Nathaniel Philbrick (born June 11, 1956) is an American author of history, winner of the National Book Award, and a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. His maritime history, In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex, is based on what inspired Herman Melville to author Moby-Dick, won the 2000 National Book Award for Nonfiction and was adapted as a film in 2015.

Early life and education

Philbrick was born on June 11, 1956, in Boston, Massachusetts, the son of Marianne (Dennis) and Thomas Philbrick, an English professor. He grew up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Philbrick attended Linden Elementary School and graduated from Taylor Allderdice High School in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He earned a BA in English from Brown University and an MA in American literature from Duke University, where he was a James B. Duke Fellow. Philbrick was Brown University's first Intercollegiate All-American sailor in 1978. The same year, he won the Sunfish North Americans in Barrington, Rhode Island.

Career

Following graduate school, Philbrick worked as an editor at Sailing World magazine for four years and then as a freelancer for a number of years, during which time he was the primary caregiver for his two children while writing and editing several books about sailing, including The Passionate Sailor, Second Wind and Yaahting: A Parody. In 1994, he published his first book about the island's history, Away Off Shore, followed in 1998 by a study of the Nantucket's native legacy, Abram’s Eyes. He is the founding director of Nantucket's Egan Maritime Institute and is a research fellow at the Nantucket Historical Association and a leading authority on the history of Nantucket, Massachusetts.

Personal life

Philbrick is married to Melissa Douthart Philbrick, former executive director of Remain Nantucket. They have two children, Jennie and Ethan. In 1986, they moved to Nantucket, Massachusetts. He has lived in Nantucket, Massachusetts, since 1986.

Works

Nonfiction

Adaptations

In the Heart of the Sea is the basis of the Warner Bros. motion picture of the same name, directed by Ron Howard and starring Chris Hemsworth, Benjamin Walker, Ben Wishaw, Cillian Murphy, Brendan Gleeson, and Tom Holland, released in December 2015. The book also inspired a 2001 Dateline special on NBC as well as the 2010 two-hour PBS American Experience film "Into the Deep" by Ric Burns. Bunker Hill has been optioned by Warner Bros. for feature film adaptation with Ben Affleck attached to direct. In 2016, screenwriter Aaron Stockard (The Town, Gone Baby Gone) was signed to the project.

Sources