内容简介
Inthiscollectionofessays,thebrilliant,acclaimedbiographerWalterIsaacsonreflectsonlessonstobelearnedfromBenjaminFranklin,AlbertEinstein,BillGates,HenryKissinger,RonaldReaganandMikhailGorbachev,HillaryClintonandBillClinton,andotherinterestingcharactershehaschronicledbothasbiographerandjournalist.Hewritesalsoabouthowhebecameawriter,thechallengesforjournalisminthedigitalage,andofferslovingtributestohishometownofNewOrleans.
作者简介
MorebythisAuthorWalterIsaacson,theCEOoftheAspenInstitute,hasbeenchairmanofCNNandthemanagingeditorofTimemagazine.HeistheauthorofEinstein:HisLifeandUniverse;BenjaminFranklin:AnAmericanLife;andKissinger:ABiography,andthecoauthorofTheWiseMen:SixFriendsandtheWorldTheyMade.HelivesinWashington,D.C.,withhiswifeanddaughter.BiographyRhodesScholar,historian,andbestsellingauthorWalterIsaacsonbeganhisdistinguishedcareerasajournalist--firstforLondon'sSundayTimes,thenforTheTimes-Picayune/States-Item,publishedinhishometownofNewOrleans.HejoinedTimemagazinein1978,workinghiswayupfrompoliticalcorrespondenttomanagingeditorinalittlelessthantwodecades.HeservedfortwoyearsaschairmanandCEOofthecableTVnewsnetworkCNN;then,in2003,hebecamepresidentoftheAspenInstitute,aninternationalnonprofitorganization"dedicatedtofosteringenlightenedleadershipandopen-mindeddialogue."InthewakeofHurricaneKatrina,hewasappointedvice-chairmanoftheLouisianaRecoveryAuthority,andheservesonanumberofpolicy-makingboardsandcouncils.Inliterarycircles,Isaacsonisbestknownasthewriterofmagisterialbiographies,scholarlyandmeticulouslyresearched,yetimmenselyentertaining.Hisfirstbook,however,wasacollaborativeeffort.Co-writtenwithaward-winningjournalistEvanThomas,andpublishedin1986,TheWiseMen:SixFriendsandtheWorldTheyMadeexploresthelivesofsixmenwhoshapedgovernmentandpublicpolicyintheyearsfollowingWWII.Examininganeratoorecenttobecalledhistoryandtoodistanttoqualifyascurrentaffairs,thebookreceivedmixedreviewsbutwasuniversallypraisedforitsambitiousscopeandelegantstyle.Isaacson'ssubsequentbiographies,allsoloefforts(andallcriticallyacclaimed),havechronicledthelivesofsuchdisparatefiguresasHenryKissinger,BenjaminFranklin,andAlbertEinstein.Heexplainswhathasdrawnhimtosuchwidelydivergentsubjects--men,whoonthesurfacewouldappeartohaveverylittleincommon:"Ilikewritingaboutpeoplewithinterestingminds.Itrytoexplorethevariousaspectsofintelligence:commonsense,wisdom,creativity,imagination,mentalprocessingpower,emotionalunderstanding,andmoralvalues.Whichofthesetraitsarethemostimportant?Howdotheymakesomeoneaninfluentialorsignificantorgoodperson?"Education:Harvard,B.A.inHistoryandLiterature,1974;Oxford(RhodesScholar),M.A.inPhilosophy,Politics,&Economics
