Joseph Pulitzer was a difficult man, to say the least. But he was also a brilliant, hard-driving visionary who changed the landscape of American journalism. Anyone who knows him only by the name of the Pulitzer Prize (as I did) will have an eye-opening experience reading this book.
The book is in three parts. The first two parts make for page-turning reading. From a small child in Hungary to a penniless immigrant in New York to the establishment of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and the New York World, this is a gripping story of a driven man who became dedicated to independent journalism. The techniques Pulitzer used to move up in the world are a microcosm of late 19th century America. Pulitzer was an idealist who often used far less than idealistic methods to succeed. It is a great story that lets the reader see how one man navigated the cut-throat world of 19th century capitalism in order to change journalism – often for the better, sometimes not. Excellent writing and engaging material.
The third part of the book begins as Pulitzer is incredibly wealthy and going blind. It is not Morris’s fault as a biographer but parts of it read like the travelogue of an embittered, cynical millionaire with serious physical and mental issues. The highlights of part three are Pulitzer’s battle with William Randolph Hearst for dominance in the New York market, his ongoing feud with Theodore Roosevelt (and Roosevelt’s attempts to quash him), and Pulitzer’s establishment of the School of Journalism and the Pulitzer Prize at Columbia. The sections on the establishment of the prize shine like a beacon in this last part of the book but even here Pulitzer’s abrasive and “difficult” personality made the process a rough one. The frustrated president of Columbia, Nicholas Butler, put it crudely but accurately: “We are certainly dealing with a wild man.” But a wild man who, through all his suffering and bitterness, wanted to do something to promote excellence in journalism beyond his own lifespan.
This is an important book about a major figure in American history. Morris is unflinching in pointing out the brilliance and vision of Pulitzer as well as his many flaws. For anyone interested in the history of American journalism, the book is essential reading.
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