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Joseph Salem Lelyveld

ジョセフ・セーラム・レリーヴェルド

Josefu Sēramu Rerīvuerudo

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1937-04-05 （Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S.）
Died
2024-01-05 （New York City, U.S.） age 86
Nationality
United States
Languages
English
Religion
Judaism (Reform)
Residence History
Cincinnati (birthplace) → New York City (primarily raised)

Career

Occupations
journalist, author, editor
Active Years
1962-2024
Affiliations
The New York Times, The New York Review of Books (contributor)

Education

Harvard University
Degree: BA (英語)
Period: 1954–1958
Year of Graduation: 1958
Country: United States
BA in English
Harvard University (Graduate)
Degree: MA (アメリカ史)
Period: 1958–1959
Year of Graduation: 1959
Country: United States
MA in American History
Columbia University
Degree: MS (ジャーナリズム)
Period: 1959–1960
Year of Graduation: 1960
Country: United States
MS in Journalism

Awards

Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction
1986
Work: Move Your Shadow: South Africa, Black and White
Organization: Pulitzer Prize Board
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Move Your Shadow: South Africa, Black and White

1985 Nonfiction (reporting / history)

A journalistic account based on reporting from South Africa that examines apartheid through the contrasted lives of black and white residents, documenting social and political realities.

apartheidracejournalism

Omaha Blues: A Memory Loop

2005 Memoir / Nonfiction

A reflective memoir intertwining family history and personal recollections with broader historical context.

memoryfamily history

Great Soul: Mahatma Gandhi and His Struggle with India

2011 Biography / History

A reexamination of Mahatma Gandhi's life and ideas and his relationship with India's struggle; the book provoked controversy and was subject to a state-level ban in Gujarat.

biographycolonialism and independenceethics and private life

His Final Battle: The Last Months of Franklin Roosevelt

2016 History / Biography

A detailed historical study of the final months of President Franklin Roosevelt's life.

political historypresidential history

Foreword to House of Bondage (by Ernest Cole)

1967 Foreword (photographic reportage)

A foreword to Ernest Cole's photographic work documenting the harsh realities of life for black South Africans.

race issuesphotojournalism

Bibliography

  • Foreword to House of Bondage (1967)
  • Move Your Shadow: South Africa, Black and White (1985)
  • Omaha Blues: A Memory Loop (2005)
  • Great Soul: Mahatma Gandhi and His Struggle with India (2011)
  • His Final Battle: The Last Months of Franklin Roosevelt (2016)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
clear, fact-based journalistic prosein-depth, on-the-ground reporting
Recurring Motifs
race and injusticepower and moral complexitymemory and personal history

Health

  • Parkinson's disease
    晩年
    Affected his health in later life and complications contributed to his death in 2024.

Legacy

Joseph Lelyveld was a longtime reporter and editor at The New York Times, acclaimed for reportage on South Africa and race and also a controversial biographer; a Pulitzer Prize winner recognized as a significant figure in contemporary journalism.

Archives

  • The New York Times archives

Quotes

  • "The book does not say that Gandhi was bisexual or homosexual. It says that he was celibate and deeply attached to Kallenbach. This is not news."
    Source: Statement regarding Great Soul (interview/statement) (2011)

Trivia

  • His father was Arthur Lelyveld, a Reform Jewish rabbi and political activist.
  • Worked at The New York Times for nearly 40 years and served as executive editor from 1994 to 2001.
  • One of his daughters, Nita Lelyveld, became a newspaper editor.