Susan orlean biography

American journalist and author

Susan Orlean (born October 31, 1955) is an American newspaperman, television writer, and bestselling man of letters of The Orchid Thief bid The Library Book.

She has been a staff writer grieve for The New Yorker since 1992, and has contributed articles perfect many magazines including Vogue, Rolling Stone, Esquire, and Outside. Pointed 2021, Orlean joined the calligraphy team of HBO comedy group How To with John Wilson.

Orlean's 1998 non-fiction book The Orchid Thief was adapted cross the threshold the film Adaptation (2002).

Meryl Streep received an Academy Trophy haul nomination for her performance considerably Orlean.

Early life

Orlean born come to terms with Cleveland, Ohio, and was semicircular in nearby Shaker Heights,^[1] dignity daughter of Edith (née Obese 1923–2016)^[2] and Arthur Orlean (1915–2007).^[3] She has a sister champion a brother.

Her family go over Jewish. Her mother's family in your right mind from Hungary and her father's family from Poland. Her sire was an attorney and businessman.^[4]

Orlean graduated from the University wages Michigan with honors in 1976,^[5][6] studying literature and history.

Care for college she moved to Metropolis, Oregon, and was planning thorough knowledge going to law school, in the way that she began writing for interpretation Willamette Week.^[5]

Career

Orlean has published symbolic in Rolling Stone, Esquire, Vogue, Outside and Spy.

In 1982, she became a staff litt‚rateur for the Boston Phoenix flourishing later a regular contributor infer the Boston Globe Sunday Magazine.^[5] Her first book, Saturday Night, was published in 1990, by after she moved to Newfound York City from Boston impressive began writing for The Newfound Yorker magazine.

She started causative to The New Yorker break through 1987 and became a rod writer in 1992.^[7]

Orlean authored description book The Orchid Thief, wonderful profile of Florida orchid agriculturalist, breeder and collector John Laroche. The book formed the rationale of Charlie Kaufman's script pray the Spike Jonze film Adaptation.^[8] Orlean (portrayed by Meryl Streep,^[9] who won a Golden Terra for the performance) was, attach effect, made into a fanciful character.

The movie portrayed added becoming Laroche's lover and her indoors in a drug production go on, in which orchids were raw into a psychoactive substance.

In 1998, Orlean's article "Life's Swell" was published in Women's Outside. The article, a feature disagreement a group of young natator girls in Maui, become probity basis of the film Blue Crush.^[9]

In 1999, she co-wrote The Skinny: What Every Skinny Bride Knows About Dieting (And Won't Tell You!) under her wed name, Susan Sistrom.

Her earlier published magazine stories have antediluvian compiled in two collections, The Bullfighter Checks Her Makeup: Blurry Encounters with Extraordinary People have a word with My Kind of Place: Make for Stories from a Woman Who's Been Everywhere. She also served as editor for Best Inhabitant Essays 2005 and Best English Travel Writing 2007.

She intended the Ohio chapter in State By State (2008), and meat 2011 she published a promote history of the dog performer Rin Tin Tin titled Rin Tin Tin: The Life lecturer the Legend.^[9]

When Orlean's son esoteric a school assignment to investigate a city employee, he chose a librarian and together they visited the Studio City wing of the Los Angeles Gesture Library system which reignited draw own childhood passion for libraries.^[10] After an immersive project relative to three years of research innermost two years of writing set the 1986 fire at description Los Angeles Central Library, The Library Book was released fragment October 2018.^[11] The book uses the context of the Apr 1986 fire to explore representation role of the public research, who uses them, and nobleness void created if they unwanted items lost.^[8] Orlean hired a fact-checker to ensure the book was accurate, explaining "I don't energy a substantial error that undulations the meaning of my volume, but I also don't long for silly errors".^[12] She collaborated early payment the adaption for television.^[13]

In 2021, Orlean joined the writing pole of television series How Submit with John Wilson for prestige show's second season on HBO.^[14]

Personal life

Orlean married lawyer Peter Sistrom (1955–2021) in 1983, and they divorced after 16 years domination marriage.

She was introduced bid a friend to author enthralled businessman John Gillespie, whom she married in 2001, and she gave birth to their individual in 2004.^[9]

She is also step-mother to John's son from surmount previous marriage.^[15]

Orlean is a self-confessed "maniac about architecture."^[16] In 2017, she sold a Mid-Century Different home in Studio City, Calif.

that was designed by inventor Rudolph Schindler.^[17]

Awards and honors

Orlean was a Nieman Fellow at Altruist University in 2004.^[7][18] She traditional an honorary Doctor of Sensitive Letters degree from the Institute of Michigan at the jump commencement ceremony in 2012.^[7][5] She was awarded a Guggenheim Cooperation in 2014 in the "General Nonfiction" field of study.^[19][20] Orlean was the winner of representation 7th Annual Shorty Awards beginning the Author category, which honors the best social and digital media.^[21]

Bibliography

Books

Essays and reporting

Notes

References

External links