Lea Carpenter

Lea Carpenter
Nationality American
Education English, Business
Alma mater Princeton University, Harvard University
Spouse Clifford Vail Brokaw IV
Relatives Eleuthere Irenee du Pont

Lea du Pont Carpenter Brokaw, also known as Lea Carpenter, is an American writer and editor. Her debut novel Eleven Days (2013), earned rave reviews.

Early Life and Education

Carpenter grew up in Wilmington, Delaware. She is a descendant of the French-American chemist, Eleuthere Irenee du Pont.[1][2] She is one of six children born to Carroll M. Carpenter and Edmund N. Carpenter II. Her father was a partner and former president of Richards, Leyton and Finger, a law firm.[1] He was also awarded a Bronze Star in World War II.[3] Edmund Carpenter served in the Army Intelligence in China and Burma in World War II. This information, revealed after his death, inspired Lea Carpenter to write her first novel.[4]

Carpenter graduated summa cum laude from Princeton University with a degree in English. She received her Master of Business Administration from Harvard University in June 2003.[1][2][5]

Career

Carpenter worked in literary publishing for ten years.[6] She was a founding editor of Francis Ford Coppola's literary magazine, Zoetrope.,[2] and worked on John F. Kennedy, Jr.'s George (magazine). From 2004 to 2005, Carpenter was the deputy publisher of The Paris Review. During this time Carpenter supervised the "day-to-day financial health" of the magazine, and worked under the magazine's publisher, Drue Heinz. Carpenter was also the managing editor of Lipper/Atlas publishers, and was the founding editor for the Penguin Lives series.[5]

As of 2013, Carpenter was employed at the New York Public Library. She founded the Young Lions, which is a group for young adults in New York who want to contribute to the library. Since 1999, the group has raised $5 million for the library.[4]

Carpenter is on the board of directors for the Art Production Fund. The non-profit organization is dedicated to "commissioning and producing ambitious public art projects, reaching new audiences and expanding awareness through contemporary art."[7]

Eleven Days

Eleven Days tells the story of a single mother and her son. Instead of applying to Harvard, the son enters the Naval Academy. Ten years later, he is reported missing from a Special Operations Forces mission on the same night as the Osama Bin Laden raid.[2]

Carpenter began to write her novel on a dare from a friend who said: "Give me ten thousand words" by May 3, 2011. The title of the book refers to the end of The Iliad.[8]

Carpenter's first novel, Eleven Days, was praised by critics and writers. Toni Morrison commented that the book contained "elegant prose." Former Senator and Navy Seal, Bob Kerrey said the book, "showed us how 9/11 has changed our lives forever."[4] It has also been referred to as, "[a]mong the smartest of the batch of recent American war novels."[9] The novel was longlisted for the Bailey's Prize for Fiction 2014.[10]

Personal life

On November 18, 2006, Lea Carpenter married Clifford Vail Brokaw IV. He was the managing director of Goldman Sachs in New York. They live in Manhattan with their two sons.[1][2]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 "WEDDINGS/CELEBRATIONS; Lea Carpenter, Clifford Brokaw IV". New York Times. 19 November 2006. Retrieved 25 February 2015.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Minzesheimer, Bob (27 June 2013). "New Voices: Debut novelist Lea Carpenter". USA Today. Retrieved 25 February 2015.
  3. ↑ "Edmund Nelson Carpenter II". legacy.com. Retrieved 25 February 2015.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 "Vetfamily: Lea Carpenter". veteransadvantage.com. 29 August 2013. Retrieved 26 February 2015.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Smith, Dinitia (1 March 2004). "ARTS BRIEFING- HIGHLIGHTS: PARIS REVIEW, APPOINTMENTS". New York Times. Retrieved 26 February 2015.
  6. ↑ "Author Lea Carpenter speaks about love and war with Walker's community". ethelwalker.org. 25 September 2014. Retrieved 26 February 2015.
  7. ↑ "About Art Production Fund". artproductionfund.org. Retrieved 26 February 2015.
  8. ↑ Carpenter, Lea (27 July 2013). "A War Story is a Love Story, Anyway". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 26 February 2015.
  9. ↑ "ELEVEN DAYS by Lea Carpenter". kirkusreviews.com. 14 May 2013. Retrieved 26 February 2015.
  10. ↑ "BAILEY'S Women' Prize for Fiction Announce the 2014 Longlist". womensprizeforfiction. 7 March 2014. Retrieved 26 February 2015.

External links