Finnegan has certainly written a surfing book for surfers, but on a more fundamental level, barbarian days offers a cleareyed vision of american boyhood. A book beloved by surfers and nonsurfers alike, barbarian days is an oldschool adventure story. I was sad when your book ended, it was as if id lost time with a friend that was good for the soul. New yorker writer william finnegan spent time with families in four communities across america and became an intimate observer of the lives he reveals in these beautifully rendered portraits. Apr 26, 2016 william finnegan on surf writing and winning a pulitzer a conversation with the journalist whose 2015 surfing memoir, barbarian days, just won the pulitzer prize, about tapping his passion for a. Barbarian days is william finnegans memoir of an obsession, a complex enchantment. Whether speaking about his experiences as a political journalist or his bestselling memoir, finnegan. As finnegan demonstrates, surfing, like good writing, is an act of vigilant noticing. A staff writer at the new yorker since 1987, he lives in manhattan. William finnegan explores the druggy underbelly of black new haven, deepest, dirt poor rural east texas, the mexican immigrant population of washington states winegrowing yakima valley and neonazi and anti nazi skinhead gangs of las antelope valley, finnegan reports from an america we seldom see. Jul 22, 2015 find out all the details of william finnegans captivating new book, barbarian days. William finnegan is the author of cold new world, a complicated war, dateline soweto, and crossing the line.
William finnegan has been a staff writer at the new yorker since 1987. David remnick, editor of the new yorker, where finnegan is a staff writer, has called him, one of the very best reporters ive ever seen in action, and without a doubt, bill is the greatest surfer ive ever met. Reading this guy on the subject of waves and water is. William finnegan is the author of cold new world, a complicated war, dateline soweto, crossing the line, and barbarian days. California burning by william finnegan the new york. Finnegan gets so deep in these peoples lives over the six years he took to gather these stories that he can describe the situations to perfection. He has specially addressed issues of racism and conflict in southern africa and politics in mexico and south america, as well as poverty among youth in the united states, and is well known for his writing on surfing. Some of his particular interests include race and bias in south africa, mexican and south american politics, and youth poverty in america.
He has won several awards for his journalism and the 2016 pulitzer prize for biography or autobiography for his work barbarian days. Below are william finnegans favorite books, available to purchase individually or as a set. When william finnegan moved to new york in 1986 to earnestly pursue a career in journalism, he kept his past secret from the men in dark suits he interviewed politicians, lobbyists, professors. Barbarian days author william finnegan on surfing, relationships and the decisions we make. Aug 16, 2018 william finnegan is a staff writer at the new yorker. William finnegan on surf writing and winning a pulitzer. Reporting from africa, central america, south america, europe, the balkans, mexico, and australia. We were all living in the wildlandurban interface, as it is now called. He has twice been a national magazine award finalist and has won numerous journalism awards, including two overseas press club awards since 2009. William finnegan is a staff writer at the new yorker where, for nearly three decades, hes covered civil wars in south sudan and somalia, tracked. This is the final entry in a fourpart interview with barbarian days author william finnegan.
William finnegan surfs the meaning of his barbarian days. Funeral home services for william are being provided by kutis funeral home, inc, affton chapel. William finnegan is a journalist with the new yorker and a very good writer. William finnegan born 1952 is a staff writer at the new yorker and author of works of international journalism. Each wave tells a story in barbarian days a surfing memoir might not be what youd expect from a seasoned new yorker reporter, but william finnegans new book is a. A writer for the new yorker, where portions of this book have appeared, finnegan crossing the line. In this book, he studies the lives of four working class families, and their communities, across the country. William finnegan has been a contributor to the new yorker since 1984 and a staff writer since 1987. Reading this guy on the subject of waves and water is like reading hemingway on bullfighting. William finnegans most recent book is cold new world. William finnegan on surf writing and winning a pulitzer a conversation with the journalist whose 2015 surfing memoir, barbarian days, just won the pulitzer prize, about tapping his passion for a. Jul 19, 2015 then, in the summer of 1992, there appeared in the new yorker a long, twopart article by william finnegan titled playing docs games that was instantly recognized as a masterpiece. Jul 21, 2015 each wave tells a story in barbarian days a surfing memoir might not be what youd expect from a seasoned new yorker reporter, but william finnegans new book is a loving look back at his life.
Surfer william finnegan explains the powerful allure of. What emerges from these beautifully rendered portraits is a prescient and compassionate book that never loses sight of its subjects humanity. Pulitzer prize, biography, 2016 a deeply rendered selfportrait of a lifelong surfer by the acclaimed new yorker writer. Jul 16, 2015 william finnegan is a staff writer at the new yorker where, for nearly three decades, hes covered civil wars in south sudan and somalia, tracked narcotraficantes in mexico and embedded with. His book barbarian days won the 2016 pulitzer prize for biography. A surfing life, on catching nice waves in honolulu and talking while surfing. William finnegan passed away at the age of 94 in fishers, indiana. William finnegan is an awardwinning reporter, a staff writer at the new yorker, and the author of the pulitzer prizewinning book barbarian days, a memoir about his lifelong passion for surfing. Youll find links to all the interviews at the end of this one. Find out all the details of william finnegans captivating new book, barbarian days. Pulitzer winner william finnegan didnt want to be stereotyped as a dumb surfer speaking at the new york public library, the prizewinning writer of barbarian days talked about surfing, memory. For pure sensation, pick up new yorker writer william finnegans memories of the beach. William finnegan is a staff writer for the new yorker, where he works as an international journalist.
William finnegans ten favorite books include the works of george orwell, elena ferrante, philip roth, mark twain, virginia woolf, and more. William finnegans study of american underclasses is hardly scientific in the traditional sense, yet a reading of this book will certainly earn the readers respect for its depth and the amount of physical area it touches upon across the u. Despite differences in region, ethnicity and culture, they are all on the other side of postwwii prosperity and sliding down, down down. His father worked as a filmmaker and was nominated for the emmy awards five times. William finnegan revisits his golden age of surfing and the classic search for the. At first glance, william finnegans life as a surfer seems incongruent. We would hose down the woodshingled roof as fire crews bivouacked in our street. William finnegan books, biography and facts about the author. A longtime staff writer for the new yorker, finnegan has written four books, including dateline soweto and crossing the line. Like jon krakauers into the wild, it is a sympathetic examination of what happens when literary ideas of freedom and purity take hold of a young mind and fling his body out into the far. Reporting from africa, central america, south america. Jun 02, 2016 pulitzer winner william finnegan didnt want to be stereotyped as a dumb surfer speaking at the new york public library, the prizewinning writer of barbarian days talked about surfing, memory. May 12, 1998 william finnegan is a journalist with the new yorker and a very good writer.
A surfing life by william finnegan online at alibris. Winner of the pulitzer price and william hill sports book of the year. In 1952, patricia and bill finnegan had their first of four children with the birth of william finnegan in new york, new york, united states. Thad ziolkowskis most recent book is wichita, a novel. Known mostly for his work for the new yorkerwhere hes been a war correspondent and foreign policy contributor since the 1980sits easier to imagine him chasing down sources than waves in remote, international locales. Aug 03, 2015 a longtime staff writer for the new yorker, finnegan has written four books, including dateline soweto and crossing the line. William finnegan is a staff writer at the new yorker. At the bay area book festival, pulitzer prize winning writer william finnegan, author of barbarian days. Finnegans attempt to reckon with what drives him to surf the same impulse, he realizes, that drove him later in life, as a staff writer for the new yorker. It has debuted at no 5 on the new york times bestseller list, trailing ecstatic. A surfing life, won the pulitzer prize for autobiography. We lived in a new subdivision, and behind our house were the hills, golden and parched. William finnegan spent years embedded with families in four communities across the country to become an intimate observer of the lives he reveals in cold new world. William finnegan, the awardwinning journalist and staff writer for the new yorker, has built his career on stories of human conflict and suffering.
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