Andrew Delbanco
Encyclopedia
Dr. Andrew H. Delbanco is Director of American Studies
at Columbia University
and has been Columbia's Julian Clarence Levi Professor in the Humanities since 1995. He writes extensively on American literary and religious history.
A double graduate of Harvard University
(BA
and PhD
), Delbanco has been teaching at Columbia University
since 1985 and, since 1995, has been Columbia's Julian Clarence Levi Professor in the Humanities. In 2001 he was named by Time Magazine as "America's Best Social Critic", and in 2003 was chosen New York State Scholar of the Year by the New York Council for the Humanities. A Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
, he has served as vice president of PEN American Center
and has received fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation
(1990), the American Council of Learned Societies
(ACLS), the National Endowment for the Humanities
(NEH), and the National Humanities Center
(NHC).
Delbanco's books The Puritan Ordeal (1989) and Melville
: His World and Work (2005) received the Lionel Trilling
Award at Columbia University. Only he and Edward Said
have won the award twice. He is also the author of The Death of Satan (1995), Required Reading (1997), and The Real American Dream (1999). Among the books he has edited are Writing New England (2001), The Portable Abraham Lincoln
(1992), The Sermons of Ralph Waldo Emerson
(volume 2) (1990), and The Puritans in America (1985).
Delbanco's essays appear regularly in the New York Review of Books, The New Republic
, and other journals, on topics ranging from American literary and religious history to contemporary issues in higher education.
American studies
American studies or American civilization is an interdisciplinary field dealing with the study of the United States. It traditionally incorporates the study of history, literature, and critical theory, but also includes fields as diverse as law, art, the media, film, religious studies, urban...
at Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
and has been Columbia's Julian Clarence Levi Professor in the Humanities since 1995. He writes extensively on American literary and religious history.
A double graduate of Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
(BA
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
and PhD
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
), Delbanco has been teaching at Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
since 1985 and, since 1995, has been Columbia's Julian Clarence Levi Professor in the Humanities. In 2001 he was named by Time Magazine as "America's Best Social Critic", and in 2003 was chosen New York State Scholar of the Year by the New York Council for the Humanities. A Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
American Academy of Arts and Sciences
The American Academy of Arts and Sciences is an independent policy research center that conducts multidisciplinary studies of complex and emerging problems. The Academy’s elected members are leaders in the academic disciplines, the arts, business, and public affairs.James Bowdoin, John Adams, and...
, he has served as vice president of PEN American Center
PEN American Center
PEN American Center , founded in 1922 and based in New York City, works to advance literature, to defend free expression, and to foster international literary fellowship. The Center has a membership of 3,300 writers, editors, and translators...
and has received fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation
John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation
The John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation was founded in 1925 by Mr. and Mrs. Simon Guggenheim in memory of their son, who died April 26, 1922...
(1990), the American Council of Learned Societies
American Council of Learned Societies
The American Council of Learned Societies , founded in 1919, is a private nonprofit federation of seventy scholarly organizations.ACLS is best known as a funder of humanities research through fellowships and grants awards. ACLS Fellowships are designed to permit scholars holding the Ph.D...
(ACLS), the National Endowment for the Humanities
National Endowment for the Humanities
The National Endowment for the Humanities is an independent federal agency of the United States established by the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act of 1965 dedicated to supporting research, education, preservation, and public programs in the humanities. The NEH is located at...
(NEH), and the National Humanities Center
National Humanities Center
The National Humanities Center is an independent institute for advanced study in the humanities. It is the only major independent institute for advanced study in all fields of the humanities in the United States. The NHC operates as a privately incorporated nonprofit and is not part of any...
(NHC).
Delbanco's books The Puritan Ordeal (1989) and Melville
Herman Melville
Herman Melville was an American novelist, short story writer, essayist, and poet. He is best known for his novel Moby-Dick and the posthumous novella Billy Budd....
: His World and Work (2005) received the Lionel Trilling
Lionel Trilling
Lionel Trilling was an American literary critic, author, and teacher. With wife Diana Trilling, he was a member of the New York Intellectuals and contributor to the Partisan Review. Although he did not establish a school of literary criticism, he is one of the leading U.S...
Award at Columbia University. Only he and Edward Said
Edward Said
Edward Wadie Saïd was a Palestinian-American literary theorist and advocate for Palestinian rights. He was University Professor of English and Comparative Literature at Columbia University and a founding figure in postcolonialism...
have won the award twice. He is also the author of The Death of Satan (1995), Required Reading (1997), and The Real American Dream (1999). Among the books he has edited are Writing New England (2001), The Portable Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
(1992), The Sermons of Ralph Waldo Emerson
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Ralph Waldo Emerson was an American essayist, lecturer, and poet, who led the Transcendentalist movement of the mid-19th century...
(volume 2) (1990), and The Puritans in America (1985).
Delbanco's essays appear regularly in the New York Review of Books, The New Republic
The New Republic
The magazine has also published two articles concerning income inequality, largely criticizing conservative economists for their attempts to deny the existence or negative effect increasing income inequality is having on the United States...
, and other journals, on topics ranging from American literary and religious history to contemporary issues in higher education.
External links
- http://nyih.as.nyu.edu/object/AndrewDelbanco.htmlDelbanco on the New York Institute for the HumanitiesNew York Institute for the HumanitiesThe New York Institute for the Humanities is an academic organisation affiliated with New York University, founded by Richard Sennett in 1976 to promote the exchange of ideas between academics, professionals and the general public. The NYIH regularly holds seminars open to the public, as well as...
website] - http://www.columbia.edu/cu/amstudies/faculty/intermediate.htmlDelbanco's Faculty Page at Columbia UniversityColumbia UniversityColumbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
] - http://www.wheaton.edu/english/activities/conferences/09ccl/bios.htmlDelbanco on the Wheaton CollegeWheaton College (Illinois)Wheaton College is a private, evangelical Protestant liberal arts college in Wheaton, Illinois, a suburb west of Chicago in the United States...
website] - Delbanco on The Harvard Crimson