David Farley, born September 25, 1971 is an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 author

Author

An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...

 and journalist

Journalist

A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...

. He is originally from Dubuque

Dubuque, Iowa

Dubuque is a city in and the county seat of Dubuque County, Iowa, United States, located along the Mississippi River. In 2010 its population was 57,637, making it the ninth-largest city in the state and the county's population was 93,653....

, Iowa

Iowa

Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...

, but spent his formative years in Simi Valley

Simi Valley

Simi Valley is a synclinal valley in Southern California in the United States. It is an enclosed or hidden valley surrounded by mountains and hills. It is connected to the San Fernando Valley to the east by the Santa Susana Pass & 118 freeway, and in the west the narrows of the Arroyo Simi and 118...

, California

California

California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

. He graduated from Simi Valley High School

Simi Valley High School

Simi Valley High School is a secondary school located in Simi Valley, California, nestling in the shadow of the Santa Susana Mountains, adjacent to the San Fernando Valley. It was established in 1920 as the valley's first high school. Simi Valley High School has undergone several configurations...

 and received a bachelor's degree from University of California, Santa Cruz

University of California, Santa Cruz

The University of California, Santa Cruz, also known as UC Santa Cruz or UCSC, is a public, collegiate university; one of ten campuses in the University of California...

 and a master's degree in European history from San Francisco State University

San Francisco State University

San Francisco State University is a public university located in San Francisco, California. As part of the 23-campus California State University system, the university offers over 100 areas of study from nine academic colleges...

.

Farley writes mostly about travel, food, and culture for The New York Times

The New York Times

The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...

, The Washington Post

The Washington Post

The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...

, Conde Nast Traveler

Condé Nast Traveler

Condé Nast Traveler is a US magazine published by Condé Nast. It has its origins in a mailing sent out by the Diners Club club beginning in 1953, listing locations that would take the card. It began taking advertising in 1955. In order to attract more advertisers, it became a full-fledged magazine,...

, and World Hum

World Hum

World Hum is an award winning online travel magazine . Founded in 2001 by Jim Benning and Michael Yessis, Worldhum.com was acquired in May 2007, by Travel Channel World Hum features a Travel Blog, How To's, Book Reviews, Q&A, and travel dispatches...

, among other publications. In 2006, he won a Lowell Thomas

Lowell Thomas

Lowell Jackson Thomas was an American writer, broadcaster, and traveler, best known as the man who made Lawrence of Arabia famous...

 Award from the Society of American Travel Writers. He has lived in Prague

Prague

Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...

, Paris

Paris

Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...

, and Rome

Rome

Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...

 and now lives in New York City

New York City

New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

.

An Irreverent Curiosity

"An Irreverent Curiosity: In Search of the Church's Strangest Relic in Italy's Oddest Town,", Farley's first book, is a narrative history/travelogue about Farley's time living in Calcata, Italy while searching for the Holy Foreskin, which was preserved in the medieval hill town's church for centuries until it went missing under mysterious circumstances in the 1980s. The book was named one of the best travel books of the year by the Los Angeles Times and WorldHum.com and one of the best books of the decade by the Dubuque Telegraph Herald. In October 2010, it won a Lowell Thomas Award for best travel book.

External links

• David Farley official site with information about his books, article archives, links to interviews and information about speaking engagements.
• Interview with David Farley in The New Yorker
• In search of the holy prepuce, Bookpod