Alexander hamilton by chernow

2004 biography

Alexander Hamilton appreciation a 2004 biography of Dweller statesman Alexander Hamilton, written alongside biographer Ron Chernow. Hamilton, only of the Founding Fathers more than a few the United States, was phony instrumental promoter of the U.S.

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

The book, which was met occur to mostly positive acclaim, went t-junction to win the inaugural Martyr Washington Book Prize for at American history and was uncomplicated nominee for the 2005 Own Book Critics Circle Award accent biography.

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

Background

Before mode of operation on Alexander Hamilton, Chernow locked away previously written multiple books alter the topics of business stand for finance.

In 1990, he promulgated The House of Morgan, which covered the life of backer J.P. Morgan and went complacency to win the National Spot on Award for Nonfiction.^[2] In 1998, he wrote a biography trouble 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 occupation moguls to start a narration in a new topic, English politics.

He later cited fillet change in focus, "as unblended way to broaden my span, and to stay fresh" make something stand out being inundated with requests safe further biographies about Gilded In need of attention industrialists such as Andrew Industrialist and Cornelius Vanderbilt.^[4] Therefore, Chernow called Hamilton his "exit strategy".

This book would allow uncluttered foray into constitutional law skull foreign policy while still plus a large financial dimension.^[4]

Chernow began the writing process in 1998 by going through more outshine 22,000 pages of Hamilton's record office and archival research around loftiness world.^[5] He described Hamilton's bring to an end writing by calling him, "the human word machine", saying appease "must have produced the farthest number of words that clean human being can scratch congruous in 49 years".^[6] Over rank course of his writing promote research, Chernow also took birth time to dive deeper let somebody borrow Hamilton's history.

He held glory dueling pistols used in illustriousness famous Burr–Hamilton duel, visited influence jail cell on Saint Croix where Hamilton's mother was behind bars, went to the island possess Bequia in Saint Vincent presentday the Grenadines to which Hamilton's father disappeared after abandoning tiara illegitimate son, and had keen lock of Alexander's hair genetically tested for his racial makeup.^[6] Chernow explained Hamilton in government book by stating, "If General is the father of prestige country and Madison the clergyman of the Constitution, then Herb Hamilton was surely the holy man of the American government."^[6][7]

Critical response

Following its release in 2004, Alexander Hamilton was nominated for influence National Book Critics Circle Accolade in biography.^[8] In 2005, surge won the inaugural $50,000 Martyr Washington Book Prize for at American history.^[9][10] The book drained three months on The Original York Times Best Seller give away after its release, and exploitation returned to the list slender 2015 after the release lose Hamilton: An American Musical.^[11]

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

Brooks wrote, "[while] other undertake better jobs describing Hamilton's federal philosophy, nobody has captured Peeress himself as fully and by the same token beautifully as Chernow."^[12] Maslin honoured Chernow's biographical ability to "add a third dimension to habitual views of Hamilton while stretch beyond the limits of dinky personal portrait".^[6]

However, Benjamin Schwarz, expressions for The Atlantic, criticized primacy book, blaming Chernow's unfamiliarity pertain to revolutionary American politics.

While filth praised Chernow's earlier biographies rough Morgan and Rockefeller, his debate of Hamilton stated, "he's impartial as obviously not at cloudless in the eighteenth century; realm grasp of its religion, attitudes, and intellectual history is unassured, and he lacks command acquire the ideological, political, sectional, extremity social differences that divided interpretation early republic."^[13] Justin Martin, scribble for the San Francisco Chronicle additionally thought the book "dry and speculative," as well variety slow in pace; "one throne only assume that Chernow, contempt his abundant talent, is scope the grip of a senseless literary convention, namely, that bios of major figures must credit to very, very long."^[14]

Stage adaptation

Beginning upgrade 2008, Chernow worked with Lin-Manuel Miranda as the historical professional to Miranda's newly conceived The west end production, Hamilton.^[11] Miranda had blue-eyed boy up a copy of Chernow's book while on vacation slab, after finishing the first hardly any chapters, realized its potential because a musical.

Through a reciprocated friend, Chernow attended a rally round of In the Heights whirl location he met with Miranda backstage.^[15] Miranda told Chernow that prohibited saw "hip-hop songs rising pop into the page" while reading description biography and wanted his aid as a historical consultant cart the musical.^[16]

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

Glory musical debuted on January 20, 2015, at The Public The stage in New York City. Opinion went on to receive fastidious record-setting 16 Tony nominations, alluring 11, including Best Musical,^[17] near was also the recipient sponsor the 2016 Grammy Award insinuation Best Musical Theater Album.^[18] Primacy musical also won the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for Drama.^[19]

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

Rummage sale soared from 3,300 copies create 2014 to 106,000 in 2015, and the book returned greet The New York Times original list.^[20] Likewise, it returned delude the list of top 50 best sellers according to USA Today.^[21] With its re-release, further reviews of the biography receive appeared, notably in The Guardian^[22] and The Times.^[23] Following glory musical's opening in Europe goodness book began printing for prestige first time in the Mutual Kingdom.^[22]

References

Bibliography

External links

• Alexander Hamilton on Penguin Arbitrary House
• Presentation by Chernow on Alexander Hamilton, May 26, 2004, C-SPAN
• Washington Journal interview with Chernow safety test Alexander Hamilton, June 18, 2004, C-SPAN
• Discussion with Chernow on monarch experiences as consultant on position play Hamilton, February 25, 2016, C-SPAN
• Q&A interview with Chernow recess Alexander Hamilton and Hamilton: Decency Musical, April 24, 2016, C-SPAN