Pulitzer Prize-Winning Writer J. Tracy Kidder ’67 Returns To Harvard

Pulitzer Prize-winning nonfiction writer J. Tracy Kidder ’67 was named the first A.M. Rosenthal Writer-in-Residence at The Joan Shorenstein Center on the Press, Politics and Public Policy at Harvard Kennedy School for the fall semester.

Kidder—the author of “The Soul of a New Machine,” which won the National Book Award in 1982—will lead student workshops, participate in Shorenstein Center events, and continue working on a new book, “Good Prose,” as writer-in-residence.

The new position, created in honor of Pulitzer Prize winner and New York Times executive editor Abraham Michael “A.M.” Rosenthal, aims to provide writers with the opportunity to conduct research on a specific project and interact with a community of students and scholars, according to Shorenstein Center director Alex S. Jones.

Jones met with Rosenthal’s widow, Shirley Lord Rosenthal, in 2006 to create a position that would commemorate Rosenthal’s contributions to journalism and support nonfiction writers who write narratives. Rosenthal, who died in 2006, oversaw the New York Times’ coverage of the Vietnam War, the Pentagon Papers, and the Watergate scandal.

“I never belonged exclusively to fiction. I write in narrative, but the important difference is that I don’t make stuff up,” Kidder said. “For example, one’s understanding of the Great Depression would be incomplete without ‘Grapes of Wrath,’ but it would also be incomplete without seeing the individuals caught in particular situations. We are hard-wired to see stories.”

Jones said he hopes the program will make accessible to Harvard students journalistic writing that is “not only powerful and beautifully written, but proves important in shaping opinion and advancing the opinion of humanity.”

“Kidder is at the top of the mountain,” said Jones, with no pun intended. Kidder’s acclaimed novel, “Mountains Beyond Mountains,” chronicled the experiences of Harvard Medical School Professor Paul Farmer.

Kidder said he started his undergraduate years at Harvard in the government department and aspired to become a diplomat, but switched to English to pursue a career in writing.

“It will be nice to be back in Cambridge again. I love the place, my daughter is in Boston, and many of my friends live there,” Kidder said. “I look forward to meeting fascinating people and hearing their thoughts on nonfiction. I have lots to learn.”

—Staff writer Nadia L. Farjood can be reached at nadiafarjood@college.harvard.edu.