Profile

American best-selling author, Jon Krakauer (b. 1954) was raised in Oregon and took up mountain climbing under the wing of his father at the age of eight. Following his graduation from Hampshire College in 1976 he spent much of his time in the mountains when he wasn’t earning a living as a carpenter, commercial salmon fisherman and free-lance writer for publications like Outside magazine.

It was in the magazine’s January 1993 issue that Krakauer told the mysterious story of Chris McCandless, a young man who had been found dead the previous year inside an abandoned bus deep in the Alaskan wilderness. The resulting book, Into the Wild, would go on to be a 1996 best-seller. It was also in 1996 that the author summited Mt. Everest during the deadliest climbing season to date in the mountain’s history. Into Thin Air, his account of the tragedy, would garner even greater acclaim than his previous book, being named Time magazine’s book of the year.

Since then, Krakauer has continued to entertain fans, broadening his scope and exploring topics as varied as the Mormon Church, Afghanistan and acquaintance rape on college campuses. Known for his personal and passionate storytelling, he rarely hesitates to take a side and often manages to make a few enemies along the way.

Jon Krakauer on Readers Lane

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Jon Krakauer

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