Adam Gopnik facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Adam Gopnik
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Gopnik in 2014
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| Born | August 24, 1956 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
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| Education | McGill University (BA) |
| Period | 1986–present |
| Parents | Myrna Gopnik (mother) |
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Adam Gopnik (born August 24, 1956) is a well-known American writer. He grew up in Montreal, Canada. He is famous for writing for The New Yorker magazine. He has written many different types of articles for them since 1986. These include true stories, made-up stories, personal memories, and reviews.
Adam Gopnik has written nine books. Some of his popular books are Paris to the Moon, Through the Children's Gate, and The King in the Window. In 2020, his essay "The Driver's Seat" was a very popular reading for students.
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About Adam Gopnik's Early Life and School
Adam Gopnik was born in Philadelphia, USA. His family was Jewish. He grew up in Montreal, Canada. His family lived in a special building called Habitat 67.
Both of his parents were professors at McGill University. His father, Irwin, taught English literature. His mother, Myrna, taught about language. Adam Gopnik shared a story in 2014 about his grandparents. His paternal grandfather and maternal grandmother fell in love. They left their spouses and got married.
Adam Gopnik went to Dawson College. Then he studied at McGill University. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in art history. While at McGill, he wrote for the student newspaper, The McGill Daily. He also did more studies at the New York University Institute of Fine Arts.
Gopnik studied art history deeply. With his friend Kirk Varnedoe, he helped organize an art show. This show was called High/Low in 1990. It was held at New York's Museum of Modern Art. He also wrote about how religion and art are connected. He explored if Christianity and Darwinism could fit together.
Adam Gopnik's Writing Career
Writing for The New Yorker Magazine
Adam Gopnik started working with The New Yorker magazine in 1986. His first article showed his wide range of interests. It connected baseball, childhood, and Renaissance art. He has written for four different editors at the magazine.
Gopnik has written many things for The New Yorker. These include stories, funny pieces, book reviews, and profiles of people. He also wrote reports from other countries. After his first article, he became the magazine's art critic. He worked as an art critic from 1987 to 1995. After that, he became the magazine's writer in Paris.
In 1995, The New Yorker sent him to Paris. He wrote "Paris Journals" about life in the city. These essays were later put into a book. The book was called Paris to the Moon. It was published in 2000 after he moved back to New York City. This book became a bestseller.
After five years in Paris, Gopnik returned to New York. He continued to write about life in the city. He is still a staff writer for The New Yorker. In recent years, he has written a lot about gun control and gun violence in the United States.
Books Written by Adam Gopnik
Besides Paris to the Moon, Adam Gopnik wrote another book. It was called Through the Children's Gate (2006). This book shared his thoughts on life in New York. It also talked about the funny parts of being a parent. Much of this material first appeared in The New Yorker.
In 2005, Hyperion Books for Children published his children's novel. It was called The King in the Window. The story is about an American boy named Oliver living in Paris. He is mistaken for a magical king. He finds himself in an old battle between good and evil forces.
A book about Abraham Lincoln and Charles Darwin came out in 2009. It was titled Angels and Ages. In 2010, Hyperion Books published another children's fantasy novel. This book was The Steps Across the Water. It tells the adventures of a young girl named Rose. She explores a mystical city called U Nork.
In 2011, Gopnik gave the 50th Massey Lectures. He gave five talks in Canadian cities. These talks were based on ideas from his book Winter: Five Windows on the Season.
His book The Table Comes First (2011) is about food. It covers cooking and restaurants.
In 2019, Gopnik wrote A Thousand Small Sanities: The Moral Adventure of Liberalism. This was a nonfiction book. It was published by Basic Books.
In 2023, he wrote The Real Work: On the Mystery of Mastery. This book was published by Liveright.
Adam Gopnik's Work in Musical Theatre
Adam Gopnik started working on musical projects in 2015. He writes song lyrics and stories for musicals. With composer David Shire, he wrote a musical comedy called Table. It was inspired by his 2011 book. It was first tried out in 2015. For a 2017 show, Table was renamed The Most Beautiful Room in New York.
He also wrote the story for Nico Muhly's musical piece Sentences. This piece was first performed in London in June 2015.
Other projects include a show for one actress, Melissa Errico. It was called Sing the Silence. It started in November 2015. It included new songs he wrote with other composers.
Adam Gopnik's Family Life
Adam Gopnik lives in New York. He lives with his wife, Martha Rebecca Parker. They have two children, Luke and Olivia. Martha's mother is a Canadian filmmaker named Gudrun Parker.
Adam Gopnik has five siblings. His brother, Blake Gopnik, is an art critic. His sister, Alison Gopnik, is a psychologist and professor.
Awards and Public Appearances
Adam Gopnik has been a guest on the TV show Charlie Rose. He has won three National Magazine Awards for his essays and reviews. He also received a George Polk Award for his magazine reporting. His writing about the culture of the United States is in the Encyclopædia Britannica.
Gopnik helps judge films for the New York International Children's Film Festival.
In 2015, Gopnik wrote and presented Lighting Up New York. This was a cultural journey through New York's recent history for Britain's BBC Four. He also regularly contributes to the BBC Radio 4 talk series A Point of View.
He taught at the annual Iceland Writers Retreat in Reykjavík, Iceland, in spring 2015. In 2016, Gopnik started a free lecture series. It was at the Lincoln Center in New York. The series was called The History of the World in 100 Performances.
During the pandemic years, Adam Gopnik was a regular guest on the Bayard Rustin Center for Social Justice Power Hour. This show was broadcast live for over two years. He is now a regular visitor to this LGBTQIA+ Safe-Space & community activist hub in Princeton, New Jersey.
Gopnik appeared as himself in the 2022 film Tár. In the movie, he interviews the main character, Lydia Tár. They discuss her ideas about conducting music. This scene takes place at The New Yorker Festival.
