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Adam Gopnik Does “The Real Work”

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Adam Gopnik Does “The Real Work”

Introduction to Adam Gopnik. 2:34 min. Interview: Raymond Elman. Post-Production: Beverly Muzii.  Music:  by David Shire, words by Adam Gopnik, sung by Melissa Errico from the original soundtrack album “Our Table.”  Interview recorded  11/18/2023, Miami Book Fair.

 

ADAM GOPNIK is a writer and essayist most well-known as a staff writer for The New Yorker magazine. He is also the author of 10 books. 

Gopnik was born in Philadelphia and raised in Montreal. He received a BA in Art History from McGill University, before completing his graduate work at NYU”s Institute of Fine Arts. 

His first essay in The New Yorker, “Quattrocento Baseball” appeared in May of 1986 and he served as the magazine’s art critic from 1987 until 1995, when he left New York for Paris where he spent the next five years living and writing the magazine’s “Paris Journal. “The “Paris Journal” essays were later expanded into his book, “Paris to the Moon” which was published in 2000.

In addition to his work as a writer, Gopnik has been an active lecturer and has engaged in many musical projects, working as both a lyricist and libretto writer. He lives with his wife, filmmaker Martha Parker, and their two children, Luke Auden and Olivia Esme Claire. 

Gopnik has won the National Magazine Award for Essays and for Criticism three times as well as well as the George Polk Award for Magazine Reporting, and the Canadian National Magazine Award Gold Medal for arts writing. His work has been anthologized many times, in “Best American Essays”, “Best American Travel Writing,” “Best American Sports Writing,” “Best American Food Writing,” and “Best American Spiritual Writing.” In March 2013, Gopnik was awarded the medal of Chevalier of the Order of Arts and Letters by the French Republic. 

His most recent book, “The Real Work: On the Mystery of Mastery” was published in March of 2023 and chronicles Gopnik’s journey as he becomes a dedicated student of several “masters” of their craft and breaks down the qualities and methods of mastery. 

In this video interview, Gopnik sits down with ArtSpeak for the second time to share his thoughts on the arts, culture, and society. 

The videos below are organized by Success Factor and run between 30 seconds and 6 minutes. Click on any video. You must be connected to the Internet to view the videos.

 

CREATIVE FLEXIBILITY:  3:19 min.

How has your musical work manifested itself?

 

UNDERSTANDS ARTISTS’ NEEDS:  36 sec.

What is your view on the application of Artificial Intelligence to the creative arts?

 

INSIGHT & INSPIRATION:   5:46 min.

What was the inspiration for your latest book, “The Real Work”?

 

OVERCOMES CHALLENGES TO SUCCEED:   2:39 min.

In your book, “The Real Work,” you take lessons in activities that you think will be awkward for you.

 

EXPOSURE TO BROAD INFLUENCES:   1:32 min.

Of course, Norman Mailer is the paragon of a writer engaged with boxing.

 

STRONG DRIVE FOR ACHIEVEMENT:  2:20 min.

Do you see similarities between boxing and writing?

 

INSIGHT & INSPIRATION:   3:37 min.

How did Malcom Gladwell’s book “Outliers” impact your thinking for “The Real Work”?

 

CRITICAL THINKING:   1:03 min.

Your comment about Bob Dylan’s breathing reminds me of Frank Sinatra using trumpet players’ side-breathing techniques.

 

UNDERSTANDS THE AUDIENCE’S PERSPECTIVE:   2:56 min

It always amazes me that most of Gen Z doesn’t seem to be curious about pop culture before they were born. For example, one of my students never heard of Bob Dylan.