John Berendt | |
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Born | Syracuse, New York, US | 5 December 1939
Occupation | Author |
Alma mater | Harvard University |
Period | 1961–present |
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John Berendt (born December 5, 1939) is an American author, known for writing the best-selling non-fiction book Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil , which was a finalist for the 1995 Pulitzer Prize in General Nonfiction, and The City of Falling Angels , which tells the story of interesting inhabitants of Venice, Italy, whom Berendt met while living there in the months following a fire which destroyed the historic La Fenice opera house in 1996.
Berendt grew up in Syracuse, New York, where both of his parents were writers. [1] As an English major at Harvard University, he worked on the staff of the Harvard Lampoon . He graduated in 1961 and moved to New York City to pursue a journalism career. [2]
Berendt was an associate editor of Esquire from 1961 to 1969, editor of New York magazine from 1977 to 1979, and a columnist for Esquire from 1982 to 1994. [2] In 1985, three years after meeting antiques dealer Jim Williams, who would become the central character in Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil , Berendt moved to Savannah, Georgia, [3] [4] and spent the next seven years researching the book. [5] (The killing of Danny Hansford, by Williams, which is the book's central story, happened in 1981. The first of Williams's four trials was in 1982.) [6] Berendt's initial plan was to spend three weeks at a time in Savannah, then return to New York City to write, but he changed his mind. "Things would happen if I was simply there," he said in 1997. "It made sense to stay, so I got a full-time apartment in Savannah." He lived, briefly, in a carriage house on East Charlton Lane, [5] [7] behind 22 East Jones Street. [8]
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Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil was published January 1994, and became an overnight success. The book spent a record-breaking 216 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list [9] — a record that still stands. The non-fiction book reads like a novel and features several quirky characters. [10] The book was adapted into a 1997 film directed by Clint Eastwood. John Cusack plays John Kelso, a character loosely based on Berendt.
Berendt's second book, The City of Falling Angels , was published in September 2005. [11] It chronicles interwoven lives in Venice in the aftermath of the fire that destroyed the Fenice opera house. According to Kirkus Reviews, "Berendt does great justice to an exalted city that has rightly fascinated the likes of Henry James, Robert Browning, and many filmmakers throughout the world." [12]
In 2011, a bluejay creating a nest outside the window of Berendt's New York City townhouse inspired him to photograph, almost daily, the building of the nest and, ultimately, eggs hatching, chicks emerging, learning to fly and leaving the nest. Berendt wrote a children's story to accompany his photographs, which was published as My Baby Blue Jays by Penguin/Random House. Dolly Parton's Dollywood Foundation, through its Imagination Library, distributed hundreds of thousands of copies for free to children across the U.S.
In 2024, Berendt spoke at the Savannah Book Festival, on the occasion of the 30th-anniversary of the publication of Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. [13]
In 1996 Jack Wrangler wrote and co-produced, with George Wein, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil: The Jazz Concert, starring Margaret Whiting based on the songs of Savannah native Johnny Mercer.
A musical based on Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil opened at Chicago's Goodman Theatre in June of 2024. In September 2024, it was announced that the musical would open on Broadway in 2025.
The Lady Chablis, also known as The Grand Empress and The Doll, was an American actress, author, and transgender club performer. Through exposure in the bestselling nonfiction book Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, and its 1997 film adaptation, she became one of the first trans performers to be introduced to a wide audience.
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil is a non-fiction novel by John Berendt. The book, Berendt's first, was published on January 10, 1994, and follows the story of Jim Williams, an antiques dealer on trial for the killing of Danny Hansford. Subtitled A Savannah Story, with an initial printing of 25,000 copies, the book became a New York Times Best-Seller for 216 weeks following its debut and remains one of the longest-standing New York Times Best-Sellers.
Bird Girl is a sculpture made in 1936 by Sylvia Shaw Judson in Lake Forest, Illinois. It was sculpted at Ragdale, her family's summer home, and achieved fame when it was featured on the cover of the 1994 non-fiction novel Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. Originally exhibited as Girl with Bowls at the Art Institute of Chicago in 1938, it was also exhibited as Fountain Figure, Standing Figure, and Peasant Girl. A 1967 book by Judson first referred to it as Bird Girl.
Mercer House is located at 429 Bull Street in Savannah, Georgia. Completed in 1868, it occupies the southwestern civic block of Monterey Square.
James Arthur Williams was an American antiques dealer and a historic preservationist based in Savannah, Georgia. He played an active role in the preservation of the Savannah Historic District for over 35 years.
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil is a 1997 American crime drama film directed and produced by Clint Eastwood and starring John Cusack and Kevin Spacey. The screenplay by John Lee Hancock was based on John Berendt's 1994 book of the same name and follows the story of antiques dealer Jim Williams, on trial for the killing of a male prostitute who was his lover. The multiple trials depicted in Berendt's book are combined into one trial for the film.
Emma Thompson Kelly was an American musician. Known as the "Lady of 6,000 Songs", she appeared in both John Berendt's 1994 book Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil and its 1997 movie adaptation.
Joseph Algerine Odom was an American attorney who later became a musician. He came to prominence after his appearance as one of the main characters in John Berendt's 1994 true-crime book Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.
Danny Lewis Hansford was killed by his employer, historic preservationist and antiques dealer Jim Williams, at Williams' home in Savannah, Georgia, United States. His death was recounted in John Berendt's 1994 non-fiction book Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, its 1997 film adaptation, and its 2024 musical stage adaptation. After four trials, Williams was acquitted of Hansford's murder.
The Hamilton–Turner Inn is a historic mansion in Savannah, Georgia, United States. Built in 1873, it is located at 330 Abercorn Street in the southeastern trust/civic lot of Lafayette Square. It is now a luxury inn.
Clary's Cafe is a restaurant in Savannah, Georgia, United States. Established at 404 Abercorn Street in 1903, originally as a drug store, its popularity increased markedly after its appearance in both John Berendt's Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil 1994 novel and Clint Eastwood's 1997 movie adaptation.
Valerie Aiken Boles was an American root doctor. She came to prominence after becoming the inspiration for one of the main characters in John Berendt's 1994 true-crime book Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. Boles, of Gullah tongue, was renamed "Minerva" in the book, and was portrayed by Irma P. Hall in Clint Eastwood's 1997 film adaptation.
Abercorn Street is a prominent street in Savannah, Georgia, United States. Located between Drayton Street to the west and Lincoln Street to the east, it runs for about 7.8 miles (12.6 km) from East Bay Street in the north to Harry S. Truman Parkway in the south. It is concurrent with SR 204 from 37th Street south. The street is named for James Hamilton, 6th Earl of Abercorn, a financial benefactor of the Georgia colony. Its northern section passes through the Savannah Historic District, a National Historic Landmark District.
The Joe Odom House is a home in Savannah, Georgia, United States. It is located at 16 East Jones Street and was constructed in 1847.
Helen Avis Drexel was an American silent-film actress and heiress. She rose to prominence through her appearance in the John Berendt non-fictional novel Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil (1994), in which she was a composite character named Serena Dawes.
Leopold Adler II was an American historic preservationist based in Savannah, Georgia. President of the Historic Savannah Foundation, he was instrumental in the preservation movement in his hometown.
Spencer Proudfoot Shotter was a Canadian businessman. A naval-stores magnate, he purchased Greenwich Plantation in Thunderbolt, Georgia, and renamed it Greenwich Place. The site is now occupied by Greenwich Cemetery.
The Married Woman's Card Club is an exclusive all-women society in Savannah, Georgia, established in 1893. It meets once a month, on Tuesdays at 4:00 PM.
Sweet Georgia Brown's was a piano bar in Savannah, Georgia. Located at 312 West St. Julian Street, on Franklin Square in Savannah's City Market, the bar was co-owned by musicians Joe Odom and Nancy Hillis, real-life characters in John Berendt's book Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil (1994). "For over two years, it was the place everyone wanted to be in Savannah and everyone partied there until the wee hours," said Kathryn Gifford, a Savannah tour guide in 1997. Emma Kelly, dubbed the "Lady of 6,000 Songs" by Johnny Mercer, regularly played at the bar.
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil is a musical with music and lyrics by Jason Robert Brown and a book by Taylor Mac. Based on John Berendt's 1994 non-fiction novel of the same name, it premiered on July 8, 2024, at the Goodman Theatre in Chicago. The musical follows an antiques dealer who is on trial for the murder of a male prostitute in Savannah, Georgia, U.S., based on the killing of Danny Hansford. A Broadway run has been announced for 2025.