Benita Eisler (born July 24, 1937, in New York City)[1] is an American writer and educator. She is best known for her biographies of historic figures, including Lord Byron, Georgia O'Keeffe, and George Catlin.

Personal life

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Eisler was born July 24, 1937, in New York City to Morris Aaron and Frances Blitzer.[1] She received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Smith College in 1958 and a Master of Arts degree from Harvard University in 1961.[1] On June 23, 1961, she married Colin Eisler , and together, they have one daughter.[1]

Eisler presently lives in Manhattan.[2]

She is Jewish.[1]

Career

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From 1975 to 1978, Eisler served as producer to WNET-TV, a public television station in New York City.[1] She has also "worked as an art editor, reporter, on-camera correspondent, and producer of arts programming for [public] television."[3]

Eisler edited The Lowell Offering, which was released in 1977. She published her first book, Class ACT, in 1983.

She has also taught nineteenth- and twentieth-century literature at Princeton University.[3]

Awards and honors

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Byron: Child of Passion, Fool of Fame received a starred review from Booklist.[4] Naked in the Marketplace received starred reviews from Booklist[5] and Kirkus Reviews, who highlighted the way "Eisler skillfully incorporates much correspondence within a frame of lively writing."[6]

Awards for Eisler's writing
Year Title Award Result Ref.
1991 O’Keeffe and Stieglitz: An American Romance Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Biography Finalist [7]
1999 Byron: Child of Passion, Fool of Fame Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Biography Finalist [8]
2013 The Red Man’s Bones: George Catlin, Artist and Showman Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Biography Finalist [9][10]

Publications

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As author

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  • Class ACT: America's Last Dirty Secret (1983)
  • Private Lives: Men and Women of the Fifties (1986)
  • O'Keeffe and Stieglitz: An American Romance (1991)
  • Byron: Child Of Passion, Fool Of Fame (1999)
  • Chopin's Funeral (2003)
  • Naked in the Marketplace: The Lives of George Sand (2004)
  • The Red Man's Bones: George Catlin, Artist and Showman (2013)

As editor

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  • The Lowell Offering: Writings by New England Mill Women (1840-1945) (1977)

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f "Eisler, Benita 1937-". Encyclopedia.com. Retrieved 2022-09-13.
  2. ^ "Benita Eisler". Penguin Random House. Retrieved 2022-09-13.
  3. ^ a b "Benita Eisler". Counterpoint Press. 2015-10-02. Retrieved 2022-09-13.
  4. ^ "Byron: Child of Passion, Fool of Fame". Booklist. 1999-03-15. Retrieved 2022-09-13.
  5. ^ "Naked in the Marketplace: The Lives of George Sand". Booklist. 2006-10-15. Retrieved 2022-09-13.
  6. ^ "Naked in the Marketplace". Kirkus Reviews. 2006-09-15. Retrieved 2022-09-13.
  7. ^ "1991 Los Angeles Times Book Prize - Biography Winner and Nominees". Awards Archive. 2020-03-25. Retrieved 2022-09-13.
  8. ^ "1999 Los Angeles Times Book Prize - Biography Winner and Nominees". Awards Archive. 2020-03-25. Retrieved 2022-09-13.
  9. ^ "2013 Los Angeles Times Book Prize - Biography Winner and Nominees". Awards Archive. 2020-03-25. Retrieved 2022-09-13.
  10. ^ Hoffert, Barbara (2014-02-21). "Finalists Announced for Los Angeles Times Book Prizes". Library Journal. Retrieved 2022-09-13.