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Adam Gopnik (born August 24, 1956) is an American writer and essayist. He is best known as a staff writer for ''
The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American weekly magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Founded as a weekly in 1925, the magazine is published 47 times annually, with five of these issues ...
,'' to which he has contributed non-fiction, fiction, memoir, and criticism since 1986. He is the author of nine books, including ''
Paris to the Moon ''Paris to the Moon'' (2000, , Random House) is a book of essays by '' The New Yorker'' writer Adam Gopnik Adam Gopnik (born August 24, 1956) is an American writer and essayist. He is best known as a staff writer for ''The New Yorker,'' to wh ...
'', ''Through the Children's Gate'', '' The King in the Window'', and '' A Thousand Small Sanities: The Moral Adventure of Liberalism.'' In 2020, his essay "The Driver's Seat" was cited as the most-assigned piece of contemporary nonfiction in the English-language syllabus.


Early life and education

Gopnik was born to a
Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
family in
Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Since ...
and raised in
Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple- ...
. His family lived at Habitat 67. Both his parents were professors at
McGill University McGill University (french: link=no, Université McGill) is an English-language public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1821 by royal charter granted by King George IV,Frost, Stanley Brice. ''McGill Univer ...
; father Irwin was a professor of English literature and mother Myrna was a professor of linguistics. During a storytelling session for The Moth in 2014, Gopnik explained that his paternal grandfather and maternal grandmother fell in love with each other, left their respective spouses and married. Gopnik studied at
Dawson College Dawson College (French: ''Collège Dawson)'' is an English-language public general and vocational college in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The college is situated near the heart of Downtown Montreal in a former nunnery on approximately 12 ac ...
and then at
McGill University McGill University (french: link=no, Université McGill) is an English-language public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1821 by royal charter granted by King George IV,Frost, Stanley Brice. ''McGill Univer ...
, earning a BA degree in history. At McGill, he contributed to ''
The McGill Daily ''The McGill Daily'' is an independent student newspaper at McGill University and is entirely run by students. Despite its name, the ''Daily'' has reduced its print publication to once a week, normally on Mondays, in addition to producing online- ...
''. He completed graduate work at the
New York University Institute of Fine Arts The Institute of Fine Arts (IFA) of New York University is dedicated to graduate teaching and advanced research in the history of art, archaeology and the conservation and technology of works of art. It offers Master of Arts and Doctor of Philoso ...
. Gopnik studied art history and with his friend Kirk Varnedoe curated the 1990 ''High/Low'' show at New York's
Museum of Modern Art The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, on 53rd Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It plays a major role in developing and collecting modern art, and is often identified as one of t ...
. He later wrote an article for ''Search Magazine'' on the connection between religion and art and the compatibility of Christianity and Darwinism. He states in the article that the arts of human history are products of religious thought and that human conduct is not guaranteed by religion or secularism.


Career


''The New Yorker''

In 1986, he began his long association with ''
The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American weekly magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Founded as a weekly in 1925, the magazine is published 47 times annually, with five of these issues ...
'' with a piece that would show his future range, a consideration of connections among baseball, childhood, and Renaissance art. He has written for four ''New Yorker'' editors:
William Shawn William Shawn (''né'' Chon; August 31, 1907 – December 8, 1992) was an American magazine editor who edited ''The New Yorker'' from 1952 until 1987. Early life and education Shawn was born William Chon on August 31, 1907, in Chicago, Illino ...
,
Robert Gottlieb Robert Adams Gottlieb (born April 29, 1931) is an American writer and editor. He has been editor-in-chief of Simon & Schuster, Alfred A. Knopf, and ''The New Yorker''. Early life and education Robert Gottlieb was born to a Jewish family in New Y ...
,
Tina Brown Christina Hambley Brown, Lady Evans (born 21 November 1953), is an English journalist, magazine editor, columnist, talk-show host, and author of ''The Diana Chronicles'' (2007) a biography of Diana, Princess of Wales, '' The Vanity Fair Diarie ...
, and David Remnick. Gopnik has contributed fiction, humor, book reviews, profiles, and internationally reported pieces to the magazine. After writing his first piece for the magazine in 1986, Gopnik became the magazine's art critic. He worked in this position from 1987 to 1995, after which he became the magazine's Paris correspondent. In 1995, ''The New Yorker'' dispatched him to Paris to write the "Paris Journals", in which he described life in that city. These essays were later collected and published by
Random House Random House is an American book publisher and the largest general-interest paperback publisher in the world. The company has several independently managed subsidiaries around the world. It is part of Penguin Random House, which is owned by Germ ...
in ''
Paris to the Moon ''Paris to the Moon'' (2000, , Random House) is a book of essays by '' The New Yorker'' writer Adam Gopnik Adam Gopnik (born August 24, 1956) is an American writer and essayist. He is best known as a staff writer for ''The New Yorker,'' to wh ...
'', after Gopnik returned to New York City in 2000. The book became a bestseller on ''The New York Times'' Best Seller list. After five years in the French capital, Gopnik returned to New York to write a journal on life in the city. Gopnik continues to contribute to ''The New Yorker'' as a staff writer. In recent years, he has written extensively about
gun control Gun control, or firearms regulation, is the set of laws or policies that regulate the manufacture, sale, transfer, possession, modification, or use of firearms by civilians. Most countries have a restrictive firearm guiding policy, with onl ...
and
gun violence in the United States Gun violence in the United States results in tens of thousands of deaths and injuries annually, and was the leading cause of death for children 19 and younger in 2020. In 2018, the most recent year for which data are available as of 2021, th ...
.


Books

In addition to ''Paris to the Moon,'' Random House published the author's reflections on life in New York, and particularly the comedy of parenting, ''Through the Children's Gate,'' in 2006. (As in the earlier memoir, much of the material had appeared previously in ''The New Yorker''.) In 2005, Hyperion Books published his children's novel '' The King in the Window'' about Oliver, an American boy living in Paris, who is mistaken for a mystical king and stumbles upon an ancient battle waged between Window Wraiths and the malicious Master of Mirrors. A book on
Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation throu ...
and
Charles Darwin Charles Robert Darwin ( ; 12 February 1809 – 19 April 1882) was an English naturalist, geologist, and biologist, widely known for his contributions to evolutionary biology. His proposition that all species of life have descended ...
, called ''Angels and Ages,'' followed in January 2009. In 2010, Hyperion Books published his children's fantasy novel ''The Steps Across the Water'' which chronicles the adventures of a young girl, Rose, in the mystical city of U Nork. In 2011, Gopnik was chosen to deliver the 50th
Massey Lectures The Massey Lectures is an annual five-part series of lectures given in Canada by distinguished writers, thinkers and scholars who explore important ideas and issues of contemporary interest. Created in 1961 in honour of Vincent Massey, the forme ...
, where he presented five lectures in five Canadian cities on the ideas expounded in his book '' Winter: Five Windows on the Season''. His book ''The Table Comes First'' (2011), is about food, cooking and restaurants. In 2019, he authored '' A Thousand Small Sanities: The Moral Adventure of Liberalism'', a nonfiction book published by
Basic Books Basic Books is a book publisher founded in 1950 and located in New York, now an imprint of Hachette Book Group. It publishes books in the fields of psychology, philosophy, economics, science, politics, sociology, current affairs, and history. H ...
.


Musical theatre

Gopnik began working on musical projects in 2015, as a lyricist and
libretto A libretto (Italian for "booklet") is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata or musical. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major li ...
writer. With the composer David Shire he has written book and lyrics for the musical comedy ''Table'', inspired by Gopnik's 2011 book; it was workshopped in 2015 at the
Long Wharf Theatre Long Wharf Theatre is a nonprofit institution in New Haven, Connecticut, a pioneer in the not-for-profit regional theatre movement, the originator of several prominent plays, and a venue where many internationally known actors have appeared. Fo ...
under the direction of Gordon Edelstein, featuring Melissa Errico. For a 2017 revival at the Long Wharf Theatre, ''Table'' was retitled ''The Most Beautiful Room in New York''. He wrote the libretto for Nico Muhly's
oratorio An oratorio () is a large musical composition for orchestra, choir, and soloists. Like most operas, an oratorio includes the use of a choir, soloists, an instrumental ensemble, various distinguishable characters, and arias. However, opera is ...
''
Sentences ''The Four Books of Sentences'' (''Libri Quattuor Sententiarum'') is a book of theology written by Peter Lombard in the 12th century. It is a systematic compilation of theology, written around 1150; it derives its name from the '' sententiae'' ...
'', which premiered in London at the
Barbican Centre The Barbican Centre is a performing arts centre in the Barbican Estate of the City of London and the largest of its kind in Europe. The centre hosts classical and contemporary music concerts, theatre performances, film screenings and art exhib ...
in June 2015. Other projects include collaborating on a one-woman show for Errico, ''Sing the Silence'', which debuted in November 2015 at
The Public Theater The Public Theater is a New York City arts organization founded as the Shakespeare Workshop in 1954 by Joseph Papp, with the intention of showcasing the works of up-and-coming playwrights and performers.Epstein, Helen. ''Joe Papp: An American Li ...
in New York, and included new songs co-written with David Shire, Scott Frankel, and Peter Mills. Future projects include a new musical with Scott Frankel.


Personal life

Gopnik lives in New York with his wife, Martha Rebecca Parker, and two children, Luke and Olivia. Martha's mother is Canadian filmmaker
Gudrun Parker Gudrun Johanna Bjerring Parker (March 16, 1920 – November 15, 2022) was a Canadian filmmaker, writer, and producer. She worked on films with the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) during the Second World War and in the early 1950s. Parker wr ...
. His five siblings include
Blake Gopnik Blake Gopnik (born 1963 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) is an American art critic who has lived in New York City since 2011. He previously spent a decade as chief art critic of '' The Washington Post'', prior to which he was an arts editor and cr ...
, art critic for ''
The Daily Beast ''The Daily Beast'' is an American news website focused on politics, media, and pop culture. It was founded in 2008. It has been characterized as a "high-end tabloid" by Noah Shachtman, the site's editor-in-chief from 2018 to 2021. In a 20 ...
'', and Alison Gopnik, a child psychologist and professor of psychology at the
University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant un ...
.


Honors and appearances

A guest on ''
Charlie Rose Charles Peete Rose Jr. (born January 5, 1942) is an American former television journalist and talk show host. From 1991 to 2017, he was the host and executive producer of the talk show '' Charlie Rose'' on PBS and Bloomberg LP. Rose also co- ...
'', Gopnik has received three
National Magazine Awards The National Magazine Awards, also known as the Ellie Awards, honor print and digital publications that consistently demonstrate superior execution of editorial objectives, innovative techniques, noteworthy enterprise and imaginative design. Or ...
for Essay and Criticism, and a
George Polk Award The George Polk Awards in Journalism are a series of American journalism awards presented annually by Long Island University in New York in the United States. A writer for Idea Lab, a group blog hosted on the website of PBS, described the awar ...
for Magazine Reporting. His entry on the culture of the United States is featured in the ''
Encyclopædia Britannica The (Latin for "British Encyclopædia") is a general knowledge English-language encyclopaedia. It is published by Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.; the company has existed since the 18th century, although it has changed ownership various t ...
''. Gopnik participates as a member of the jury for the
New York International Children's Film Festival New York International Children's Film Festival (NYICFF) Established in 1997, NYICFF’s mission is rooted in the belief of film as a path for young people to understand themselves and others. All programs are designed to celebrate the beauty and po ...
. Gopnik recently wrote and presented ''Lighting Up New York'', a cultural journey through the recent history of New York for Britain's
BBC Four BBC Four is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It was launched on 2 March 2002
and is a regular contributor to the
BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. It broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history from the BBC's ...
weekly talk series ''A Point of View''. He taught at the annual
Iceland Writers Retreat The Iceland Writers Retreat is a one-week international event for writers that takes place in Reykjavík, Reykjavik, Iceland. History The Iceland Writers Retreat (IWR) was founded in 2014 by Eliza Reid, who is currently the List of spouses and ...
in
Reykjavík Reykjavík ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Iceland. It is located in southwestern Iceland, on the southern shore of Faxaflói bay. Its latitude is 64°08' N, making it the world's northernmost capital of a sovereign state. With a po ...
, Iceland, in spring 2015. In 2016, Gopnik began a free lecture series at the
Lincoln Center Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts (also simply known as Lincoln Center) is a complex of buildings in the Lincoln Square neighborhood on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. It has thirty indoor and outdoor facilities and is host to 5 milli ...
's David Rubenstein Atrium, titled ''The History of the World in 100 Performances''. Gopnik appears in the 2022 film '' Tár'' as an interviewer at The New Yorker Festival, asking the film's lead character about her views on conducting.


Bibliography


References


External links


Stories told by Adam Gopnik
at The Moth * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Gopnik, Adam 1956 births Living people 21st-century American novelists American children's writers American male essayists American male journalists American male novelists Jewish American writers McGill University alumni New York University Institute of Fine Arts alumni The New Yorker staff writers The New Yorker critics Novelists from Pennsylvania People associated with the Museum of Modern Art (New York City) Writers from Philadelphia 21st-century American essayists 21st-century American male writers