A curious security guard at a venerable manhattan office building near columbus circle inquired what sort of work the man i was visiting didwas he a lawyer. Jun 02, 2017 in an interview recorded in new york on may 18 with cspans brian lamb to air on the news channel sometime this summer, mr. Robert caro interview on lyndon b johnson 2002 youtube. Caro so far and the one the last of the series on lyndon johnson that he is presently writing. Author interviews biographer robert caro on fame, power and working to uncover the. Researching, interviewing, writing kindle edition by robert a caro. Robert caro might well go down in history as the greatest american biographer of all time. Caro has twice won the pulitzer prize for biography, has three times won the national book critics circle award, and has also won virtually every other major literary honor, including the national book award, the gold medal in biography from the american academy of arts and letters, and the francis parkman prize, awarded by the. Apr 11, 2019 death looms over robert caros indispensable new memoir, working. Interview highlights on the difficulty of getting sources to talk on the record about robert moses. Twotime pulitzer prizewinning journalist robert caro was never interested in only telling the stories of great men. Caro s research included renting a house in hill country for three years, living there much of that time, to interview numerous people who knew johnson and his family, and to better understand the environment in which. Michael schaub is a texasbased journalist and regular contributor to npr. But perhaps the better comparison is the nonfiction version of george r.
Caro gives us a brief look at the process of writing his epic books. After working for many years as a reporter, caro wrote the power broker 1974, a biography of new york urban planner robert moses, which was chosen by the modern. The pulitzer prizewinning journalist was never interested in only telling the stories of famous men. Robert caro was interviewed while at the 60th annual national book awards ceremony at cipriani in new york city. Caro has twice won the pulitzer prize for biography, has three times won the national book critics circle award, and has also won virtually every other major literary honor, more about robert a. Npr s steve inskeep talks to robert caro about his book. In working, lbj biographer writer robert caro explains his process the memoir is a window into the seemingly superhuman reporting, researching, writing and willpower that have led caro s. Interviews are an important part of your work, which i note. In working, writer robert caro explains his process and. In his third book working, he talks about how he went about writing the other two. At the age of 83, the consummate historian has dedicated the past four decades of his career to the years of lyndon johnson, an expansive fivevolume biography of the 36th president that has brought him widespread acclaim and a pulitzer. Instead, he says, i wanted to use their lives to show how political power worked.
Robert caro was twice awarded the pulitzer prize for the power broker and master of the senate. And i hope that if ina finishes her book, that she will find time to help me on the next one too, because, as i wrote in the end of this book, i dont know what ill do. Author and lbj biographer robert caro talked about his book, working. Nprs steve inskeep talks to robert caro about his book. Caro has won two pulitzer prizes and two national book awards. Robert allan caro born october 30, 1935 is an american journalist and author known for his biographies of united states political figures robert moses and lyndon b.
Its a definitive guide to all the five books published by mr. The book focuses on robert moses who over 50 years held 14 state, regional and city offices, some concurrently. Conan obrien once memorably described robert caros sweeping series of biographies about lyndon baines johnson as harry potter for adults. Today, well listen to spoke to the interview i recorded last april with caro about his methods and his book, which is now out in paperback. Johnson and robert moses went beyond studies of the men who were their subjects to investigate the practice of political power in the united states. Apr 08, 2019 robert caros working details his life on the job npr s steve inskeep talks to robert caro about his book. We spoke in april of last year, when it was published in hardback. In working, writer robert caro explains his process ncpr. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading working. Mar 12, 2020 for his biographies of robert moses and lyndon johnson, robert a. From the twotime pulitzer prizewinning author of the power broker and the years of lyndon johnson.
Caro writes about his process as a biographer in the new book, working. Robert caro talks about his pulitzer prize winning book the power broker. So i went to have my first interview with robert moses. May 09, 2017 its also full of insight that only caro, who knows johnson and moses better than they knew themselves, can offer.
Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. But in working, writer robert caro explains his process and what drives him wksu. Biographer robert caro on fame, power and working to uncover the truth journalist caro isnt solely interested in telling the stories of famous men. Apr 08, 2019 robert caro s book working is out now. Apr 16, 2019 npr biographer robert caro on fame, power and working to uncover the truth. Apr 08, 2019 in working, lbj biographer writer robert caro explains his process the memoir is a window into the seemingly superhuman reporting, researching, writing and willpower that have led caro s. Jim sather, a retiree and former attorney who lives in a chicago suburb, says he isnt sure working. Johnson after working for many years as a reporter, caro wrote the power broker 1974, a biography of new york urban planner robert moses, which was chosen by the modern library as one of the hundred greatest nonfiction books. Working, which is an uncharacteristically short memoir.
Caro the name itself is enough for describing this book. Robert caro is compulsive, obsessive maybe even manic about tracking down every last fact and every last interview. In working, lbj biographer writer robert caro explains his. The good news is youve got the chance to interview robert caro. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Robert caro keeps writing into the sunset with working. Robert caro talks about his pulitzer prize winning book the. Jun 18, 2019 robert caro has written two monster biographies, one on robert moses and the other five volumes on lyndon johnson he is in his mid 80s and is still writing the 5 th volume of the lbj book.
Robert caro attends authors night 2017 to benefit the east hampton. As most other writers have shifted from pcs to laptops to tablets and smartphones, caro has stuck with his smithcorona electra 210. Biographer robert caro pauses as he prepares his final lyndon b. Pulitzer prize, national book award winning author, biographer of robert moses and lyndon johnson, chronicler of poweran. Caro says he was a fastwriting newspaperman until he recalled a professors advice. Biographer robert caro on fame, power and working to uncover the truth the pulitzer prizewinning journalist was never interested in only telling the stories of famous men. Robert caro discusses his pulitzer prize winning book the power broker, and changes in new york city, forty years later. Master of the senate the years of lyndon johnson by robert a caro. For his biographies of robert moses and lyndon johnson, robert a. Biographer robert caro on why its taking decades to fully. Caro has twice won the pulitzer prize for biography, has three times won the national book critics circle award for best nonfiction book of the year and for best biography of the year, and has also won virtually every other major literary honor, including the national book award, the gold medal in biography from the american.
Robert caro s book about his life, his research and his writing, called working, is now out in paperback. Robert gotlieb, who is the editor, he went from knopf to the new yorker, but he edited this book just like he did the others, and i hope to have the same publishing house. Robert caro on the fall of new york, and glenn close on. Report video issue javascript must be enabled in order to access cspan videos. The path to power 1982 in the first volume, the path to power, caro retraced johnsons early life growing up in the texas hill country and working in washington, d. Robert moses and the fall of new york now in paperback by. Martins a song of ice and fire both series are epic narratives that tell the tale of political power grabs, court intrigue, and the surprising ways that petty jealousies and. His memoir is a masterclass in how great books are built, and is peppered with great anecdotes about people of power. Working gives a threadbare understanding of the various forces that shape the classics written by robert a. Caro has twice won the pulitzer prize, twice won the national book award, three times won the national book critics circle award, and has also won virtually every other major literary honor, including the gold medal in biography from the american academy of arts and letters and the francis parkman prize. Caro said he had most of the research and 400 typed pages of the. In a 2018 interview with the ap, he said he was still several years away from finishing the biography. Working by robert caro is published by bodley head. Robert caro is one of the most respected historians of our time.
Conan obrien once memorably described robert caro s sweeping series of biographies about lyndon baines johnson as harry potter for adults. Robert caro s new book, working, outlines what its like to research, interview, and write his pieces. Mar 31, 2019 the good news is youve got the chance to interview robert caro. Through two monumental biographies, one of robert moses perhaps the most powerful man in new york citys history and the other an epic multivolume treatment of the life and times of lyndon johnson perhaps the president who wielded the greatest political power of any in american history. The best advice robert caro bestows in his new book, working. A reporter, author, or researcher will come away from this book armed with several new approaches to factfinding and writing. Conan obrien lands robert caro the talk show hosts interview of the acclaimed biographer is a longawaited win for team coco. On the difficulty of getting sources to talk on the record about robert moses. Robert caro attends authors night 2017 to benefit the east hampton library on aug. Robert caro s working details his life on the job npr s steve inskeep talks to robert caro about his book. Fans of caros book series will almost certainly have to wait a long time to read the fifth lbj book. Working takes the reader inside caro s dogged, determined approach to research and reporting, a devotion to turn every page, as an editor advised him when caro was a gogetting investigative reporter at newsday in the 1960s. Biographer robert caro on fame, power and working to. Fans of caro s book series will almost certainly have to wait a long time to read the fifth lbj book.
In working, writer robert caro explains his process. Why did you decide to give up daily reporting and focus on a book about robert moses. Lbj biographer robert caro is working on finishing his. Apr 10, 2019 parul sehgal, a book critic at the new york times, moderates a conversation with robert caro, the twotime pulitzer prizewinning author of the power broker and the years of lyndon. Working weaves through caros career and provides the backstory of some of his best chapters. May 04, 2018 robert caro on the fall of new york with a historians thoroughness and a novelists elegance, the biographer robert caro chronicles two masters use and abuse of power. Nov 21, 2016 pulitzer prizewinning biographer robert caro discusses master of the senate, the last book in his trilogy on president lyndon b. Historian robert caro on power and why he still writes. He talked about his multivolume biography of lyndon johnson, the years of lyndon. Over 40 years, numerous biographers, some of them quite famous, had tried to do, started to do. The venerated author of the power broker joins us to talk about his new book, working. Robert caro working on another book and its only partly.