Carl Hoffman (born 1960) is an American journalist and the author of five books of narrative non-fiction.
Biography
Carl Hoffman is a second generation native of Washington, D.C., a graduate of the District of Columbia public schools.
Hoffman is the author of a five narrative non-fiction books about his own journeys and those of other contemporary travelers and explorers. Hoffman is a former contributing editor at ''
Wired
''Wired'' (stylized as ''WIRED'') is a monthly American magazine, published in print and online editions, that focuses on how emerging technologies affect culture, the economy, and politics. Owned by Condé Nast, it is headquartered in San Fran ...
'' magazine, ''
National Geographic Traveler
''National Geographic Traveler'' is a magazine published by NG Media in Armenia, Belgium, the Netherlands, China, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Germany, Greece, Indonesia, Latin America, Israel, Poland, Romania, Slovenia, Spain and the UK. The US ...
'', and ''Popular Mechanics'', and has published articles in ''Outside'', ''Smithsonian'', ''Men’s Journal'', ''National Geographic Adventure'', The New York Times Magazine, The Washington Post, Popular Mechanics and many others. Hoffman has traveled to Afghanistan, Sudan, Congo, New Guinea, Greenland, Mongolia, Russia, China, Indonesia and more than 80 other countries on assignment
Books
''Liar's Circus: A Strange and Terrifying Journey Into the Upside-Down World Of Trump's MAGA Rallies'' (2020) journeys deep inside Donald Trump's rallies, seeking to understand the strange and powerful tribe that forms the president's base.
''The Last Wild Men of Borneo: A True Story of Death and Treasure'' (2018) is a dual biography of Swiss rain forest activist
Bruno Manser and American hippie
Michael Palmieri
Michael may refer to:
People
* Michael (given name), a given name
* Michael (surname), including a list of people with the surname Michael
Given name "Michael"
* Michael (archangel), ''first'' of God's archangels in the Jewish, Christian and ...
, who traveled throughout Borneo collecting its tribal art. It explores the theme of Western fascination with indigenous cultures and the interplay between them.
In ''Savage Harvest: A Tale of Cannibals, Colonialism, And Michael Rockefeller's Tragic Quest'', (2014) Hoffman set out to untangle what happened to
Michael Clark Rockefeller
Michael Clark Rockefeller (May 18, 1938 – presumed to have died November 19, 1961) was the fifth child of New York Governor and former U.S. Vice President Nelson Rockefeller. He was the grandson of American financier John D. Rockefeller ...
, the son of New York Governor
Nelson Rockefeller
Nelson Aldrich Rockefeller (July 8, 1908 – January 26, 1979), sometimes referred to by his nickname Rocky, was an American businessman and politician who served as the 41st vice president of the United States from 1974 to 1977. A member of t ...
, who vanished in 1961. Hoffman learned to speak Bahasa Indonesia and lived in a remote village amid 10,000 square miles of road-less swamp with the Asmat, a tribe of former headhunters and cannibals on the southwest coast of New Guinea.
In ''The Lunatic Express: Discovering the World Via Its Most Dangerous Buses, Boats, Trains, and Planes'' (2010), he traveled 50,000 miles around the world on its most dangerous conveyances, including by bus across Afghanistan and through the Gobi desert on a 20-ton propane truck.
''Hunting Warbirds: The Obsessive Quest for the Lost Airplanes of World War II'' (2001), recounts the three-year effort to recover the World War II era B-29 bomber, ''Kee Bird,'' from northern Greenland.
Awards and honors
Hoffman has won seven
Lowell Thomas Awards from the Society of American Travel Writers Foundation and three North American Travel Journalism Awards.
''Liar's Circus'' was one of ''Kirkus'' ''Reviews'' 100 best books of 2020 and won a silver medal from the Society of American Travel Writers for Best Travel Book of 2020.
''The Last Wild Men of Borneo'' was shortlisted in 2019 for an Edgar Award for Best Fact Crime Fiction and was a Banff Mountain Book Award finalist.
''Savage Harvest'' was a ''New York Times'' Editors' Choice, a ''New York Times'' bestseller, was included in
Amazon Editors' Picks for the 100 Best Books of 2014, ''The Washington Post'' as one of its 50 notable non-fiction books of the year, it was among the ''
Kirkus Reviews'' "Best Books" of 2014 and it was shortlisted for the 2015
Edgar Award in the "Best Fact Crime" category. It has been translated into eight languages.
''The Lunatic Express'' was named one of the ten best books of 2010 by ''The Wall Street Journal''.
Works
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References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Hoffman, Carl
American male journalists
Living people
1960 births
University of Massachusetts Amherst alumni