Laurence Bergreen
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Laurence Bergreen | |
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| Born | Laurence R. Bergreen[1] February 4, 1950[1] New York City[1] |
| Occupation | Writer |
| Writing career | |
| Period | 1980–present |
| Genres | History, biography |
| Notable works | Over the Edge of the World (2003), Capone: The Man and the Era (1994), Irving Berlin (1990) |
| Website | laurencebergreenauthor.com |
Laurence Bergreen (February 4, 1950–[1]) is an American popular historian and biographer known for his narrative accounts of exploration, science, and cultural history. His works include biographies of Ferdinand Magellan, Marco Polo, and Louis Armstrong, as well as studies of NASA’s Mars missions. They have been widely read,[according to whom?] and translated into multiple languages.[not verified in body]
Early life and education
[edit]![[icon]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Wiki_letter_w_cropped.svg){kind=small} | This section needs expansion with: the further content, third party source-derived, that is standard for this section, including information on family, and early life and education. You can help by adding missing information. (September 2026) |
Laurence Bergreen was born on February 4, 1950, in New York City.[1] He graduated from Harvard University in 1972.[according to whom?]
Career
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General
[edit]Bergreen worked in journalism, academia and broadcasting before publishing his first biography, James Agee: A Life.[when?][citation needed] Bergreen has written for The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, The Wall Street Journal, the Chicago Tribune, Newsweek, and Esquire.[citation needed]
Bergreen has written books on historical subjects, such as Voyage to Mars: NASA's Search for Life Beyond Earth, a narrative of NASA's exploration of Mars,[citation needed] and Over the Edge of the World: Magellan's Terrifying Circumnavigation of the Globe,[citation needed] as well as Marco Polo: From Venice to Xanadu.[citation needed]
Bergreen is a member of PEN American Center,[citation needed] The Explorers Club,[citation needed] the Authors Guild,[citation needed] and the Board of Trustees of the New York Society Library.[citation needed]
Specific associations
[edit]In 1995, he served as a judge for the National Book Awards,[citation needed] and in 1991 as a judge for the PEN/Albrand Nonfiction Award.[citation needed] A frequent lecturer at major universities and symposiums, and, on occasion, aboard cruise ships,[citation needed] he has served as a Featured Historian for the History Channel.[2][independent source needed]
In 2007, Bergreen was asked by NASA to name some geological features surrounding the Victoria crater on Mars, based on places Ferdinand Magellan visited.[citation needed] In 2008, Bergreen was a keynote speaker at NASA's 50th anniversary event in Washington, D.C.[citation needed]
Bergreen has taught at the New School for Social Research,[when?] and served as Assistant to the President of the Museum of Television and Radio in New York.[when?][citation needed]
Book authorships
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Bergreen's first book was Look Now, Pay Later: The Rise of Network Broadcasting, published in 1980.[2][independent source needed] His biography, James Agee: A Life, was a New York Times “Notable Book” for 1984. As Thousands Cheer: The Life of Irving Berlin, appeared in 1990; it was also a New York Times "Notable Book" for 1990.[according to whom?]
In 1994, he published Capone: The Man and the Era. A Book-of-the-Month Club selection and a New York Times "Notable Book", it has been optioned by Miramax.[2][independent source needed] In 1997, Bergreen published Louis Armstrong: An Extravagant Life, a biography drawing on unpublished manuscripts and interviews with Armstrong's colleagues and friends. It appeared on the “Best Books of 1997” lists of the San Francisco Chronicle, the Philadelphia Inquirer, and Publishers Weekly.[according to whom?]
Bergreen is the author of Voyage to Mars: NASA’s Search for Life Beyond Earth, a narrative of NASA's exploration of Mars, published in November 2000. Dramatic rights were acquired by TNT.[2][independent source needed]
His next work, Over the Edge of the World: Magellan’s Terrifying Circumnavigation of the Globe, was published in October 2003 and labeled a "Notable Book" for 2003 by The New York Times.[according to whom?]
In October 2007, Bergreen published Marco Polo: From Venice to Xanadu, a biography of the iconic traveler.
His 2011 book is Columbus: The Four Voyages, a New York Times bestseller.[citation needed] It was a selection of the Book-of-the-Month Club, BOMC2, the History Book Club, and the Military Book Club, and was a New York Times Book Review "Editors Choice".[according to whom?]
In 2016, he published Casanova: The World of a Seductive Genius, available from Simon & Schuster.[3][independent source needed]
In May 2017, Roaring Brook Press, a division of Macmillan, published his first Young Adult book, Magellan: Over the Edge of the World, an adaptation of his international bestseller.
As of this date,[when?] his most recent adult book is In Search of a Kingdom: Francis Drake, Elizabeth I, and the Perilous Birth of the British Empire, from HarperCollins Publishers in March 2021.[4][independent source needed]
Published works
[edit]- Look Now, Pay Later: The Rise of Network Broadcasting (1980) ISBN 0385144652
- James Agee: A Life (1984) ISBN 0525242538
- As Thousands Cheer: The Life of Irving Berlin (1990) ISBN 0670818747
- Capone: The Man and the Era (1994) ISBN 0684824477
- Louis Armstrong: An Extravagant Life (1997) ISBN 0767901568
- Voyage to Mars: NASA's Search for Life Beyond Earth (2000) ISBN 157322166X
- The Quest for Mars: NASA Scientists and Their Search for Life Beyond Earth (2000) ISBN 0002570300 (hdc) (2001) ISBN 0006531342 (pbk)
- Over the Edge of the World: Magellan's Terrifying Circumnavigation of the Globe (2003) ISBN 006093638X
- Marco Polo: From Venice to Xanadu (2007) ISBN 1400078806
- Columbus: The Four Voyages (2011) ISBN 014312210X
- Casanova: The World of a Seductive Genius (2016) ISBN 1476716498
- Magellan: Over the Edge of the World, Young Adult Edition (2017) ISBN 9781626721203
- In Search of a Kingdom: Francis Drake, Elizabeth I, and the Perilous Birth of the British Empire (2021) ISBN 9780062875358
- Seven Voyages: How China's Treasure Fleet Conquered the Sea, with Sara Fray (2021) ISBN 9781626721227
Awards and recognition
[edit] | This section of a biography of a living person does not include any references or sources. (September 2026) |
- Winner, ASCAP-Deems Taylor Award for Excellence in Music Journalism, 1990 for As Thousands Cheer
- First place, Ralph J. Gleason Music Book Award, 1991
- Medalla de Honor by the Asociación de Alcades de V Centenario (Spain) for Over the Edge of the World
Personal life
[edit] |
As of this date,[when?] Bergreen lived in New York City.[2][independent source needed]
Laurence Bergreen is married to Jacqueline Philomeno, from Brazil.[citation needed][5][failed verification] He is the father of two children from his first marriage,[clarification needed] Nicholas Bergreen (born in 1982) and Sara Bergreen (born in 1984).[citation needed]
References
[edit]- 1 2 3 4 5 "Bergreen, Laurence R. 1950–". Encyclopedia.com. Retrieved February 23, 2020.
- 1 2 3 4 5 "About the Author". Laurencebergreen.com. Retrieved September 28, 2013.[independent source needed]
- ↑ "Home". laurencebergreen.com.[independent source needed]
- ↑ "Drake". laurencebergreen.com.[independent source needed]
- ↑ "Família Bergreen fala sobre suas recordações de amor". Opovo.com. Retrieved March 11, 2020.[dead link]
External links
[edit]- Laurence Bergreen at Library of Congress Authorities – with 12 catalog records
- Appearances on C-SPAN
- 20th-century American biographers
- 1950 births
- American male biographers
- 20th-century American Jews
- American science writers
- Taft School alumni
- Harvard University alumni
- Living people
- Historians from New York City
- 21st-century American historians
- 21st-century American male non-fiction writers
- 21st-century American Jews
- 21st-century American biographers