Nathaniel Philbrick
Nathaniel Philbrick
Nathaniel Philbrickis an American author and a member of the Philbrick literary family. He won the year 2000 National Book Award for his maritime history, In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex. His 2006 Mayflower: A Story of Courage, Community, and War was named one of The New York Times' ten best books of the year and was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for History...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionAuthor
CountryUnited States of America
Nathaniel Philbrick quotes about
business
Whaling was the oil business of its day.
change climate effect needless planet population
In the years to come, the combination of climate change and population growth could have a devastating effect on the planet and, needless to say, on humanity.
comforts education means reading survival tale technology wonder
A survival tale peels away the niceties and comforts of civilization. Suddenly, all the technology and education in the world means nothing. I think all of us wonder while reading a survival tale, 'What would I have done in this situation? Would I have made it?'
best crafting move word
Writing can't be too calculated. My best writing is when I set it aside, move on. It's not when I'm crafting a sentence, thinking about what word should follow another.
characters great lively people sort
Some of my books sort of have a provocative take. Sometimes you find interesting things about characters that show they weren't necessarily the way people usually see them. It can make for lively conversations, but that's great. Spark a little controversy, get people to think about it. That's what it's all about.
almost courage creative god great peers scared shy signed work
When I was at Brown, I wanted to write the great American novel, but I was too scared to take a creative course. I signed up for one, got in, and just didn't have the courage to go. I was a tremendously shy person, almost pathologically shy. The thought of peers critiquing my work - oh, God.
cab death huge impress listened neil ryan type
XTC is my favorite band; I'm a huge Neil Young fan, Jayhawks, all that type of stuff. I like Death Cab for Cutie, also Ryan Adams. I try to impress my children: 'Have you listened to such-and-such?' They're not impressed.
greatness men ahab
As Herman Melville wrote of that seagoing monster of a man Captain Ahab, “All mortal greatness is but disease.
wall ocean inspiration
People think I live here on Nantucket and just gaze at the ocean, getting my inspiration. Not so. I work in my basement and gaze out onto a single window that shows me a cement wall. This is a profession, and it's important to have professionalism about the writing.
writing stuff way
Something like going to get the newspaper can increase your writing efficiency by taking you away from the material. When I'm doing other things, writing stuff will be swirling around in my head, and sometimes I'll see a new way into the material.
children home twenties
You know, if you're at home with children, you lose twenty-five IQ points.
underestimate influence
You cannot underestimate the influence of Shakespeare.
adventure mind persons
To my mind, an adventure is something a person willingly undertakes.
towels firsts patriot
I follow the Patriots, but the Steelers were my first and true love. I still have a Terrible Towel.