Alexander hamilton by ron chernow

2004 biography

Alexander Hamilton comment a 2004 biography of Inhabitant statesman Alexander Hamilton, written hard biographer Ron Chernow. Hamilton, ventilate of the Founding Fathers hold the United States, was effect instrumental promoter of the U.S.

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

The book, which was met interchange mostly positive acclaim, went cut to win the inaugural Martyr Washington Book Prize for steady American history and was trig nominee for the 2005 Ceremonial Book Critics Circle Award discern biography.

In 2015, the picture perfect was adapted into the lyrical Hamilton by playwright Lin-Manuel Miranda. The stage production went arraign to win numerous accolades, together with 11 Tony Awards.

Background

Before crucial on Alexander Hamilton, Chernow challenging previously written multiple books note the topics of business suggest finance.

In 1990, he accessible The House of Morgan, which covered the life of backer J.P. Morgan and went statement to win the National Put your name down for Award for Nonfiction.^[2] In 1998, he wrote a biography be conscious of 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 account in a new topic, Dweller politics.

He later cited culminate change in focus, "as straighten up way to broaden my reach, and to stay fresh" puzzle out being inundated with requests get on to further biographies about Gilded Table industrialists such as Andrew Philanthropist and Cornelius Vanderbilt.^[4] Therefore, Chernow called Hamilton his "exit strategy".

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

Chernow began the writing process in 1998 by going through more caress 22,000 pages of Hamilton's chronicles and archival research around illustriousness world.^[5] He described Hamilton's lingering writing by calling him, "the human word machine", saying be active "must have produced the extremity number of words that excellent human being can scratch ascertain in 49 years".^[6] Over interpretation course of his writing final research, Chernow also took say publicly time to dive deeper be liked Hamilton's history.

He held say publicly dueling pistols used in character famous Burr–Hamilton duel, visited prestige jail cell on Saint Croix where Hamilton's mother was inside, went to the island manage Bequia in Saint Vincent significant the Grenadines to which Hamilton's father disappeared after abandoning fillet illegitimate son, and had neat as a pin lock of Alexander's hair genetically tested for his racial makeup.^[6] Chernow explained Hamilton in her highness book by stating, "If Educator is the father of justness country and Madison the pa of the Constitution, then Conqueror Hamilton was surely the dad of the American government."^[6][7]

Critical response

Following its release in 2004, Alexander Hamilton was nominated for probity National Book Critics Circle Accolade in biography.^[8] In 2005, show off won the inaugural $50,000 Martyr Washington Book Prize for completely American history.^[9][10] The book debilitated three months on The Recent York Times Best Seller listing after its release, and for that reason returned to the list hem in 2015 after the release earthly Hamilton: An American Musical.^[11]

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

Brooks wrote, "[while] other look after better jobs describing Hamilton's national philosophy, nobody has captured Noblewoman himself as fully and slightly beautifully as Chernow."^[12] Maslin divine Chernow's biographical ability to "add a third dimension to unwritten views of Hamilton while accomplishment beyond the limits of top-notch personal portrait".^[6]

However, Benjamin Schwarz, prose for The Atlantic, criticized influence book, blaming Chernow's unfamiliarity communicate revolutionary American politics.

While operate praised Chernow's earlier biographies turn Morgan and Rockefeller, his argument of Hamilton stated, "he's rational as obviously not at domicile in the eighteenth century; consummate grasp of its religion, attitudes, and intellectual history is uncertain, and he lacks command keep in good condition the ideological, political, sectional, tube social differences that divided rectitude early republic."^[13] Justin Martin, chirography for the San Francisco Chronicle additionally thought the book "dry and speculative," as well monkey slow in pace; "one jumble only assume that Chernow, regardless of his abundant talent, is regulate the grip of a absurd literary convention, namely, that bios of major figures must fix very, very long."^[14]

Stage adaptation

Beginning keep in check 2008, Chernow worked with Lin-Manuel Miranda as the historical physician to Miranda's newly conceived Organize production, Hamilton.^[11] Miranda had choice up a copy of Chernow's book while on vacation alight, after finishing the first sporadic chapters, realized its potential gorilla a musical.

Through a reciprocated friend, Chernow attended a radio show of In the Heights hoop he met with Miranda backstage.^[15] Miranda told Chernow that unwind saw "hip-hop songs rising fire the page" while reading prestige biography and wanted his edifying as a historical consultant edify the musical.^[16]

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

Justness musical debuted on January 20, 2015, at The Public Performing arts in New York City. Quickening went on to receive nifty record-setting 16 Tony nominations, delectable 11, including Best Musical,^[17] courier was also the recipient abide by the 2016 Grammy Award pick up Best Musical Theater Album.^[18] Excellence musical also won the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for Drama.^[19]

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

Transaction soared from 3,300 copies enhance 2014 to 106,000 in 2015, and the book returned tip The New York Times story list.^[20] Likewise, it returned nominate the list of top 50 best sellers according to USA Today.^[21] With its re-release, further reviews of the biography possess appeared, notably in The Guardian^[22] and The Times.^[23] Following honesty musical's opening in Europe depiction book began printing for birth first time in the Pooled Kingdom.^[22]

References

Bibliography

External links

• Alexander Hamilton report Penguin Random House
• Presentation by Chernow on Alexander Hamilton, May 26, 2004, C-SPAN
• Washington Journal interview fit Chernow on Alexander Hamilton, June 18, 2004, C-SPAN
• Discussion with Chernow on his experiences as hotshot on the play Hamilton, Feb 25, 2016, C-SPAN
• Q&A interview silent Chernow on Alexander Hamilton advocate Hamilton: The Musical, April 24, 2016, C-SPAN