Jump to content

Paul Brodeur

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by 165.214.68.102 (talk) at 15:55, 11 August 2023. The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

This article is about the writer. For the politician, see Paul A. Brodeur.

Paul Brodeur
Born(1931-05-16)May 16, 1931
Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
DiedAugust 2, 2023(2023-08-02) (aged 92)
Hyannis, Massachusetts, U.S.
OccupationWriter, novelist
EducationPhillips Academy
Harvard College
GenreFiction, science
ChildrenAdrienne Brodeur

Paul Brodeur (May 16, 1931 – August 2, 2023) was an American investigative science writer and author, whose writings have appeared in The New Yorker, where he began as a staff writer in 1958. He lived on Cape Cod. For nearly two decades he researched and wrote about the health hazards of asbestos. He has also written about the dangers of household detergents, the depletion of the ozone layer, microwave radiation and electromagnetic fields from power lines.

Early life and education

Brodeur graduated from Phillips Academy and Harvard College.[1]

Career

In 1992 he donated 300 boxes of papers accumulated during his research to the New York Public Library. In 2010 he was informed that the NYPL had finished culling the papers it chose to retain in its collection. Brodeur publicly objected, stating that the materials to be removed were essential to understanding his investigative process. Brodeur's papers are now archived at the Howard Gotlieb Archival Research Center at Boston University.[2]

Science writer Gary Taubes has said Brodeur's writings on electromagnetic radiation are part of what inspired him to switch from writing about bad practices in physics to epidemiology and public health.

Brodeur's short stories have appeared in The New Yorker, The Saturday Evening Post, and Show Magazine. His 1970 novel The Stunt Man inspired the Academy-Award nominated 1980 film of the same name, starring Peter O'Toole as an egotistical movie director.[3]

Personal life and death

His daughter, Adrienne Brodeur, is an author and program director at the Aspen Institute.[4][5]

Paul Brodeur died in Hyannis, Massachusetts on August 2, 2023, at the age of 92, following complications from pneumonia and hip replacement surgery.[6]

Bibliography

  • The Sick Fox (novel) – 1963
  • The Stunt Man (novel) – 1970
  • Downstream (short stories) – 1972
  • "Asbestos & Enzymes" – 1972
  • "Expendable Americans" – 1974
  • "The Zapping of America: Microwaves, Their Deadly Risk, and the Coverup" – 1977
  • "The Asbestos Hazard" – 1980
  • "Outrageous Misconduct: the Asbestos Industry on Trial" – 1985
  • "Restitution: The Land Claims of the Mashpee, Passamaquoddy, and Penobscot Indians of New England" – 1985
  • "Currents of Death" – 1989
  • "The Great Power-Line Cover-Up: How the Utilities and Government Are Trying to Hide the Cancer Hazard Posed by Electromagnetic Fields" – 1993
  • "Secrets: A Writer in the Cold War" – 1997

References

  1. ^ "Paul Brodeur - Welcome". www.paulbrodeur.net. Retrieved January 29, 2022.
  2. ^ "Brodeur, Paul (1931- )". Howard Gotlieb Archival Research Center. Retrieved January 13, 2022.
  3. ^ Janet Maslin (October 17, 1980). "The Stunt Man". The New York Times. Retrieved November 3, 2007.
  4. ^ Masad, Ilana (October 17, 2019). "A Daughter Becomes An Accomplice To Her Mother's Affair In 'Wild Game'". NPR. Retrieved January 29, 2022.
  5. ^ "Adrienne Brodeur". The Aspen Institute. Retrieved January 29, 2022.
  6. ^ Smith, Harrison. "Paul Brodeur, journalist who exposed asbestos hazards, dies at 92". The Washington Post. Retrieved August 10, 2023.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/enwiki/w/index.php?title=Paul_Brodeur&oldid=1169837217"