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Martin Duberman

マーティン・ダバーマン

Martin Duberman

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1930-08-06 （New York City, U.S.）
Died
Nationality
United States
Languages
English
Religion
Judaism
Residence History
Bronx, New York City → Mount Vernon, New York

Career

Occupations
historian, biographer, playwright, gay rights activist, professor
Active Years
1957-
Affiliations
Lehman College (CUNY), Center for Lesbian and Gay Studies (CLAGS) - CUNY
Memberships
Gay Academic Union (founding member), National Lesbian and Gay Task Force (founding board), Lambda Legal Defense Fund (founding board), Queers for Economic Justice (founding board)
Nominations
Pulitzer Prize (runner-up/shortlisted) - The Worlds of Lincoln Kirstein

Education

Yale College
Country: United States
Specific degree and graduation year not specified; left blank.
Harvard University
Country: United States
Specific degree and graduation year not specified; left blank.

Awards

Bancroft Prize
1961
Work: Biography of Charles Francis Adams, Sr.
Organization: Columbia University (Bancroft Prize)
Result: Winner
National Book Award (finalist)
1966
Work: Work on James Russell Lowell
Organization: National Book Foundation
Result: Finalist
Vernon Rice/Drama Desk Award (Best Off-Broadway Production)
1963
Work: In White America (play)
Category: 演劇
Organization: Drama Desk
Result: Winner
Manhattan Borough President's Gold Medal in Literature
1988
Organization: Manhattan Borough President's Office
Result: Winner
NYPL George Freedley Memorial Award
1989
Work: Paul Robeson (biography)
Organization: New York Public Library
Result: Winner
American Historical Association Lifetime Achievement Award
2007
Organization: American Historical Association
Result: Winner
Honorary Degree, Doctor of Humane Letters
2012
Organization: Amherst College
Result: Honorary degree
Lambda Literary Award for Nonfiction
2014
Work: Hold Tight Gently
Category: ノンフィクション
Organization: Lambda Literary Awards
Result: Winner
ALA Stonewall Honor Book for Non-Fiction
2015
Work: Hold Tight Gently
Organization: American Library Association
Result: Honor
Honorary Doctor of Letters
2017
Organization: Columbia University
Result: Honorary degree
Harvard Centennial Medal
2024
Organization: Harvard University
Result: Recipient

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

In White America

1965 play / drama

A politically charged play addressing race relations in America; notable off-Broadway production in the 1960s.

racecivil rightshistorical reckoning

Black Mountain: An Exploration in Community

1972 non-fiction / cultural history

A study of the history and culture of Black Mountain College, an influential experimental institution.

educationcommunityarts

Paul Robeson: A Biography

1989 biography / non-fiction

A comprehensive biography of singer and activist Paul Robeson, detailing his life and activism.

civil rightsmusicpolitical activism

Stonewall

1993 non-fiction / LGBTQ history

An examination of the Stonewall riots and their significance in the history of the LGBTQ movement.

LGBTQ historysocial movementsrights struggles

Haymarket: A Novel

2004 historical novel

A novel based on the Haymarket affair, depicting labor struggles and repression.

labor movementjusticehistorical reinterpretation

Reaching Ninety

2023 memoir / non-fiction

A memoir reflecting on his life and activism as he approached ninety.

personal memoiractivist historycultural criticism

Bibliography

  • In White America (1965)
  • Black Mountain: An Exploration in Community (1972)
  • Paul Robeson: A Biography (1989)
  • Stonewall (1993)
  • Haymarket: A Novel (2004)
  • The Worlds of Lincoln Kirstein (2007)
  • Hold Tight Gently (2014)
  • Jews Queers Germans (2017)
  • Luminous Traitor (2018)
  • Reaching Ninety (2023)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
scholarly and narrative historical writingactivist-informed argumentative voicedetail-oriented biographical documentation
Recurring Motifs
civil rights and social movementsrecovering marginalized historiescommunity and education

Legacy

Martin Duberman has made significant contributions as a historian, biographer, and playwright, particularly in advancing scholarship and public understanding of civil rights and LGBTQ history. He is recognized both academically and as an activist with numerous awards and honors.

Academic Societies

  • American Historical Association

Archives

  • Martin B. Duberman papers (New York Public Library)
  • Martin Duberman Collection (State Archives of North Carolina)

Trivia

  • He came out in part in his 1972 writings.
  • Signed the 1968 Writers and Editors War Tax Protest and was jailed for a Senate floor sit-in.
  • Served as the founding director of the Center for Lesbian and Gay Studies (CLAGS).
  • Received the Harvard Centennial Medal in 2024.