Replay: David W. Blight shares Five Things He's Learned about The Challenges and Triumphs of Writing Biography
Check out the first five minutes of his recent class.
“To me, with biography in particular, it is this strange process of trying to enter somebody else’s life. You are trying to enter their life, their mind, maybe their soul, which is pretty hard, and then tell their story… Here you are, entering somebody’s life, and you are recreating it. Your subject would always have the right to ask you ‘How dare you?, How do you think you know this?’”
– David W. Blight, Five Things I've Learned about The Challenges and Triumphs of Writing Biography
David W. Blight is a distinguished teacher, scholar, and public historian who currently holds the position of Sterling Professor of History at Yale University. Here’s the first five minutes of David’s 90-minute class in which he shares the Five Things He’s Learned about the ways that biography can help us better learn about thinking, writing, and living well.
Five Things I’ve Learned about The Challenges and Triumphs of Writing Biography is hosted by Nicholas Buccola, and is part of Nick’s four-part series, Five Things I’ve Learned about the Power of the Word, which in addition to this session features conversations with Roosevelt Montás, Dr. Eddie Glaude Jr, and Myisha Cherry In this conversation, David and Nick delve into the challenges and triumphs of writing biography, drawing from their shared fascination with Frederick Douglass and the importance of studying historical figures for our political culture.
The session also examines David's journey as a biographer, the class delves into topics such as reconstructing and narrating a person's life, offering insights into thinking, writing, and living well. David's expertise in studying individuals who have used writing as a tool for social change, his examination of the power of historical memory, and his current work on James Weldon Johnson contribute to a rich exploration of how language can shape reality and inspire transformative action.
Eager to learn more about the power of biography and how one of our greatest biographers approaches his craft? This class is for you.
Since 2004, David has served as the Director of the Gilder Lehrman Center for the Study of Slavery, Resistance, and Abolition, succeeding David Brion Davis. David's influential role at the Gilder Lehrman Center involves organizing conferences, lectures, and outreach programs on the history of slavery and its abolition, along with administering the prestigious Frederick Douglass Book Prize. His acclaimed biography, Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom, received numerous awards, including the Pulitzer Prize and the Bancroft Prize. Beyond his scholarly work, Blight actively engages in public history initiatives, serving on museum boards and advising the 9/11 Memorial and Museum. Recognized for his significant contributions, he was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2012 and appointed as a Vincent J. Dooley Distinguished Teaching Fellow by the Georgia Historical Society in 2018.
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