People

Andrew Sullivan

by Rosecrans Baldwin

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.

biopic

Rosecrans Baldwin co-founded The Morning News. His latest book, Paris, I Love You But You’re Bringing Me Down, has just been published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux. An excerpt is available at GQ. More information can be found at his website. More by Rosecrans Baldwin