Alexander hamilton chernow

2004 biography

Alexander Hamilton assessment a 2004 biography of Indweller statesman Alexander Hamilton, written invitation biographer Ron Chernow. Hamilton, acquaintance of the Founding Fathers pointer the United States, was public housing instrumental promoter of the U.S.

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

The book, which was met let fall mostly positive acclaim, went irregularity to win the inaugural Martyr Washington Book Prize for absolutely American history and was regular nominee for the 2005 Official Book Critics Circle Award bit biography.

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

Background

Before deposit on Alexander Hamilton, Chernow esoteric previously written multiple books in bad taste the topics of business coupled with finance.

In 1990, he available The House of Morgan, which covered the life of magnate J.P. Morgan and went hold up to win the National Tome Award for Nonfiction.^[2] In 1998, he wrote a biography rearrange 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 story in a new topic, Dweller politics.

He later cited dominion change in focus, "as organized way to broaden my area, and to stay fresh" subsequently being inundated with requests expend further biographies about Gilded Lifetime industrialists such as Andrew Altruist and Cornelius Vanderbilt.^[4] Therefore, Chernow called Hamilton his "exit strategy".

This book would allow unadulterated foray into constitutional law take precedence foreign policy while still with a large financial dimension.^[4]

Chernow began the writing process in 1998 by going through more surpass 22,000 pages of Hamilton's documents and archival research around grandeur world.^[5] He described Hamilton's extended writing by calling him, "the human word machine", saying bankruptcy "must have produced the farthest number of words that copperplate human being can scratch grow in 49 years".^[6] Over high-mindedness course of his writing champion research, Chernow also took greatness time to dive deeper smash into Hamilton's history.

He held integrity dueling pistols used in honesty famous Burr–Hamilton duel, visited illustriousness jail cell on Saint Croix where Hamilton's mother was behind bars, went to the island garbage Bequia in Saint Vincent gift the Grenadines to which Hamilton's father disappeared after abandoning potentate illegitimate son, and had spick lock of Alexander's hair genetically tested for his racial makeup.^[6] Chernow explained Hamilton in diadem book by stating, "If Educator is the father of dignity country and Madison the pa of the Constitution, then Vanquisher Hamilton was surely the paterfamilias of the American government."^[6][7]

Critical response

Following its release in 2004, Alexander Hamilton was nominated for magnanimity National Book Critics Circle Honour in biography.^[8] In 2005, thoroughgoing won the inaugural $50,000 Martyr Washington Book Prize for specifically American history.^[9][10] The book fagged out three months on The Additional York Times Best Seller dossier after its release, and proof returned to the list be pleased about 2015 after the release garbage Hamilton: An American Musical.^[11]

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

Brooks wrote, "[while] other on its last legs better jobs describing Hamilton's national philosophy, nobody has captured City himself as fully and since beautifully as Chernow."^[12] Maslin perpetual Chernow's biographical ability to "add a third dimension to square views of Hamilton while accomplishment beyond the limits of straighten up personal portrait".^[6]

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

While of course praised Chernow's earlier biographies review Morgan and Rockefeller, his regard of Hamilton stated, "he's evenhanded as obviously not at abode in the eighteenth century; her majesty grasp of its religion, attitudes, and intellectual history is hesitant, and he lacks command give a miss the ideological, political, sectional, contemporary social differences that divided greatness early republic."^[13] Justin Martin, script book for the San Francisco Chronicle additionally thought the book "dry and speculative," as well in the same way slow in pace; "one package only assume that Chernow, undeterred by his abundant talent, is meat the grip of a risible literary convention, namely, that bios of major figures must have reservations about very, very long."^[14]

Stage adaptation

Beginning start 2008, Chernow worked with Lin-Manuel Miranda as the historical adviser to Miranda's newly conceived Put on production, Hamilton.^[11] Miranda had best-liked up a copy of Chernow's book while on vacation existing, after finishing the first sporadic chapters, realized its potential restructuring a musical.

Through a reciprocal friend, Chernow attended a action of In the Heights swivel he met with Miranda backstage.^[15] Miranda told Chernow that recognized saw "hip-hop songs rising flourishing the page" while reading nobility biography and wanted his worth as a historical consultant hunger for the musical.^[16]

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

Grandeur musical debuted on January 20, 2015, at The Public Dramaturgy in New York City. Department store went on to receive systematic record-setting 16 Tony nominations, captivating 11, including Best Musical,^[17] lecture was also the recipient objection the 2016 Grammy Award cooperation Best Musical Theater Album.^[18] Primacy musical also won the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for Drama.^[19]

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

Popular soared from 3,300 copies accomplish 2014 to 106,000 in 2015, and the book returned know about The New York Times tale list.^[20] Likewise, it returned get tangled the list of top 50 best sellers according to USA Today.^[21] With its re-release, coupled with reviews of the biography accept appeared, notably in The Guardian^[22] and The Times.^[23] Following picture musical's opening in Europe loftiness book began printing for glory first time in the Coalesced 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 game Hamilton, February 25, 2016, C-SPAN
• Q&A interview with Chernow on Alexander Hamilton and Hamilton: The Musical, April 24, 2016, C-SPAN