What a witch hunt really looks like the new york times. One hundred and fifty years after the civil war, historians have the benefit of a perspective not accessible in earlier remembrances. Schiff does it with awesome research and a, by turns, witty, moving, penetrating, sometimes acerbic, but always admiring prose. Schiff has received fellowships from the guggenheim foundation, the national endowment for the. Stacy schiff celebrates new book, witches the boston globe. Stacy schiff discusses her new biography, cleopatra. A woman of property penguin poets, robyn schiffs third volume of poetry, is a study of the imaginations darker powers and their daily, domestic insurrections. One interesting angle is to look at older histories of the war, tracing its place in our national consciousness and rediscovering details that take on new relevance today. Stacy schiff books list of books by author stacy schiff. December 25, 1990, tuesday, late edition final byline. San francisco chronicles best books of 2015 schiffs splendidly written account brings it thrillingly to life. Stacy schiff the new york times, npr, the new yorker.
The salem witch trials offer stacy schiff an outsized drama that seized americans imaginations more than 300 years ago. The titles of her backlist tumbled out half intelligibly, one on top of the other. Vladimir nabokov brings to shimmering life one of the greatest literary love stories of our time. An interview with stacy schiff penn state university. A life, winner of the penjacqueline bograd weld award for biography. History in the hands of stacy schiff is invariably full of life, light, shadow, surprise, clarity of insight, and so it is again and then some in her latest work, the witches. A jewish name has a certain ring to aristocratic russian ears, and while she would have known that nabokovs father had championed all sorts of unpopular causesdemocracy and jewish emancipation among themshe may have been unwilling to run any risks with his mother. White mens burdens are not much in vogue these days. Join us to talk about education, child care, mealtime, sports, technology, the work. Famous long before she was notorious, cleopatra has gone down in history for all the wrong reasons. Vladimir nabokov, which won the 2000 pulitzer prize for biography. An interview with stacy schiff by suellen stringerhye the main question concerning literary biography is, surely, why do we need it at all. Schiff writes, but as the consort of caesar and later mark antony.
Karenna gore schiff opinionator the new york times. Stacy schiff simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Salem, 1692, by stacy schiff a dramatic account of the infamous trials, following the wellworn path of turning them into. Schiff goes back to the original story of salem, massachusetts, offering a minutely detailed chronicle of nine harrowing months in 1692. The times is committed to publishing a diversity of letters to the. And yet the plague of witches that besieged salem and its environs that year has spawned more than 500 books, nearly 1,000 dissertations and twice as many scholarly articles written in at least 10 languages. Cleopatras palace shimmered with onyx and gold but was richer still in political and sexual intrigue. From intelligent rule to hysteria, mayhem, and murder. Taking another look at the author of the white mans.
Stacy schiff penetrates an ancient thicket of personalities and propaganda to reconstruct the macedonianegyptian queen cleopatra in all her ambition, audacity and formidable intelligence. Cleopatra author stacy schiff on her books saucy tone. The new york timess awardwinning team provides insight and answers questions about combatants on the faultlines, and civilians caught in the middle. A woman of property by robyn schiff the new yorker. A life applies her descriptive prowess and flair for the dramatic to the salem witch trials. She gives us a minutely detailed chronicle of nine harrowing months in 1692, which began with the baffling afflictions of two girls. Bangalore the man who once declared the world is flat is now readying himself for an uneven, uphill battle. Stacy madeleine schiff born october 26, 1961 is an american former editor, essayist, and author of five biographies. Vladimir nabokov, which won the pulitzer prize for biography in 2000, and saintexupery.
The book is packed with details and delivered with a punch, bu. Franklin, france, and the birth of america, 2005, etc. As he could not be declared guilty of witchcraft, he was excommunicated as a suicide, stacy schiff writes in the witches. A pulitzer prizewinner, stacy schiff is the author most recently of the witches.
The life and loves of virginia cherrill is published by pocket books. She has received fellowships from the guggenheim foundation and the national endowment for the humanities, and was a directors fellow at the center for scholars and writers at the new york public library. A psychiatrist explains to the wife that the first objective is to convince the man that he is a stalagmite funny but it invites a serious question. Is it ever justified for a clinician to help a client to believe in a fiction. Franklin, france, and the birth of america, winner of the george washington book prize and the ambassador book award. David schiff, a professor of music at reed college, is the composer of the opera gimpel the fool and author of books on the music of elliott carter and george gershwin.
The very name seems to waft our way on a plume of cigar smoke. This question can doubly be asked with regard to the literary biographies of writers wives. The portrait of vera, you feel, is definitive, but so, too, is the portrait of vladimira portrait that points up the flaws and gaps in earlier depictions, like that of the dutifully plonking boyd biographies with. Were all living the family dynamic, as parents, as children, as siblings, uncles and aunts. New yorker contributor schiff a great improvisation. At motherlode, lead writer and editor kj dellantonia invites contributors and commenters to explore how our families affect our lives, and how the news affects our familiesand all families. Elena siebert pulitzerwinning writer stacy schiff s new book, the witches, doesnt come out until october, but her publisher, little, brown, is already celebrating her. An old new yorker cartoon features a man suspended upside down from the ceiling, like a stalactite. Though her life spanned fewer than forty years, it reshaped the contours of the ancient world. Now, the massachusetts native is out with a history of a subject closer to home. Pulitizer prizewinning author stacy schiffs last book was a bestseller about cleopatra. Stacy schiff boldly separates fact from fiction to rescue the magnetic. I love books good books books to read my books reading books reading lists reading time library books historical women there are few activities as satisfying and comforting as watching reality television.
A life by stacy schiff miranda seymour enjoys a dramatic biography of the last and most dazzling of the ptolemys. All of schiffs books demonstrate her rigor as a historian and her dexterity as a stylist. Stacy schiff is the author of a great improvisation and vera mrs. Ann yonetani makes natto, a fermented soybean food popular in japan, in queens, n. She would go down in history, however, not as the sole female of the ancient world to rule alone and to play a role in western affairs, ms.
The grand and terrible polar voyage of the uss jeannette, about a disastrous expedition to the north pole, funded by the newspaper owner james gordon bennett jr. With a roman philosopher cicero and a greek historian plutarch at her side, pulitzer prize winning author stacy schiff embarked on. A pulitzer prizewinning biographer presents a swift, sympathetic life of one of historys most maligned and legendary women. Salem, 1692, her haunting new book on the salem witch trials. She earned her degree from williams college in 1982. L uscious and scrupulous is a difficult combination to pull off. The population of new england in 1692 would fit into yankee stadium today, stacy schiff writes. Archive select month february 2016 january 2016 december 2015 november 2015 october 2015 september 2015 august 2015 july 2015 may 2015 march 2015 february 2015 january 2015 december. Vladimir nabokov, which won the pulitzer prize for biography in 2000, and saintexupery, which was a finalist for the 1995 pulitzer prize. The author, most recently, of the witches sat behind hilary mantel at a performance of wolf hall. Soon after, the tech entrepreneur went on to head the worlds largest biometric identification. Salem, 1692 secend impression by schiff, stacy isbn. Nine years ago, nandan nilekani, the former chief executive of infosys technologies, offered the dictum on globalization to thomas l.