A CONVERSATION
WITH ERIK LARSON
Erik Larson is a master of narrative non-fiction creating historical suspenseful and entertaining stories which spellbound readers . His vividly written , best selling books have won several awards and been published worldwide . All the President ’ s Men was his inspiration for his foray into journalism . From storms to serial killers to shipwrecks , he has made his name writing about frightening moments in history .
Among his publications , the critically acclaimed book , The Devil in the White City , intertwines the stories of the Chicago 1893 World ’ s Fair and one of America ’ s worst serial killers . It remained on the New York Times bestseller lists for a combined total of over six years , won an Edgar Award for nonfiction crime writing , was nominated for the National Book Award , and was voted one of the 125 most important books of the last 125 years by the New York Public Library . It is also being adapted by Hulu into an eight-episode series with Leonardo DiCaprio and Martin Scorsese as executive producers .
In the Garden of Beasts : Love , Terror and an American Family in Hitler ’ s Berlin , is a vivid portrait of the American ambassador and his family in Berlin during the first years of Hitler ’ s reign from which Larson has crafted a gripping , deeply intimate narrative . Dead Wake : The Last Crossing of the Lusitania , about the 1915 sinking of the ocean liner Lusitania , was # 1 on the New York Times Bestseller list . The Splendid and the Vile : A Saga of Churchill , Family , and Defiance During The Blitz , a biography of Winston Churchill ’ s first year as prime minister , is a New York Times Notable Book of 2020 , and a Kirkus Best Book of 2020 . His most recent book , the audio only novel No One Goes Alone , has been acquired by Chernin Entertainment in association with Netflix with plans to adapt it into a feature film .
Larson has stated he does all of his own research , asking , “ why should I let anybody else have that fun ?” He also rejected the idea of trying to imagine or take factual liberties with scenes and conversations from the past , stating that in his work , “ anything that appears in quote is something that came from a historical document .”
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