Erik Larson (author)
- This page is about the non-fiction author. For the comic book writer, see Erik Larsen; for the Disney animator, see Eric Larson.
Erik Larson (born January 3, 1954) is an American journalist and author of nonfiction books. He has written a number of bestsellers,[1] such as The Devil in the White City (2003), about the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago and a series of murders by H. H. Holmes that were committed in the city around the time of the Fair; The Devil in the White City also won the 2004 Edgar Award in the Best Fact Crime category, among other awards.
Early life
Born in Brooklyn, Larson grew up in Freeport, Long Island, New York.[2]
He studied Russian history at the University of Pennsylvania and graduated summa cum laude in 1976. After a year off, he attended the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, graduating in 1978.[2][3] He was inspired to go into journalism after seeing the movie, All the President's Men.[4]
Journalism
Larson's first newspaper job was with The Bucks County Courier Times in Levittown, Pennsylvania, where he wrote about murder, witches, environmental poisons, and other "equally pleasant" things. He later became a features writer for The Wall Street Journal and TIME magazine, where he is still a contributing writer. His magazine stories have appeared in The New Yorker, The Atlantic Monthly, Harper's, and other publications.[4]
Books
Larson has also written a number of books, mostly historical nonfiction. In a 2016 interview with the Knoxville Mercury, Larson stated he does all of his own research, asking, "why should I let anybody else have that fun?" He also rejected the idea of trying to imagine or take factual liberties with scenes and conversations from the past, stating that in his work, "anything that appears in quote is something that came from a historical document." He included among his literary inspirations David McCullough, Barbara Tuchman, David Halberstam, and Walter Lord.[4]
Bibliography
- Larson, Erik (1992). The Naked Consumer: How Our Private Lives Become Public Commodities (1st ed.). H. Holt. ISBN 0805017550.
- Larson, Erik (1994). Lethal Passage: How the Travels of a Single Handgun Expose the Roots of America's Gun Crisis (1st ed.). New York: Crown Publishers. ISBN 0517596776.
- Larson, Erik (1999). Isaac's Storm: A Man, a Time, and the Deadliest Hurricane in History (1st ed.). Random House Publishing. ISBN 0-609-60233-0. Concerns the experiences of Isaac Cline during the Galveston Hurricane of 1900.[5]
- Larson, Erik (2002). The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic and Madness at the Fair That Changed America (1st ed.). New York: Crown Publishers. ISBN 0-609-60844-4.
- Larson, Erik (2006). Thunderstruck (1st ed.). New York: Crown Publishers. ISBN 9781400080663. Intersperses the story of Hawley Harvey Crippen with that of Guglielmo Marconi and the invention of radio.
- Larson, Erik (2011). In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin (1st ed.). New York: Crown Publishers. ISBN 9780307408846. Concerns William E. Dodd, the first American ambassador to Nazi Germany and his daughter.[1]
- Larson, Erik (March 10, 2015). Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania. Crown. ISBN 9780307408860.[6]
Teaching and public speaking
Larson has taught non-fiction writing at San Francisco State University, the Johns Hopkins Writing Seminars, and the University of Oregon, and he has spoken to audiences from coast to coast.
Personal life
Larson and his wife have three daughters. They reside in New York City as well as maintain a home in Seattle, Washington.[3]
He has lived in Philadelphia, Bristol, Pennsylvania, San Francisco, and Baltimore.
References
- 1 2 "Erik Larson: Best-selling Author of In the Garden of Beasts". Erik Larson: The Books. Retrieved May 25, 2012.
- 1 2 "Erik Larson, 2003 National Book Award Finalist: Nonfiction, The National Book Foundation". NationalBook.org. 2003. Retrieved May 25, 2012.
- 1 2 "About The Author - Erik Larson : Best-selling Author of In the Garden of Beasts". ErickLarsonbooks.com. Retrieved May 25, 2012.
- 1 2 3 Everett, Matthew. "Q&A: Author Erik Larson." Knoxville Mercury, 16 March 2016.
- ↑ Larson, Erik (1999). Isaac's Storm: A Man, a Time, and the Deadliest Hurricane in History. Random House Publishing. ISBN 0-609-60233-0.
- ↑ Larson, Erik (March 10, 2015). Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania. Crown. ISBN 9780307408860.
External links
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- Official website
- Official Random House page for The Devil in the White City
- Official Random House page for Isaac's Storm
- Interview at Identity Theory
- Interview on The Devil in the White City, Booknotes, 14 September 2003
- NPR:Fresh Air interview with Larson about In the Garden of the Beasts, May 9, 2011
- Appearances on C-SPAN