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Andrew Solomon

アンドリュー・ソロモン

Andrew Solomon

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1963-10-30 (Manhattan, New York, US)
Nationality
United States, United Kingdom
Languages
English
Religion
Judaism
Residence History
New York City (residence) → London (residence)

Career

Occupations
Writer, Journalist, Clinical psychologist, Activist
Active Years
1988-
Affiliations
Columbia University Medical Center (Professor), Weill Cornell Medicine (Adjunct Professor), Yale School of Medicine (Lecturer), PEN America (Past President, Board member), New York Public Library (Trustee), Metropolitan Museum of Art (Trustee)
Memberships
PEN America (member), Board of Visitors, Columbia Medical School (member), Council on Foreign Relations (member)

Education

Horace Mann School
Period: 〜1981
Year of Graduation: 1981
Country: United States
High school, graduated cum laude
Yale University
Faculty of Arts (English) / Department of English
Degree: BA
Period: 1981–1985
Year of Graduation: 1985
Country: United States
Graduated magna cum laude in English
Jesus College, University of Cambridge
English (MA), later Psychology (PhD)
Degree: MA; PhD
Period: 1990s(MA)・2013(PhD)
Year of Graduation: 2013
Country: United Kingdom
Earned MA in English and awarded PhD in Psychology in 2013 (supervisor: Juliet Mitchell)

Awards

National Book Award (Nonfiction)
2001
Work: The Noonday Demon: An Atlas of Depression
Category: ノンフィクション
Organization: National Book Foundation
Result: 受賞
Pulitzer Prize (Finalist)
2002
Work: The Noonday Demon: An Atlas of Depression
Organization: Pulitzer Prizes
Result: 最終候補
National Book Critics Circle Award (Nonfiction)
2012
Work: Far from the Tree: Parents, Children, and the Search for Identity
Category: ノンフィクション
Organization: National Book Critics Circle
Result: 受賞
Wellcome Book Prize
2014
Work: Far from the Tree: Parents, Children, and the Search for Identity
Organization: Wellcome Trust (sponsor)
Result: 受賞
Anisfield-Wolf Book Award
2013
Work: Far from the Tree: Parents, Children, and the Search for Identity
Organization: Anisfield-Wolf Foundation
Result: 受賞
Dayton Literary Peace Prize
2013
Work: Far from the Tree: Parents, Children, and the Search for Identity
Organization: Dayton Literary Peace Prize
Result: 受賞
J. Anthony Lukas Book Prize
2013
Work: Far from the Tree: Parents, Children, and the Search for Identity
Organization: Presented by organizations associated with the Lukas Prize Project
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

The Irony Tower: Soviet Artists in a Time of Glasnost

1991 Nonfiction (art criticism)

A nonfiction study of Soviet artists during glasnost, examining cultural change and the role of artists at the end of the Soviet era.

Soviet cultureArt and politics

A Stone Boat

1994 Fiction (novel)

A novel about a man's shifting identity as he watches his mother battle cancer; explores family, loss, and self-transformation.

LossFamilyIdentity

The Noonday Demon: An Atlas of Depression

2001 Nonfiction (mental health, memoir)

A comprehensive nonfiction account of depression combining personal memoir, history, science, and cultural analysis; interweaves the author's own experiences with interviews and research.

Mental illnessTreatment and recoverySocial stigma

Far from the Tree: Parents, Children, and the Search for Identity

2012 Nonfiction (family, sociology)

An in-depth examination of how families accommodate children with various physical, mental, and social differences, based on extensive interviews and research; explores identity and acceptance.

FamilyDifference and acceptanceIdentity
Adaptations
  • [Documentary film] Far from the Tree (documentary) (2017)

Far and Away: Reporting from the Brink of Change

2016 Nonfiction (reportage)

A collection of international reporting and essays since 1991, portraying transformative moments from travel and on-the-ground reporting.

Travel and reportingInternational issues

Bibliography

  • The Irony Tower: Soviet Artists in a Time of Glasnost (1991)
  • A Stone Boat (1994)
  • The Noonday Demon: An Atlas of Depression (2001)
  • Far from the Tree: Parents, Children, and the Search for Identity (2012)
  • Far and Away: Reporting from the Brink of Change (2016)

Adaptations

  • Far from the Tree (2017 documentary)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Long-form nonfiction grounded in intensive reportingBlend of personal memoir and scholarly analysisJournalistic yet essayistic deep dives
Recurring Motifs
Family and parent-child relationshipsSearch for identityMental health and illnessAcceptance and diversity

Health

  • Depression (mood disorder)
    1990年代〜2000年代(治療と管理を経た)
    His personal experience with depression informed The Noonday Demon and motivated his advocacy and work in mental health.

Legacy

Solomon is known for in-depth reporting and essays on mental health and family; his books have influenced academia, public discourse, and family advocacy. Award-winning and adapted into documentary form, he has had broad public reach through TED talks and public lectures.

Academic Societies

  • Yale (Solomon Research Fellowships in LGBT Studies)
  • Columbia University psychiatry-related organizations

In Popular Culture

  • Wide public exposure through TED talks (e.g. 'Love, no matter what', 'Depression, the secret we share')
  • 2017 documentary film based on Far from the Tree

Quotes

  • Love, no matter what
    Source: TEDMED 2013 talk 'Love, no matter what' (2013)

Trivia

  • Holds dual citizenship of the United States and the United Kingdom.
  • Entered a civil partnership with John Habich in 2007 and legally married in 2009.
  • Won the National Book Award for The Noonday Demon.
  • Far from the Tree won multiple awards and was adapted into a documentary.