Writing History

Mr. Lopate moderated a discussion on writing among historians and biographers. The discussion included the influence professional backgrounds have on the approach, the difference between writing about powerful and common people, how history changes over time, and how interpretations of events change. The panelists answered questions submitted by members of the audience.

Mr. Morris wrote Theodore Rex, published by Random House, the sequel to his earlier biography, The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt. Mr. Foner wrote Who Owns History?: Rethinking the Past in a Changing World, published by Hill and Wang, a series of essays about the relationship of the historian to the changing world. Mr. Caro wrote Master of the Senate: The Years of Lyndon Johnson, published by Knopf, the third volume of his biography of Lyndon Johnson. close