KOLBERT, Elizabeth 1961(?)-

PERSONAL: Born c. 1961, married John Kleiner; children: three sons. Education: College graduate, 1983.

ADDRESSES: Home—Williamstown, MA. Offıce— The New Yorker, 4 Times Square, 17th Floor, New York, NY 10036.

CAREER: Journalist. Reporter for New York Timesfor fourteen years, including as Albany bureau chief and author of "Metro Matters" column; New Yorker, New York, NY, staff writer.

AWARDS, HONORS: George Polk Award; Walter T. Brown Award.

WRITINGS:

The Prophet of Love, and Other Tales of Power andDeceit, Bloomsbury (New York, NY), 2004.

Contributor to Vogue, Mother Jones, and New York Times Magazine.

SIDELIGHTS: Journalist Elizabeth Kolbert is the author of The Prophet of Love, and Other Tales of Power and Deceit. The book is a collection of columns Kolbert wrote for the New Yorker profiling a variety of classic New York characters, from Boss Tweed to U.S. Senator Hillary Clinton and former Mayor Rudolph Giuliani. In addition to politicians, Kolbert profiles policemen, radicals, celebrities, and other prominent figures, such as television personality Regis Philbin. Writing in Booklist, GraceAnne A. DeCandido noted that "reading Kolbert is like listening to a particularly crystalline conversationalist: complete sentences, often incisive commentary, but not a shred of humor or warmth." Nevertheless, DeCandido noted that Kolbert's book is "great reading . . . because she can make the inherently uninteresting . . . come across as compelling." A Publishers Weekly contributor called the book a "collection of graceful and perceptive articles," and went on to note: "Kolbert is at her best in the timeless articles she penned in the aftermath of 9/11 about Mayor Giuliani and Fire Chief William Feehan, who died as a result of the attacks." Another reviewer, writing in Kirkus Reviews, commented that "Kolbert draws shrewd, meaty, colorful portraits."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, April 15, 2004, GraceAnne A. DeCandido, review of The Prophet of Love, and Other Tales of Power and Deceit, p. 1419.

Kirkus Reviews, April 1, 2004, review of The Prophet of Love, and Other Tales of Power and Deceit, p. 311.

New Yorker, November 23, 2004, Elizabeth Kolbert, "Mother Courage."

Publishers Weekly, April 12, 2004, review of TheProphet of Love, and Other Tales of Power and Deceit, p. 50.*