Jonathan Eig: Chautauqua Institution Lecture Series
Route 394, Chautauqua, NY 14722
For more than a century, The Pulitzer Prizes have recognized the journalists, authors, poets, dramatists, composers and photographers whose work deepens our understanding of the world and each other, and elevates the public conversation. Pulitzer-prize winning author, Jonathan Eig, opens Week Seven, “Celebrating Excellence: A Week in Partnership with the Pulitzer Prizes,” celebrating the power of exceptional storytelling.
Eig is an award-winning journalist and best-selling biographer whose work explores the lives of influential figures in American history and culture. He received the 2024 Pulitzer Prize for Biography for his book King: A Life, which was also featured at Chautauqua as a 2025 CLSC selection.
Drawing on extensive archival research and narrative storytelling, he has produced acclaimed biographies that illuminate the intersections of race, politics, sports, social change and American identity. His books are widely recognized for combining rigorous historical scholarship with accessible narrative writing. His work is particularly noted for recovering overlooked historical details and presenting complex historical figures within their broader social and political contexts. Through his writing, Eig examines leadership, social transformation, civil rights and the making of modern America.
Eig is also the author of Ali: A Life, a biography of Muhammad Ali, which won the 2018 PEN/ESPN Award and was named one of the 25 greatest biographies of all time by Esquire magazine. The book inspired a Ken Burns documentary on Ali, for which Eig served as a producer.
Eig’s first book, Luckiest Man: The Life and Death of Lou Gehrig, reached No. 10 on The New York Times bestseller list and won the Casey Award. The Birth of the Pill, his fourth book, is staged as a theatrical production by TimeLine Theatre in Chicago.
He began his professional writing career at age 16, working for his hometown newspaper, The Rockland County (N.Y.) Journal News, studied journalism at Northwestern University, and went on to work as a reporter for The New Orleans Times-Picayune, The Dallas Morning News, Chicago Magazine, and The Wall Street Journal. He has appeared on the Today Show, NPR’s Fresh Air, and The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.