Overview

"Born to a Jewish family in Estonia in 1901 and brought to America in 1906, the architect Louis Kahn grew up in poverty in Philadelphia; by the time of his death in 1974, he was widely recognized as one of the greatest architects of his era. Yet this enormous reputation was based on only a handful of masterpieces, all built during the last fifteen years of his life. Perfectly complementing Nathaniel Kahn's award-winning documentary, My Architect, Wendy Lesser's You Say to Brick is a major exploration of the architect's life and work. Kahn, perhaps more than any other twentieth-century American architect, was a ""public"" architect. Eschewing the usual corporate skyscrapers, hotels, and condominiums, he focused on medical and educational research facilities, government centers, museums, libraries, parks, religious buildings, and other structures that would serve the public good. Yet this warm, captivating person, beloved by students and admired by colleagues, was also a secretive and mysterious character hiding behind a series of masks."

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9781665271868

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Reviews

A splendid biography that penetrates the inner lives of Kahn's buildings as well as the inner life of their creator.-- Kirkus Starred Review Easily the most complete narrative of Kahn's life and career, magnificently researched and gracefully written. -- New York Times Book Review Lesser has accomplished something very important...She has helped us feel the powerful emotional connection to space and form and light and materials that Kahn himself felt. -- Nation The book is superbly researched...Lesser captures the charisma of Kahn. -- Economist (London) [A] stellar biography...Extensively researched, the book is full of quotes from letters and interviews, providing an intimate portrait of his personality and genius. A splendid biography that penetrates the inner lives of Kahn's buildings as well as the inner life of their creator. -- Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

Author Information

Wendy Lesser is the founder and editor of The Threepenny Review and the author of a novel and several books of nonfiction, including the acclaimed Music for Silenced Voices and Why I Read. She has written for the New York Times Book Review, the London Review of Books, the Times Literary Supplement, and other publications. She received one of the first National Endowment for the Humanities Public Scholar awards to complete You Say to Brick, her award-winning biography of Louis Khan. Will Damron has won several Earphones Awards and been a finalist for the prestigious Audie Award for best narration. He has had acting roles off-Broadway and on stage and screen throughout the country.

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