Helen Epstein
Encyclopedia
Helen Epstein is a writer of memoir, journalism and biography who lives in Massachusetts
, United States
. She was born November 27, 1947 in Prague, Czechoslovakia, raised in New York City
, and graduated from Hunter College High School in 1965.
. Her first-person account of the invasion was published in The Jerusalem Post
, where she later worked as a university correspondent for two years. Her early work there determined her career in writing non-fiction.
In 1971, she graduated from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism
and began writing cultural reportage for the New York Times Sunday edition as well as many national magazines, specializing in profiles of classical musicians including Vladimir Horowitz
, Leonard Bernstein
and Yo Yo Ma. Several of these are collected in her book Music Talks (McGraw-Hill
1987) and republished as an e-book in 2010.
Epstein is married to consultant Patrick Mehr and has two grown sons, Daniel and Sam. She has been a teacher since 1974, was the first tenured woman professor in New York University's Journalism Department. She currently lectures internationally on literary non-fiction, particularly memoir and family history. She reviews Boston area and Berkshire County cultural events online for theartsfuse.com and does occasional book reviewing for the "New York Times" and the Philadelphia Inquirer.
Her biography Joe Papp: An American Life (ISBN 978-0306806766) was the first full-length biography of the producer. Her profile of art scholar Meyer Schapiro in ARTnews
was similarly the first of its kind. Her books have been translated into several languages. Her biographies of Papp and Tina Packer, founder and director of Shakespeare & Company in The Berkshires
of Massachusetts reflect her ongoing interest in theater. She is also the translator of Heda Kovaly's Under A Cruel Star
, a memoir of life under both Nazism and Stalinism in Central Europe and of "Acting in Terezin" by Vlasta Schoenova.
Her collection of essays on non-fiction Ecrire La Vie (ISBN 978-2-917336-07-6) was published in France in 2009. She is Editorial Director of Plunkett Lake Press E-Books of Life Writing.
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. She was born November 27, 1947 in Prague, Czechoslovakia, raised 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...
, and graduated from Hunter College High School in 1965.
Life
She was a student at Hebrew University when, during the summer of 1968, she traveled to Prague and was caught in the Soviet Invasion of CzechoslovakiaWarsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia
On the night of 20–21 August 1968, the Soviet Union and her main satellite states in the Warsaw Pact – Bulgaria, the German Democratic Republic , Hungary and Poland – invaded the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic in order to halt Alexander Dubček's Prague Spring political liberalization...
. Her first-person account of the invasion was published in The Jerusalem Post
The Jerusalem Post
The Jerusalem Post is an Israeli daily English-language broadsheet newspaper, founded on December 1, 1932 by Gershon Agron as The Palestine Post. The daily readership numbers do not approach those of the major Hebrew newspapers....
, where she later worked as a university correspondent for two years. Her early work there determined her career in writing non-fiction.
In 1971, she graduated from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism
Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism
The Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism is one of Columbia's graduate and professional schools. It offers three degree programs: Master of Science in journalism , Master of Arts in journalism and a Ph.D. in communications...
and began writing cultural reportage for the New York Times Sunday edition as well as many national magazines, specializing in profiles of classical musicians including Vladimir Horowitz
Vladimir Horowitz
Vladimir Samoylovich Horowitz was a Russian-American classical virtuoso pianist and minor composer. His technique and use of tone color and the excitement of his playing were legendary. He is widely considered one of the greatest pianists of the 20th century.-Life and early...
, Leonard Bernstein
Leonard Bernstein
Leonard Bernstein August 25, 1918 – October 14, 1990) was an American conductor, composer, author, music lecturer and pianist. He was among the first conductors born and educated in the United States of America to receive worldwide acclaim...
and Yo Yo Ma. Several of these are collected in her book Music Talks (McGraw-Hill
McGraw-Hill
The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., is a publicly traded corporation headquartered in Rockefeller Center in New York City. Its primary areas of business are financial, education, publishing, broadcasting, and business services...
1987) and republished as an e-book in 2010.
Epstein is married to consultant Patrick Mehr and has two grown sons, Daniel and Sam. She has been a teacher since 1974, was the first tenured woman professor in New York University's Journalism Department. She currently lectures internationally on literary non-fiction, particularly memoir and family history. She reviews Boston area and Berkshire County cultural events online for theartsfuse.com and does occasional book reviewing for the "New York Times" and the Philadelphia Inquirer.
Work
In 1979 she published her best-known book, Children of the Holocaust (Putnam), which has since become a much-translated classic on transmission of trauma across generations, used in psychology courses as well as Holocaust Studies. Her sequel to this book is the memoir Where She Came From (Little, Brown 1997 which has also been widely translated, most recently into Spanish and Italian.Her biography Joe Papp: An American Life (ISBN 978-0306806766) was the first full-length biography of the producer. Her profile of art scholar Meyer Schapiro in ARTnews
ARTnews
ARTnews is an arts magazine based in New York, founded by James Clarence Hyde in 1902 as Hyde’s Weekly Art News. It is published 11 times a year.ARTnews covers all art, from ancient to Post-modernism...
was similarly the first of its kind. Her books have been translated into several languages. Her biographies of Papp and Tina Packer, founder and director of Shakespeare & Company in The Berkshires
The Berkshires
The Berkshires , is a highland geologic region located in the western parts of Massachusetts and Connecticut.Also referred to as the Berkshire Hills, Berkshire Mountains, and Berkshire Plateau, the region enjoys a vibrant tourism industry based on music, arts, and recreation.-Definition:The term...
of Massachusetts reflect her ongoing interest in theater. She is also the translator of Heda Kovaly's Under A Cruel Star
Under a Cruel Star (book)
Under a Cruel Star: A Life in Prague 1941-1968 was published first under this title by Plunkett Lake Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1986. The memoir was written by Heda Margolius Kovály and translated with Francis and Helen Epstein. It is now available in a Holmes & Meier, New York 1997 edition...
, a memoir of life under both Nazism and Stalinism in Central Europe and of "Acting in Terezin" by Vlasta Schoenova.
Her collection of essays on non-fiction Ecrire La Vie (ISBN 978-2-917336-07-6) was published in France in 2009. She is Editorial Director of Plunkett Lake Press E-Books of Life Writing.
External links
- http://www.helenepstein.com