People

Andrew Sullivan

Writer and firebrand Andrew Sullivan on acting Shakespeare, his reverence for Margaret Thatcher, and the difference between essay-writing and blogging.

writer Andrew Sullivan maintains the blog andrewsullivan.com

DOB: August 1963

Three lessons learned by doing Shakespeare: He’s a genius; Acting is hard, physical work; You only begin to understand what’s behind the play after at least a couple dozen performances.

Heroes: I try and avoid heroes. I guess I revere Reagan and Thatcher. And my mother.

Occupational title(s), both real and desired-in-another-lifetime: Writer, war hero.

Best restaurant in D.C. for political gossip: 18th and U Duplex Diner. Interns overhear everything.

Favorite book(s): Montaigne’s essays; Shakespeare; Pascal’s Pensées; Collected Larkin and Milosz.

What makes you laugh: My dog; South Park; My friends.

Describe your writing process, and any distinctions between writing blog entries and writing print articles: Blogging requires restraining your tendency to rethink, ponder or finesse. It’s more like thinking on the page; a longer essay is the product of having thought.

Charity worth giving to: Institute for experimental medicine at Harvard.

Five words that sound great: Bacon; Joint; Chest-hair; Latte; Amen.

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Rosecrans Baldwin co-founded TMN with publisher Andrew Womack in 1999. His latest book is Everything Now: Lessons From the City-State of Los Angeles. More information can be found at rosecransbaldwin.com. More by Rosecrans Baldwin