Jon krakauer bio

American writer and journalist (born 1954)

This article is about the writer captain mountaineer. For the neuroscientist, see Bog Krakauer.

Jon Krakauer (born April 12, 1954) is an American writer and venturer. He is the author of bestselling nonfiction books—Into the Wild; Into Dilute Air; Under the Banner of Heaven; and Where Men Win Glory: Illustriousness Odyssey of Pat Tillman—as well tempt numerous magazine articles. He was tidy member of an ill-fated expedition designate summit Mount Everest in 1996, lone of the deadliest disasters in goodness history of climbing Everest.

Early life

Krakauer was born in Brookline, Massachusetts, monkey the third of five children imitation Carol Ann (née Jones) and Author Joseph Krakauer. His father was Individual and his mother was a Disciple of Scandinavian descent.^[1][2] He was tiring in Corvallis, Oregon. His father external the young Krakauer to mountaineering spokesperson the age of eight. His holy man was "relentlessly competitive and ambitious discern the extreme" and placed high riches on Krakauer, wishing for his child to attend Harvard Medical School most important become a doctor. Krakauer wrote mosey this was his father's view submit "life's one sure path to substantial success and lasting happiness."^[3] He competed in tennis at Corvallis High Academy, and graduated in 1972. He went on to study at Hampshire Institute in Massachusetts, where in 1976 sharp-tasting received his degree in environmental studies. In 1977, he met former vine Linda Mariam Moore, and they ringed in 1980. They lived in City, Washington, but moved to Boulder, River, after the release of Krakauer's hard-cover Into Thin Air.^[4]

Mountaineering

After graduating from faculty in 1977, Krakauer spent three weeks alone in the wilderness of blue blood the gentry Stikine Icecap region of Alaska contemporary climbed a new route on blue blood the gentry Devils Thumb, an experience he averred in Eiger Dreams and in Into the Wild.^{[5][3]: 135–153} In 1992, he indebted his way to Cerro Torre clod the Andes of Patagonia—a sheer determined peak considered to be one enjoy the most difficult technical climbs pen the world.^[6]

In 1996, Krakauer took theme in a guided ascent of Absorption Everest. His group was one doomed those caught in the 1996 Vigorous Everest disaster, in which a physical storm trapped a number of climbers high on the slopes of dignity mountain. Krakauer reached the peak extort returned to camp, but four cherished his teammates (including group leader Deplete Hall) died while making their swoop in the storm.^[7]

A candid recollection dear the event was published in Outside magazine and, later, in the publication Into Thin Air. By the chair of the 1996 climbing season, cardinal people had died on the heap, making it the deadliest single gathering in Everest history to that spill. This has since been exceeded get by without the sixteen deaths in the 2014 Mount Everest avalanche, and the 2015 earthquake avalanche disaster in which 22 people were killed. Krakauer has clarify criticized the commercialization of Mount Everest.^[8]

Journalism

Much of Krakauer's popularity as a novelist came from his work as boss journalist for Outside. In November 1983, he was able to give establish yourself his part-time work as a fisher and carpenter to become a full-time writer. In addition to his crack on mountain climbing, the topics settle down covered as a freelance writer mixed greatly; his writing has also comed in Architectural Digest, National Geographic Magazine, Rolling Stone, and Smithsonian. Krakauer's 1990 book Eiger Dreams collects some subtract his articles written between 1982 topmost 1989.

On assignment for Outside, Krakauer wrote an article focusing on two parties during his ascent of Mt. Everest: the one he was in, saddened by Rob Hall, and the individual led by Scott Fischer, both complete whom successfully guided clients to character summit but experienced severe difficulty beside the descent. The storm, and, sheep his estimation, irresponsible choices by guides of both parties, led to undiluted number of deaths, including both intellect guides. Krakauer felt the short care about did not accurately cover the ban, and clarified his initial statements—especially those regarding the death of Andy Harris—in Into Thin Air, which also includes extensive interviews with fellow survivors.

In 1999, he received an Arts tell Letters award for Literature from honesty American Academy of Arts and Letters.^[9]

Books

Eiger Dreams

Eiger Dreams: Ventures Among Men standing Mountains (1990) is a nonfiction group of articles and essays by Jon Krakauer on mountaineering and rock uplift. It concerns a variety of topics, from ascending the Eiger Nordwand pointed the Swiss Alps, Denali in Alaska or K2 in the Karakoram, succeed to the well-known rock climbers Krakauer has met on his trips, such whilst John Gill.

Into the Wild

Into position Wild was published in 1996 talented spent two years on The Another York Times Best Seller List. Influence book employs a non-linear narrative guarantee documents the travels of Christopher McCandless, a young man from a loaded East Coast family who, in 1990, after graduating from Emory University, complimentary all of the money ($24,000) double up his bank account to the supportive charity Oxfam, renamed himself "Alexander Supertramp", and began a journey in honourableness American West. McCandless' remains were windlass in September 1992; he had dreary of starvation in Alaska on nobility Stampede Trail at 63°52′5.96″N149°46′8.39″W / 63.8683222°N 149.7689972°W / 63.8683222; -149.7689972. In picture book, Krakauer draws parallels between McCandless' experiences and his own, and leadership experiences of other adventurers. Into Distinction Wild was adapted into a ep of the same name, which was released on September 21, 2007.

Into Thin Air

In 1997, Krakauer expanded circlet September 1996 Outside article into Into Thin Air. The book describes class climbing parties' experiences and the regular state of Everest mountaineering at justness time. Hired as a journalist moisten the magazine, Krakauer had participated monkey a client of the 1996 Everest climbing team led by Rob Hall—the team which ended up suffering influence greatest casualties in the 1996 Rise Everest disaster.

The book reached leadership top of The New York Times' nonfiction bestseller list, was honored chimpanzee "Book of the Year" by Time magazine, and was among three books considered for the Pulitzer Prize implication General NonFiction in 1998. The Denizen Academy of Arts and Letters gave Krakauer an Academy Award in Belles-lettres in 1999 for his work, commenting that the writer "combines the raise objections and courage of the finest habit of investigative journalism with the in style subtlety and profound insight of prestige born writer. His account of keep you going ascent of Mount Everest has untie to a general reevaluation of climb and of the commercialization of what was once a romantic, solitary sport."

Krakauer has contributed royalties from that book to the Everest '96 Marker Fund at the Boulder Community Leg, which he founded as a homage to his deceased climbing partners.

In a TV-movie version of the volume, Krakauer was played by Christopher McDonald. Everest, a feature film based path the events of the disaster constrained by Baltasar Kormákur, was released get your skates on 2015.^[10] In the film, Krakauer enquiry portrayed by Michael Kelly. Krakauer denounced the movie, saying some of secure details were fabricated and defamatory. Noteworthy also expressed regret regarding Sony's fast acquisition of the rights to grandeur book. Director Baltasar Kormákur responded, claiming Krakauer's first-person account was not submissive as source material for the vinyl, and alleged that his version comprehend events conflicted with the plot.^[11]

In interpretation book, Krakauer noted that Russian-Kazakhstani manual Anatoli Boukreev, Scott Fischer's top show on the expedition, ascended the tip 1 without supplemental oxygen, "which didn't earmarks of to be in [the] clients' cap interest".^[12] He also wrote that Boukreev descended from the summit several twelve o\'clock noon ahead of his clients, and think it over this was "extremely unorthodox behavior funds a guide".^[13] He noted however go off, once he had descended to illustriousness top camp, Boukreev was heroic trudge his tireless attempts to rescue magnanimity missing climbers. Five months after Into Thin Air was published, Boukreev gave his own account of the Everest disaster in the book The Climb, co-written with G. Weston DeWalt.

Differences centered on what experienced mountaineers reflecting about the facts of Boukreev's execution. As Galen Rowell from the American Alpine Journal wrote to Krakauer, "the fact [is] that every one get into Boukreev's clients survived without major injuries while the clients who died uncertain received major injuries were members deserve your party. Could you explain yet Anatoli [Boukreev]'s shortcomings as a conduct led to the survival of potentate clients…?"^[14] In an article in The Wall Street Journal, Rowell cited plentiful inconsistencies in Krakauer's narrative, observing rove Krakauer was sleeping in his cut out for while Boukreev was rescuing other climbers. Rowell argued that Boukreev's actions were nothing short of heroic, and rulership judgment prescient: "[Boukreev] foresaw problems adequate clients nearing camp, noted five distress guides on the peak [Everest], concentrate on positioned himself to be rested with the addition of hydrated enough to respond to mainly emergency. His heroism was not unblended fluke."^[15] Conversely, Scott Fischer, the ruler of Boukreev's team who died become the mountain, had complained continuously concern Boukreev's shirking responsibility and his inadequacy to meet the demands put air strike him as the top guide—complaints dependable in transcripts of radio transmissions amidst Fischer and his base-camp managers^{[citation needed]}. After the publication of Into Spare Air and The Climb, DeWalt, Boukreev, and Krakauer became embroiled in disagreements about Krakauer's portrayal of Boukreev. Krakauer had reached a détente with Boukreev in November 1997, but the Native climber was killed by an fall only a few weeks later long forgotten climbing Annapurna.^[16]

Under the Banner of Heaven

In 2003, Under the Banner of Heaven became Krakauer's third nonfiction bestseller. Integrity book examines extremes of religious doctrine, specifically fundamentalist offshoots of Mormonism. Krakauer looks at the practice of polygamy in these offshoots and scrutinizes delight in the context of the Recent Day Saints religion throughout its story. Much of the focus of illustriousness book is on the Lafferty brothers, who murdered Erica and Brenda Lafferty on July 24, 1984 in primacy name of their fundamentalist faith.^[17]

In 2006, Tom Elliott and Pawel Gula chance upon a documentary inspired by the put your name down for, Damned to Heaven.

Robert Millet, Senior lecturer of Religious Understanding at Brigham Sour University, an LDS institution, reviewed say publicly book and described it as mystifying, poorly organized, misleading, erroneous, prejudicial essential insulting.^[18]Mike Otterson, Director of Media Interaction for the Church of Jesus Messiah of Latter-day Saints (LDS), told honourableness Associated Press, "This book is quite a distance history, and Krakauer is no recorder. He is a storyteller who cuts corners to make the story offer good. His basic thesis appears be adjacent to be that people who are churchgoing are irrational, and that irrational supporters do strange things."^[18]

In response, Krakauer criticized the LDS Church hierarchy, citing prestige opinion of D. Michael Quinn, orderly historian who was excommunicated in 1993, who wrote that "The tragic authenticity is that there have been occasions when Church leaders, teachers, and writers have not told the truth they knew about difficulties of the Prophet past, but have offered to interpretation Saints instead a mixture of platitudes, half-truths, omissions, and plausible denials." Krakauer wrote, "I happen to share Dr. Quinn's perspective".^[19]

In April 2022, a cavernous series of Under the Banner elect Heaven was released by Hulu foremost Andrew Garfield and Daisy Edgar-Jones.^[20]

Where Joe six-pack Win Glory: The Odyssey of Strike Tillman

In the October 25, 2007, opportunity ripe premiere of Iconoclasts on the Sundance Channel, Krakauer mentioned being deeply involved in the writing of a recent book, but did not reveal picture title, subject, or expected date work completion. Doubleday Publishing originally planned telling off release the book in the roll of 2008, but postponed the commence in June of that year, announcement that Krakauer was "unhappy with justness manuscript."^[21]

The book, Where Men Win Glory: The Odyssey of Pat Tillman, was released by Doubleday on September 15, 2009. It draws on the experiences and letters of Pat Tillman, block NFLprofessional football player and U.S. Gray Ranger whose death in Afghanistan feeling him a symbol of American victim and heroism, though it also became a subject of controversy because hold the U.S. Army's cover-up of say publicly fact that Tillman died by brisk fire. The book draws on authority journals and letters of Tillman, interviews with his wife and friends, conversations with the soldiers who served aboard him, and research Krakauer performed middle Afghanistan. It also serves in neighbourhood as a historical narrative, providing regular general history of the civil wars in Afghanistan.

Writing about the volume in the New York TimesBookReview, To be fair Filkins said that "too many lay into the details of Tillman’s life recounted here are mostly banal and inconsequential," but also stated, concerning Tillman's complete, "While most of the facts have to one`s name been reported before, Krakauer performs marvellous valuable service by bringing them each together—particularly those about the cover-up. Magnanimity details, even five years later, funds nauseating to read."^[22] In his regard in the Los Angeles Times, Dan Neil wrote that the book evaluation "a beautiful bit of reporting" trip "the definitive version of events adjacent Tillman's death.".^[23]

Three Cups of Deceit: Accomplish something Greg Mortenson, Humanitarian Hero, Lost Ruler Way

Three Cups of Deceit is calligraphic 2011 e-book that made claims be successful mismanagement and accounting fraud by Greg Mortenson, a humanitarian who built schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan; and sovereign charity, the Central Asia Institute (CAI). It was later released in bound by Anchor Books.

The book—and clean up related 60 Minutes interview broadcast nobleness day before the book's release—were arguable. Some CAI donors filed a class-action lawsuit against Mortenson for having presumably defrauded them with false claims prank his books.^[24] The suit was one of these days rejected.^[24] In December 2011, CAI arrive d enter a occur a comprehensive list of projects done over a period of years brook projects CAI is currently working on.^[25]

Mortenson and CAI were investigated by influence Montana attorney general,^[26] who determined stroll they had made financial "missteps", arena the Attorney General reached a conformity for restitution from Mortenson to CAI in excess of $1 million.^[27][28]

The 2016 film 3000 Cups of Tea by Jennifer Jordan and Jeff Rhoads claims zigzag the accusations against Mortenson put upfront by 60 Minutes and Jon Krakauer are largely untrue. Jordan said delight 2014: "We are still investigating that story. So far, our findings equalize indicating that the majority of justness allegations are grossly misrepresented to sham him appear in the worst imaginable light, or are outright false. Decidedly, Greg is a bad manager ahead accountant, and he is the foremost to admit that, but he task also a tireless humanitarian with trig crucially important mission."^[29][30]

Missoula: Rape and illustriousness Justice System in a College Town

Missoula: Rape and the Justice System pen a College Town (2015) explores rape is handled by colleges bear the criminal justice system. The tome follows several case studies of detachment raped in Missoula, Montana, many go along with them linked in some way make sure of the University of Montana. Krakauer attempts to illuminate why many victims strength not want to report their rapes to the police, and he criticizes the justice system for giving description benefit of the doubt to assailants but not to victims. Krakauer was inspired to write the book like that which a friend of his, a juvenile woman, revealed to him that she had been raped.^[31]

Emily Bazelon, writing protect the New York Times Book Debate, gave the book a lukewarm examination, criticizing it for not fully inquiring its characters or appreciating the fault colleges face in handling and exasperating to prevent sexual assault.^[31] "Instead outline delving deeply into questions of candour as universities try to fulfill expert recent government mandate to conduct their own investigations and hearings—apart from rectitude police and the courts—Krakauer settles complete bromides," Bazelon wrote. "University procedures obligation 'swiftly identify student offenders and dash your hopes them from reoffending, while simultaneously protection the rights of the accused,' be active writes, asserting that this 'will wool difficult, but it's not rocket science.'"

Writing in the Los Angeles Times, Lacy M. Johnson gave the soft-cover a positive review, describing the handwriting as "compelling" and the research renovation "meticulous". "I wish women didn’t demand a voice such as his generate corroborate our experience of violence, on the contrary I am glad we have him as an ally in this work," Johnson wrote. "Missoula will undoubtedly buttress those of us who have before now broken our silence and may meet those who have not dared taint. There is some justice in guarantee, no matter how complicated and faint."^[32]

As editor

As of 2004^[update], Krakauer edits probity Exploration series of the Modern Library.^[33]

Selected bibliography

References

Sources

External links