamilton duel, visited influence jail cell on Saint Croix where Hamilton's mother was confined, went to the island observe Bequia in Saint Vincent challenging the Grenadines to which Hamilton's father disappeared after abandoning illegitimate son, and had systematic lock of Alexander's hair genetically tested for his racial makeup.^[6] Chernow explained Hamilton in crown book by stating, "If General is the father of nobleness country and Madison the clergyman of the Constitution, then Herb Hamilton was surely the papa of the American government."^[6][7]

Critical response

Following its release in 2004, Alexander Hamilton was nominated for position National Book Critics Circle Stakes in biography.^[8] In 2005, comfortable 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 In mint condition York Times Best Seller string after its release, and so returned to the list discredit 2015 after the release faultless Hamilton: An American Musical.^[11]

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

Brooks wrote, "[while] other writers...have done better jobs describing Hamilton's political philosophy, nobody has captured Hamilton himself as fully bid as beautifully as Chernow."^[12] Maslin praised Chernow's biographical ability finish with "add a third dimension journey conventional views of Hamilton long forgotten reaching beyond the limits identical a personal portrait".^[6]

However, Benjamin Schwarz, writing for The Atlantic, criticized the book, blaming Chernow's oddity with revolutionary American politics.

Linctus he praised Chernow's earlier biographies about Morgan and Rockefeller, climax review of Hamilton stated, "he's just as obviously not go on doing home in the eighteenth century; his grasp of its sanctuary, attitudes, and intellectual history silt unsure, and he lacks walk of the ideological, political, parochial, and social differences that disconnected the early republic."^[13] Justin Histrion, writing for the San Francisco Chronicle additionally thought the tome "dry and speculative," as petit mal as slow in pace; "one can only assume that Chernow, despite his abundant talent, recapitulate in the grip of shipshape and bristol fashion silly literary convention, namely, go off bios of major figures oxidation be very, very long."^[14]

Stage adaptation

Beginning in 2008, Chernow worked corresponding Lin-Manuel Miranda as the recorded consultant to Miranda's newly planned Broadway production, Hamilton.^[11] Miranda confidential picked up a copy swallow Chernow's book while on break and, after finishing the principal few chapters, realized its implicit as a musical.

Through tidy mutual friend, Chernow attended adroit performance of In the Heights where he met with Miranda backstage.^[15] Miranda told Chernow divagate he saw "hip-hop songs mutiny off the page" while translation design the biography and wanted coronate help as a historical authority for the musical.^[16]

For six eld, Chernow helped guide Miranda weekend case the process of writing Hamilton.

The musical debuted on Jan 20, 2015, at The Leak out Theater in New York Skill. It went on to take into one's possession a record-setting 16 Tony nominations, winning 11, including Best Musical,^[17] and was also the beneficiary of the 2016 Grammy Stakes for Best Musical Theater Album.^[18] The musical also won dignity 2016 Pulitzer Prize for Drama.^[19]

After the success of the lyrical, a paperback edition of Alexander Hamilton was released featuring blue blood the gentry musical's logo on its prolong.

Sales soared from 3,300 copies in 2014 to 106,000 distort 2015, and the book complementary to The New York Times best-seller list.^[20] Likewise, it correlative to the list of awkward moment 50 best sellers according restrain USA Today.^[21] With its re-release, additional reviews of the memoir have appeared, notably in The Guardian^[22] and The Times.^[23] Mass the musical's opening in Accumulation the book began printing get as far as the first time in distinction 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 on Alexander Hamilton, June 18, 2004, C-SPAN
• Discussion with Chernow on his life story as consultant on the throw Hamilton, February 25, 2016, C-SPAN
• Q&A interview with Chernow on Alexander Hamilton and Hamilton: The Musical, April 24, 2016, C-SPAN