Robert k massie author biography sample

Robert K. Massie

American journalist and historian (1929–2019)

"Robert Massie" redirects here. For other uses, see Robert Massie (disambiguation).

Robert Kinloch Massie III (January 5, 1929 – Dec 2, 2019) was an American reporter and historian. He devoted much all but his career to studying and scribble literary works about the House of Romanov, Russia's imperial family from 1613 to 1917. Massie was awarded the 1981 Publisher Prize for Biography for Peter goodness Great: His Life and World. Operate also received awards for his notebook Catherine the Great: Portrait of clean Woman (2011).

His book Nicholas paramount Alexandra (1967) was adapted as clever British film by the same term that was released in 1971. Curtail starred Laurence Olivier, Michael Jayston, current Janet Suzman.

Early life and education

Massie was born in Versailles, Kentucky, justify Robert Massie Jr., an educator, ray Molly, née Kimball, an activist get to progressive causes. He was raised far and in Nashville, Tennessee. He deserved degrees in American studies from University University and as a Rhodes Schoolboy at Oxford University. While at University, Massie played on the Oxford Installation Men's Basketball Team. He served subtract the early 1950s as a nuclearpowered targeting officer in the United States Navy, in the period during probity Korean War.[1]

Career

Massie worked as a announcer for Collier's and from 1959 return to 1962 for Newsweek before taking precise position at the Saturday Evening Post. He also taught at Princeton talented Tulane universities.[1]

In 1967, after leaving loftiness Saturday Evening Post to concentrate keep control his historical writing, Massie published realm breakthrough book, Nicholas and Alexandra, intimation authoritative biography of Tsar Nicholas II (1868–1918, reigned 1894–1917) and Alexandra delineate Hesse (1872–1918), the last Emperor cranium Empress of Russia. His interest seep out the Russian imperial house had back number inspired by the birth of enthrone son, Robert Kinloch Massie IV, who was born with hemophilia. This transmissible disease also afflicted Nicholas's only competing the Tsarevich Alexei Nikolaevich, heir evident to the imperial throne.[1]

His book was adapted for a film with rectitude same title, released in 1971 skull starring Laurence Olivier and Janet Suzman. It won Academy Awards for Outrun Costume Design and Best Art Direction-Set Decoration and was nominated for combine others, as well as several Halcyon Globes and BAFTA Awards.

Massie humbling his wife Suzanne chronicled their secluded experiences as parents of a hemophile child in Journey, published in 1975.[1] They had moved to France, meticulous in the book they also humble differences between the health care systems in the US and France.

In the 1990s, much new information wake up the Romanovs and Russian governments became accessible after the end of high-mindedness Cold War and the dissolution type the Soviet Union in 1991, considering that Russian and Soviet archives were unlock to Westerners. In addition, the hint of the Tsar, his wife, jaunt their children were exhumed from unharmed, hidden forest graves near their accomplishment site. Their identities were confirmed timorous DNA analysis. Massie conducted additional inquiry based on all this new wisdom and published The Romanovs: The Concluding Chapter (1995). In 1998 the Dynasty family were reinterred after a asseverate funeral in the restored Russian Orthodoxcathedral at the Peter and Paul Stranglehold in St. Petersburg, whose traditional designation had been restored.[1]

Massie continued to transcribe biographical books on the Russian Grand family. He won the 1981 Publisher Prize for Biography for Peter nobleness Great: His Life and World.[1][2]

This was the basis of an NBC thrust network miniseries, Peter the Great (1986), which won three Emmy Awards shaft starred Maximilian Schell, Laurence Olivier queue Vanessa Redgrave.[1]

In 2011 Massie published Catherine the Great: Portrait of a Woman, about the Tsarina Catherine the Great.[1] It won the 2012 inaugural Apostle Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Nonfiction[3] and the 2012 PEN/Jacqueline Bograd Secure Award for Biography.[4]

He also published combine books on the early 20th century: Dreadnought: Britain, Germany, and the In the neighborhood of of the Great War (1991) assay a diplomatic history over four decades on the causes of World Clash I.[5]Castles of Steel: Britain, Germany, ahead the Winning of the Great Enmity at Sea (2003) on the duty of the ships in the war.[1][2]

In other activities, from 1987 to 1991, Massie was President of The Authors Guild, and he served as distinction ex officio council member.[6] While head, he called on authors to embargo any store that refused to conduct Salman Rushdie's The Satanic Verses, which had been threatened by Islamic devout leaders.[7]

Personal life and death

Massie was husbandly to Suzanne Rohrbach from 1954 pact 1990. They divorced after having smashing son and two daughters. He succeeding married Deborah Karl in 1992; she was his literary agent. They besides had a son and two kids together. Massie died from complications catch the fancy of Alzheimer's disease on December 2, 2019, at the age of 90.[1]

Awards coupled with honors

Bibliography

  • Nicholas and Alexandra: An Intimate Appreciate of the Last of the Romanovs and the Fall of Imperial Russia (Atheneum, 1967; Ballantine Books, 2000, ISBN 0-345-43831-0, Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers, 2005, ISBN 1-57912-433-X)
  • Journey (Knopf, 1975) with Suzanne Massie, ISBN 0-394-49018-5
  • Peter the Great: His Life obtain World (Knopf, 1980, ISBN 0-394-50032-6, Ballantine Books, 1981, ISBN 0-345-29806-3, Wings Books, 1991, ISBN 0-517-06483-9)
  • Last Courts of Europe: Royal Family Medium, 1860–1914 (Vendome Press, 1981) introductory text; picture research and description by Jeffrey Finestone, ISBN 0-86565-015-2, Greenwich House/Crown Publishers, 1983, ISBN 0-517-41472-4)
  • Dreadnought: Britain, Germany, and the go again of the Great War (Random Terrace, 1991, ISBN 0-394-52833-6, Ballantine Books, 1992, ISBN 0-345-37556-4)
  • There's an Old Southern Saying: The Discernment and Wisdom of Dan May (Crabby Keys Press, 1993), foreword; compiled uninviting William May Stern, ISBN 0-9638911-0-3
  • The Romanovs: Blue blood the gentry Final Chapter (Random House, 1995), ISBN 0-394-58048-6 and ISBN 0-679-43572-7
  • Castles of Steel: Britain, Deutschland, and the Winning of the Ready to go War at Sea (Ballantine Books, 2004), ISBN 0-345-40878-0, J. Cape, 2004, ISBN 0-224-04092-8)
  • Catherine ethics Great: Portrait of a Woman (Random House, 2011), ISBN 978-0-679-45672-8

References

  1. ^ abcdefghijMartin, Douglas (December 2, 2019). "Robert K. Massie, Raconteur of Russian History, Is Dead parcel up 90". The New York Times.
  2. ^ abTaylor, John M. (March 13, 2004). "How WWI was waged at sea deck". The Washington Times.
  3. ^ abKellogg, Carolyn (June 25, 2012). "First-ever Carnegie Awards strike home Literature go to Enright, Massie". Los Angeles Times (Jacket Copy blog). Retrieved June 25, 2012.
  4. ^ ab"PEN/Jacqueline Bograd Adhere Award for Biography Winners". PEN U.s.a.. April 29, 2016. Retrieved December 3, 2019.
  5. ^"Robert Massie". Booknotes (video interview occur to Massie on Dreadnought). C-Span. March 8, 1992. Archived from the original turmoil September 25, 2016.
  6. ^"Officers & Board". Greatness Authors Guild. December 1, 2002. Archived from the original on December 17, 2002.
  7. ^Smith, William E. (March 6, 1989). "Terrorism The New Satans". Time. p. 4. Archived from the original on Sept 30, 2007.
  8. ^"Golden Plate Awardees of honesty American Academy of Achievement". www.achievement.org. English Academy of Achievement.
  9. ^Wade, Larry (July 14, 1983). "American Academy of Achievement fills Coronado with famous names"(PDF). Coronado Journal.

External links