Jon Krakauer

Jon Krakauer (born April 12, 1954), is an American non-fiction author and mountaineer, well-known for outdoor and mountain-climbing writing. In 2003, he entered the field of investigative journalism. Image File history File links Jonkrakauer. ... Image File history File links Jonkrakauer. ... April 12 is the 102nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (103rd in leap years). ... 1954 (MCMLIV) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Mountaineering is an umbrella term that can variously be used to describe the actions of climbing, hillwalking and scrambling. ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Investigative journalism is a kind of journalism in which reporters deeply investigate a topic of interest, often related to crime, scandals, government corruption, or white collar crime. ...

Early life

Krakauer was born in Brookline, Massachusetts but was raised in Corvallis, Oregon from the age of two, as the third of five children. He competed in tennis at Corvallis High School and graduated in 1972. He went on to study at Hampshire College in Massachusetts, where in 1976 he received his degree in Environmental Studies. In 1977, he met former climber Linda Mariam Moore; they married in 1980.   Settled: 1638 â€“ Incorporated: 1705 Zip Code(s): 02445 â€“ Area Code(s): 617 / 857 Official website: http://www. ... Motto: Enhancing Community Livability Map Political Statistics Founded 1845 Incorporated 1857 County Benton County Mayor Helen Berg Geographic Statistics Area  - Total  - Land  - Water 22. ... A tennis net Tennis is a game played between either two players (singles) or two teams of two players (doubles). Players use a stringed racquet to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponents court. ... Corvallis High School, commonly shortened to CHS, is a public high school located in Corvallis, Oregon, United States. ... 1972 (MCMLXXII) was a leap year starting on Saturday. ... Hampshire College is an experimenting private liberal arts college in Amherst, Massachusetts. ... For the album by Ash, see 1977 (album). ... 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday. ...

Mountaineering

In 1974, Krakauer was part of a group of seven friends pioneering peaks in the Arrigetch Peaks of the Brooks Range in Alaska and was invited by American Alpine Journal to write about those experiences. Though he neither expected nor received a fee, he was excited when the Journal published his article. One year after graduating from college, he climbed a new route on the Devils Thumb in the Stikine Icecap region of Alaska, an experience he described in Eiger Dreams and in Into the Wild. In 1975, he and two others made the second ascent of The Moose's Tooth, a highly technical peak in the Alaska Range. 1974 (MCMLXXIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday. ... Brooks Range from near Galbraith Lake The Brooks Range is a mountain range that stretches from west to east across northern Alaska and into Canadas Yukon Territory, a total distance of about 1100 km (700 mi). ... Official language(s) English Capital Juneau Largest city Anchorage Area  Ranked 1st  - Total 663,267 sq mi (1,717,855 km²)  - Width 808 miles (1,300 km)  - Length 1,479 miles (2,380 km)  - % water 13. ... Devils Thumb (the peaks name carries no apostrophe[1]) is a 9,077 foot (2,766 meter) mountain formation in the Stikine Icecap region of Alaska near Petersburg, nicknamed for its projected thumb-like appearance. ... Loctional map of major features of the Alaska Panhandle area including the Stikine Icecap The Stikine Icecap (sometimes referred to as the Stikine Icefield) is a large icefield straddled on the Alaska-British Columbia boundary in the Alaska Panhandle region. ... Official language(s) English Capital Juneau Largest city Anchorage Area  Ranked 1st  - Total 663,267 sq mi (1,717,855 km²)  - Width 808 miles (1,300 km)  - Length 1,479 miles (2,380 km)  - % water 13. ... Eiger Dreams: Ventures Among Men and Mountains is a non-fiction short story collection by Jon Krakauer published in 1990 by Doubleday. ... Cover of paperback, depicting the bus McCandless stayed at before his death. ... The Mooses Tooth (or simply Mooses Tooth, Mooses Tooth) is a rock peak on the east side of the Ruth Gorge in the Central Alaska Range, 15 miles (24 km) southeast of Mount McKinley. ... View of Denali, the centre piece of the Alaska range, on a rare clear day . The Alaska Range is a mountain range that extends for about 650 km (400 mi) across south-central Alaska, from Iliamna Lake at the SW end to White River in Canada at the SE end. ...

He is noted for climbing the west face of Cerro Torre in the Andes of Argentine Patagonia in 1992, then considered one of the hardest technical climbs in the world. Cerro Torre is one of the most spectacular mountains of the Southern Patagonian Ice Field in South America. ... The Andes form the longest mountain chain in the world. ... In orange the area most commonly defined as Patagonia. ... 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday. ...

Magazine writing

Much of Krakauer's popularity as a writer came from being a journalist for Outside magazine. In November 1983, he was able to abandon part-time work as a fisherman and a carpenter to become a full-time writer. His freelance writing involved great variety; for instance, he wrote a monthly column on fitness for Playboy magazine, in addition to his many works involving mountain climbing. His writing has also appeared in Smithsonian, National Geographic Magazine, Rolling Stone, and Architectural Digest. Outside is a magazine focused on the outdoors. ... 1983 (MCMLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... A freelancer or (freelance worker) is a self-employed person working in a profession or trade in which full-time employment is also common. ... Physical fitness is an attribute required for service in virtually all militaries. ... Playboy is an American adult entertainment magazine, founded in 1953 by Hugh Hefner and his associates, which has grown into Playboy Enterprises, Inc. ... Mountaineering is an umbrella term that can variously be used to describe the actions of climbing, hillwalking and scrambling. ... Smithsonian is a monthly magazine published by the Smithsonian Institution of the United States in Washington, DC External link Smithsonian webpage Categories: Smithsonian Institution | United States magazines | Stub ... The National Geographic Magazine, later shortened to National Geographic, is the official journal of the National Geographic Society. ... Rolling Stone is an American magazine devoted to music, politics and popular culture. ... Architectural Digest is a glossy American monthly magazine dedicated to interior design, published by Condé Nast Publications. ...

Bestselling nonfiction

The bestseller Into the Wild was published in 1996 and secured Krakauer's reputation as an outstanding adventure writer. The book tells the true story of Christopher McCandless, a young man from a well-to-do East Coast family who, after graduating from college, donated all of the money in his bank account to charity, changed his name to "Alexander Supertramp," and began a journey in the American West. Nearly two years later, McCandless was found dead in the Alaska wilderness. In the book, Krakauer draws parallels between his own experiences and motivations and those of McCandless. Krakauer also recounts the story of Everett Ruess, a young artist and wanderer who disappeared in the Utah desert in 1934 at age 20. "Into The Wild" is being adapted for film, and directed by Sean Penn. It is slated for release in 2007. Cover of paperback, depicting the bus McCandless stayed at before his death. ... 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Regional definitions vary from source to source. ... The Western United States, also referred to as the American West or simply The West, traditionally refers to the region constituting the westernmost states of the United States (see geographical terminology section for further discussion of these terms). ... Official language(s) English Capital Juneau Largest city Anchorage Area  Ranked 1st  - Total 663,267 sq mi (1,717,855 km²)  - Width 808 miles (1,300 km)  - Length 1,479 miles (2,380 km)  - % water 13. ... This page meets Wikipedias criteria for speedy deletion. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Erg Chebbi, Morocco In geography, a desert is a landscape form or region that receives very little precipitation. ... 1934 (MCMXXXIV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ...

In May 1996, on assignment from Outside, Krakauer was in one of four Mount Everest summit-assault parties that sustained fatalities when they were caught in a storm high up on the mountain. His writing focuses on two parties: the one he was in, led by Rob Hall, and the one led by Scott Fischer, both of which successfully guided clients to the summit but experienced difficulty while descending. The storm, and, in his estimation, irresponsible choices by guides of both parties, led to a number of deaths, including both head guides. Krakauer received much criticism from other climbers due to his personal account of the Everest climb. Some climbers on the expedition did not view the disaster in the same light as Krakauer presented it in his magazine article. Additionally, Krakauer did not feel his article accurately covered the entire event in only one short account. In 1997, he expanded his September 1996 Outside article into his best known work, Into Thin Air, describing those parties' experiences and the general state of Everest mountaineering at the time. It reached first place on the New York Times non-fiction bestseller list and was among the final three books considered for the General Non-Fiction Pulitzer Prize in 1998. As a result of his writings on the lure of the outdoors, Krakauer received an Academy Award in Literature from the American Academy of Arts and Letters in 1999. 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. ... Outside is a magazine focused on the outdoors. ... Everest redirects here. ... A mountain is a landform that extends above the surrounding terrain in a limited area. ... Rob Hall (1961-1996), New Zealander, was a mountaineer best known for being head guide of a 1996 Mount Everest expedition in which he, a fellow guide, and two clients perished. ... Scott Fischer (1956 – May 11, 1996) was an American climber and guide. ... 1997 (MCMXCVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1996 is a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. ... Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mt. ... Mountaineering is the sport, hobby or profession of walking, hiking and rock climbing up mountains. ... The New York Times is an internationally known daily newspaper published in New York City and distributed in the United States and many other nations worldwide. ... The New York Times bestseller list is a weekly chart in The New York Times newspaper that keeps track of the best-selling books of the week. ... The gold medal awarded for Public Service in Journalism The Pulitzer Prize is an American award regarded as the highest honor in print journalism, literary achievements, and musical compositions. ... 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year of the Ocean. ... American Academy of Arts and Letters is an organization whose goal is to foster, assist, and sustain an interest in American literature, music, and art. ...

In 2003, Under the Banner of Heaven became Krakauer's third non-fiction bestseller. The book examines extremes of religious belief, particularly fundamentalist offshoots of Mormonism. Specifically, Krakauer looks at the practice of polygamy among fundamentalist Mormons and places it in the context of the history of the Mormon religion as a whole. Much of the focus of the book is on the Lafferty brothers, who murdered in the name of their fundamentalist faith. Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith is an historical novel written by Jon Krakauer. ... Religious is a term with both a technical definition and folk use. ... The term polygamy (literally many marriages in late Greek) is used in related ways in social anthropology and sociobiology and sociology. ... The Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is a denomination of Mormon fundamentalists within the Latter Day Saint movement, and may be Americas largest polygamous group. ...

As of 2004, he also edits the Exploration series of the Modern Library. 2004 is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

Criticisms

Another member of the expeditions described in Into Thin Air has objected to his characterization of events. Anatoli Boukreev, one of the guides, co-wrote his own book, The Climb (using original journals and log books) to refute Krakauer's version of history on the 1996 Everest climb and maintained that Into Thin Air was a distorted account to his dying day. Anatoli Boukreev did this largely to defend himself from Krakauer's criticisms that Boukreev's earlier actions on the expedition were irresponsible for a paid guide. Anatoli Nikoliavich Boukreev (January 16, 1958 - December 25, 1997) was a Russian climber who made seven ascents of 8,000 metre peaks without supplemental oxygen. ...

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has objected to his work Under the Banner of Heaven declaring "This book is not history, and Krakauer is no historian. He is a storyteller who cuts corners to make the story sound good. His basic thesis appears to be that people who are religious are irrational, and that irrational people do strange things." The LDS Church provided Boston Globe, Wall Street Journal and Christian Science Monitor reviews of the book that described it as "misleading" or worse.^[1] In response, Krakauer criticized the LDS Church, citing the opinion of historian D. Michael Quinn, who wrote, "The tragic reality is that there have been occasions when Church leaders, teachers, and writers have not told the truth they knew about difficulties of the Mormon past, but have offered to the Saints instead a mixture of platitudes, half-truths, omissions, and plausible denials." Krakauer wrote, "I happen to share Dr. Quinn's perspective."^[2] D. Michael Quinn (born in 1944) is an historian who has focused on The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. ...

Jon Krakauer actually shares Quinn's perspective on making his own religious beliefs transparent, which he goes on to do directly after the quote above. The quote in the paragraph above is taken out of context.

Selected bibliography

• Eiger Dreams: Ventures Among Men and Mountains (1990) ISBN 0-385-48818-1
• Into the Wild (1996) ISBN 0-385-48680-4
• Into Thin Air (1997) ISBN 0-385-49208-1 (expanded from the original Outside Online article)
• Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith (2003) ISBN 0-385-50951-0.

Cover of paperback, depicting the bus McCandless stayed at before his death. ... Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mt. ... Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith is an historical novel written by Jon Krakauer. ...

Notes

1. ^ LDS Newsroom, "Excerpts from reviews of Under the Banner of Heaven"
2. ^ Krakauer, Jon, "A Response from the Author"

References

• Excerpts from reviews of Under the Banner of Heaven. Newsroom. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Retrieved on 2006-05-31.

• Krakauer, Jon (3 July 2003). A Response from the Author. Retrieved on 2006-05-31.

2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... May 31 is the 151st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (152nd in leap years), with 214 days remaining. ... July 3 is the 184th day of the year (185th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 181 days remaining. ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... May 31 is the 151st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (152nd in leap years), with 214 days remaining. ...

External links

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to:

Jon Krakauer

• Book Browse Biography
• LDS Church response to Jon Krakauer's Under the Banner of Heaven
• Krakauer's response to LDS Church criticism