Kurt Andersen

Kurt Andersen is a novelist, journalist, and broadcaster whose work spans fiction, nonfiction, radio, television, and theater. Andersen began his journalism career at NBC's Today program and at Time, where he was a writer on politics and criminal justice and served for eight years as the magazine's architecture and design critic. He was a staff writer and columnist for The New Yorker and wrote a column for New York magazine. In collaboration with E. Graydon Carter and Thomas L. Phillips Jr., Andersen co-founded Spy, a satirical magazine that influenced American media and magazine journalism. Andersen later served as editor-in-chief of New York magazine.

Andersen co-created Studio 360, a weekly program covering the arts and culture, which he hosted from its launch to its final episode. The show, a co-production of Public Radio International and WNYC, was broadcast on 240 U.S. public radio stations to a weekly audience of more than 500,000 listeners, with an additional podcast audience. Studio 360 won Peabody Awards for broadcast excellence and produced the American Icons series, exploring cultural works such as "The Autobiography of Malcolm X," "2001: A Space Odyssey," Monticello, Disneyland, and EPCOT. After the program concluded, Andersen co-produced, wrote, and narrated "Nixon At War," a podcast examining Richard Nixon's responses to the Vietnam War and their impact on U.S. society and political polarization.

As a novelist, Andersen is the author of "Turn of the Century," a national bestseller and New York Times Notable Book of the Year; "Heyday," a New York Times bestseller and winner of the Langum Prize for American historical novel; and "True Believers," named one of the best novels of its year by the San Francisco Chronicle and the Washington Post. His novel "You Can't Spell America Without Me: The Really Tremendous Inside Story of My Fantastic First Year As President," co-authored with Alec Baldwin, was a New York Times bestseller.

Andersen's nonfiction includes "Fantasyland: How America Went Haywire: A 500-Year History," which was described by MSNBC as a sweeping explanation of American cultural history, and "Evil Geniuses: The Unmaking of America, A Recent History," both New York Times bestsellers. "Evil Geniuses" was recognized in the New York Times Book Review for its analysis of American economic and political trends. Andersen has also served as executive producer and head writer of NBC specials "How to Be Famous" and "Hit List," and has co-written feature film screenplays and TV pilots for ABC, NBC, HBO, and Amazon.

Andersen graduated magna cum laude from Harvard and has received honorary doctorates from the Rhode Island School of Design and Pratt Institute. He has contributed to the New York Times and The Atlantic. Andersen is recognized for his work in American culture, history, and politics across multiple media platforms.