Christopher Lehmann-Haupt
Encyclopedia
Christopher Lehmann-Haupt (born 1934) is an American journalist, critic and novelist who has worked in the field of books all of his professional career. He began as an editor for various New York City publishing houses, among them Holt, Rinehart and Winston
and The Dial Press, from where he moved in 1965 to become an editor on The New York Times Book Review
. In 1969, he was appointed senior Daily Book Reviewer for The New York Times
, a position he held until 1995, when he became a regular daily book reviewer. From 1965 until 2000, he wrote more than 4,000 book reviews and articles, on every subject from trout fishing to Persian archaeology. In April 2000, he assumed the job of Chief Obituary
Writer for The Times and wrote advance obituaries and occasional daily obits until his retirement on June 30, 2006. Obituaries bearing his byline continued to run in the Times as of mid-2010.
Since that time he has continued to write advance obits as a freelancer for The Times, as well as teach writing at the Marymount College
Writing Center and College of Mount Saint Vincent
in Riverdale
, the Bronx
, New York
. He also teaches at Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism. He was just appointed the Editorial Director of Delphinium Books, a literary small press that publishes works of fiction.
, Scotland
, on June 14, 1934, Lehmann-Haupt was educated at the Ethical Culture Fieldston School
s, The Putney School
, and Swarthmore College
. He did postgraduate work at the Yale School of Drama
, from which he graduated in 1959 with a Master of Fine Arts degree in theater history and dramatic criticism.
Along with several dozen then-prominent writers and political activists (including James Baldwin
, Jules Feiffer
, Norman Mailer
, Susan Sontag
and Gloria Steinem
) he signed the Violence in Oakland essay, condemning police violence against Black Panther Party
members in Oakland, California
on April 6, 1968 (violence that included the killing of 17-year-old Bobby Hutton
and the wounding of Eldridge Cleaver
).
Lehmann-Haupt has taught and lectured widely and has written articles on a variety of subjects, including fly fishing
and bluegrass
banjo-picking, two of his occasional avocations. His first book, Me and Joe DiMaggio
: A Baseball Fan Goes in Search of His Gods, was published in 1986 by Simon & Schuster. His first novel, A Crooked Man, was published by Simon & Schuster in 1995. His second novel, The Mad Cook of Pymatuning was published by Simon & Schuster in the fall of 2005. He is now at work on a memoir of a year he spent living in Berlin
, Germany, from 1947 until 1948.
Lehmann-Haupt lives with his wife, the writer Natalie Robins, in the Riverdale section of The Bronx.
Holt, Rinehart and Winston
Holt McDougal is an American publishing company, a division of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, that specializes in textbooks for use in secondary schools. Holt, Rinehart and Winston was a division of Harcourt Education...
and The Dial Press, from where he moved in 1965 to become an editor on The New York Times Book Review
The New York Times Book Review
The New York Times Book Review is a weekly paper-magazine supplement to The New York Times in which current non-fiction and fiction books are reviewed. It is one of the most influential and widely read book review publications in the industry. The offices are located near Times Square in New York...
. In 1969, he was appointed senior Daily Book Reviewer for The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, a position he held until 1995, when he became a regular daily book reviewer. From 1965 until 2000, he wrote more than 4,000 book reviews and articles, on every subject from trout fishing to Persian archaeology. In April 2000, he assumed the job of Chief Obituary
Obituary
An obituary is a news article that reports the recent death of a person, typically along with an account of the person's life and information about the upcoming funeral. In large cities and larger newspapers, obituaries are written only for people considered significant...
Writer for The Times and wrote advance obituaries and occasional daily obits until his retirement on June 30, 2006. Obituaries bearing his byline continued to run in the Times as of mid-2010.
Since that time he has continued to write advance obits as a freelancer for The Times, as well as teach writing at the Marymount College
Marymount College
"Marymount College" may refer to:* Marymount College, a Roman Catholic school located in Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia* Marymount College, a Roman Catholic school located in Adelaide, South Australia...
Writing Center and College of Mount Saint Vincent
College of Mount Saint Vincent
For the university in Halifax, Nova Scotia, see Mount Saint Vincent University The College of Mount Saint Vincent is a Catholic liberal arts college located in the northeast corner of the Riverdale section of The Bronx, New York, adjacent to the Yonkers border. It is the northernmost location in...
in Riverdale
Riverdale, Bronx
Riverdale is an affluent residential neighborhood in the northwest portion of the Bronx in New York City. Riverdale contains the northernmost point in New York City.-History:...
, the Bronx
The Bronx
The Bronx is the northernmost of the five boroughs of New York City. It is also known as Bronx County, the last of the 62 counties of New York State to be incorporated...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. He also teaches at Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism. He was just appointed the Editorial Director of Delphinium Books, a literary small press that publishes works of fiction.
Biography
Born in EdinburghEdinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, on June 14, 1934, Lehmann-Haupt was educated at the Ethical Culture Fieldston School
Ethical Culture Fieldston School
The Ethical Culture Fieldston School, known as "Fieldston", is a private "independent" school in New York City and a member of the Ivy Preparatory School League. It has about 1600 students and a staff of 400 people , led by Dr. Damian J...
s, The Putney School
The Putney School
The Putney School is an independent high school in Putney, Vermont. It was founded in 1935 by Carmelita Hinton. It is a co-educational, college-preparatory boarding school, with a day-student component, located outside of Brattleboro, Vermont. Emily Jones is the director...
, and Swarthmore College
Swarthmore College
Swarthmore College is a private, independent, liberal arts college in the United States with an enrollment of about 1,500 students. The college is located in the borough of Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, 11 miles southwest of Philadelphia....
. He did postgraduate work at the Yale School of Drama
Yale School of Drama
The Yale School of Drama is a graduate professional school of Yale University providing training in every discipline of the theatre: acting, design , directing, dramaturgy and dramatic criticism, playwriting, stage management, sound design, technical design and production, and theater...
, from which he graduated in 1959 with a Master of Fine Arts degree in theater history and dramatic criticism.
Along with several dozen then-prominent writers and political activists (including James Baldwin
James Baldwin (writer)
James Arthur Baldwin was an American novelist, essayist, playwright, poet, and social critic.Baldwin's essays, for instance "Notes of a Native Son" , explore palpable yet unspoken intricacies of racial, sexual, and class distinctions in Western societies, most notably in mid-20th century America,...
, Jules Feiffer
Jules Feiffer
Jules Ralph Feiffer is an American syndicated cartoonist, most notable for his long-run comic strip titled Feiffer. He has created more than 35 books, plays and screenplays...
, Norman Mailer
Norman Mailer
Norman Kingsley Mailer was an American novelist, journalist, essayist, poet, playwright, screenwriter, and film director.Along with Truman Capote, Joan Didion, Hunter S...
, Susan Sontag
Susan Sontag
Susan Sontag was an American author, literary theorist, feminist and political activist whose works include On Photography and Against Interpretation.-Life:...
and Gloria Steinem
Gloria Steinem
Gloria Marie Steinem is an American feminist, journalist, and social and political activist who became nationally recognized as a leader of, and media spokeswoman for, the women's liberation movement in the late 1960s and 1970s...
) he signed the Violence in Oakland essay, condemning police violence against Black Panther Party
Black Panther Party
The Black Panther Party wasan African-American revolutionary leftist organization. It was active in the United States from 1966 until 1982....
members in Oakland, California
Oakland, California
Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...
on April 6, 1968 (violence that included the killing of 17-year-old Bobby Hutton
Bobby Hutton
Bobby James Hutton, or "Lil' Bobby," was the treasurer and first recruit to join the Black Panther Party. He was born in Pine Bluff, Arkansas in 1950. When he was three years old his family moved to California after they were visited by nightriders intimidating and threatening blacks in the area...
and the wounding of Eldridge Cleaver
Eldridge Cleaver
Leroy Eldridge Cleaver better known as Eldridge Cleaver, was a leading member of the Black Panther Party and a writer...
).
Lehmann-Haupt has taught and lectured widely and has written articles on a variety of subjects, including fly fishing
Fly fishing
Fly fishing is an angling method in which an artificial 'fly' is used to catch fish. The fly is cast using a fly rod, reel, and specialized weighted line. Casting a nearly weightless fly or 'lure' requires casting techniques significantly different from other forms of casting...
and bluegrass
Bluegrass music
Bluegrass music is a form of American roots music, and a sub-genre of country music. It has mixed roots in Scottish, English, Welsh and Irish traditional music...
banjo-picking, two of his occasional avocations. His first book, Me and Joe DiMaggio
Joe DiMaggio
Joseph Paul "Joe" DiMaggio , nicknamed "Joltin' Joe" and "The Yankee Clipper," was an American Major League Baseball center fielder who played his entire 13-year career for the New York Yankees. He is perhaps best known for his 56-game hitting streak , a record that still stands...
: A Baseball Fan Goes in Search of His Gods, was published in 1986 by Simon & Schuster. His first novel, A Crooked Man, was published by Simon & Schuster in 1995. His second novel, The Mad Cook of Pymatuning was published by Simon & Schuster in the fall of 2005. He is now at work on a memoir of a year he spent living in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, Germany, from 1947 until 1948.
Lehmann-Haupt lives with his wife, the writer Natalie Robins, in the Riverdale section of The Bronx.
External links
- http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/l/christopher_lehmannhaupt/index.html Recent and archived news articles by Christopher Lehmann-Haupt of The New York Times