Mark Singer

Singer was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in 1950 to Marjorie and Alex Singer.{{cite web |url=http://www.encyclopedia.com/article-1G2-2698900126/singer-mark-1950.html |title=Mark Singer |publisher=Contemporary Authors, New Revision Series |access-date=May 11, 2016}} He attended Yale University, where his professors included

William Zinsser, and graduated with a B.A. in 1972.{{cite news |last=Martin |first=Douglas |date=May 12, 2015 |title=William Zinsser, Author of 'On Writing Well,' Dies at 92 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/13/arts/william-zinsser-author-of-on-writing-well-dies-at-92.html?_r=0 |newspaper=The New York Times |access-date=May 13, 2016 }}{{cite news |author= |title=Writers Buckley, Singer, Mayer, and Tierney to discuss 'Things I Learned from William Zinsser' |url=http://news.yale.edu/2015/10/09/writers-buckley-singer-mayer-and-tierney-discuss-things-i-learned-william-zinsser |newspaper= Yale News |location= New Haven |date=October 9, 2015 |access-date=May 11, 2016 }}

Singer joined the staff of The New Yorker in 1974.{{cite news |last=MacGregor |first=Jeff |date=August 21, 2005 |title='Character Studies': The Profiler |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/21/books/review/character-studies-the-profiler.html?_r=0 |newspaper=The New York Times |access-date=June 14, 2016 }} Several of his articles for the magazine were expanded into books, including Funny Money, his account of the collapse of the Penn Square Bank of Oklahoma City; and Citizen K: The Deeply Weird American Journey of Brett Kimberlin.{{cite news |last=Collington |first=Jason |date=November 14, 2004 |title=Lead Singer |url=http://www.tulsaworld.com/archives/lead-singer/article_6dda7bd0-042c-546d-a893-c02260b545f7.html |newspaper=Tulsa World |access-date=May 13, 2016}} Both Funny Money and Citizen K were praised by The New York Times, with reviewer Ben Yagoda comparing Singer to Joseph Mitchell.{{cite news |last=Lee |first=Susan |date=June 23, 1985 |title=Mickey Mouse in Oklahoma |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1985/06/23/books/mickey-mouse-in-oklahoma.html |newspaper=The New York Times |access-date=May 13, 2016 }}{{cite news |last=Yagoda |first=Ben |date=November 10, 1996 |title=The Black Hole of Journalism |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1996/11/10/books/the-black-hole-of-journalism.html |newspaper=The New York Times |access-date=June 14, 2016 }}

Singer's profile of Ricky Jay, an illusionist and scholar, was published in 1993.{{cite news |last=Smykus |first=Ed |date=May 25, 2013 |title=Film focuses on sleight of hand legend Ricky Jay|url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/arts/movies/2013/05/25/magic-man/1WuVh8PSVmCKwohhsNmvqO/story.html |newspaper=The Boston Globe |access-date=June 20, 2016 }} The article was included in the 2000 anthology Life Stories: Profiles from The New Yorker, edited by David Remnick, and continues to be widely praised, with Manohla Dargis at The New York Times calling it "an excellent profile," and Amazon describing it as, "a prime example of what The New Yorker does best."{{cite news |last=Dargis |first=Manohla |date=April 16, 2013 |title=Keeping His Secrets Well Up His Sleeve: 'Deceptive Practice: The Mysteries and Mentors of Ricky Jay' |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/17/movies/deceptive-practice-the-mysteries-and-mentors-of-ricky-jay.html?_r=0 |newspaper=The New York Times |access-date=June 20, 2016 }}{{cite book |title=Life Stories: Profiles from The New Yorker |date=January 11, 2000 |isbn=0375503552 |last1=Remnick |first1=David |publisher=Random House }}{{cite news |last=Leonard |first=John |date=February 13, 2000 |title=Eustace Tilley, Call Home: Five books chronicle the history of The New Yorker through its first 75 years. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/books/00/02/13/reviews/000213.13leonart.html |newspaper=The New York Times |access-date=June 20, 2016 }} Singer is credited with arranging a meeting between Jay and filmmakers Molly Bernstein and Alan Edelstein, whose documentary about Jay, Deceptive Practice: The Mysteries and Mentors of Ricky Jay, was released in 2012.{{cite news |last=Walzer |first=Robert |date=April 17, 2013 |title=Now You See the Real Ricky Jay (or Do You?)|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424127887323346304578422842793559754 |newspaper=The Wall Street Journal |access-date=June 15, 2016 }}{{cite news |last=Carson |first=Tom |date=January 22, 2015 |title=The Years of Magical Thinking: Ricky Jay's Remarkable Career and Legacy |url=http://grantland.com/hollywood-prospectus/ricky-jay-magic-illusion-career-pbs-documentary/ |newspaper=Grantland |access-date=June 16, 2016 }}{{cite web |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2654360/fullcredits?ref_=tt_cl_sm#cast |title=Deceptive Practice: The Mysteries and Mentors of Ricky Jay |author= |date=2012 |website=IMDB |access-date=June 15, 2016 }}

In 1996, Singer was assigned to write a profile of Donald Trump. The article, "Trump Solo," was deeply unflattering to Trump — portraying him as vain, boastful, and highly unreliable as a debtor — and began to recirculate in 2015, with the start of Trump's candidacy in the 2016 presidential election.{{cite web |url=https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2015/09/donald-trump-biography-what-i-learned-213188/ |title=What I Learned Writing Trump's Biography |last1=D'Antonio |first1=Michael |date=September 25, 2015 |website=Politico |access-date=May 12, 2016}}{{cite web |url=https://www.vox.com/2016/5/10/11585182/donald-trump-reading-list |title=The ultimate reading list for understanding Donald Trump |last1=Stein |first1=Jeff |date=May 16, 2016 |website=Vox |access-date=June 16, 2016}} Writing in The Guardian, columnist Oliver Burkeman called it "a characteristically excellent profile."{{cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/oliver-burkeman-column/2015/jul/14/what-is-going-on-in-donald-trumps-head |title=What is going on in Donald Trump's head? |last1=Burkeman |first1=Oliver |date=July 14, 2015 |website=The Guardian |access-date=June 16, 2016}}

In 2005, "Trump Solo" was republished in Character Studies, an anthology of Singer's work. The book was received favorably by The New York Times Book Review, with reviewer Jeff MacGregor calling Singer "a terrific reporter, with a receptive ear for dialogue and a painter's eye for the salient detail."{{cite news |last=MacGregor |first=Jeff |date=August 21, 2005 |title='Character Studies': The Profiler |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/21/books/review/character-studies-the-profiler.html?_r=0 |newspaper=The New York Times |access-date=May 17, 2016 }} In response to the review in the Times, Trump wrote a letter to the editor, in which he called Singer a "loser" who "was not born with great writing ability."{{cite news |last=Trump |first=Donald |date=September 11, 2005 |title='Character Studies' |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=990DEEDA1731F932A2575AC0A9639C8B63 |newspaper=The New York Times |access-date=May 12, 2016 }} After reading the letter to the editor, Singer sent Trump a thank you note, ironically noting the added publicity Trump had drawn to Character Studies, and enclosing a check for $37.82 as a token of his "enormous gratitude," adding, "You're special to me." Trump sent the letter back, with the handwritten message, ”MARK—YOU ARE A TOTAL LOSER—AND YOUR BOOK (AND WRITINGS) SUCKS! BEST WISHES DONALD P.S. AND I HEAR IT IS SELLING BADLY.”{{cite news |last=Terris |first=Ben |date=June 17, 2015 |title=Donald Trump's Handwritten War with the Press |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/arts-and-entertainment/wp/2015/06/17/donald-trumps-handwritten-war-with-the-press/ |newspaper=Washington Post |access-date=May 12, 2016 }}

In 2016, Singer expanded “Trump Solo” into a book, titled Trump and Me, which included present-day reflections on Trump's presidential campaign.{{cite news |last=Bukszpan |first=Daniel |date=May 26, 2016 |title=Make Your Coffee Table Great Again. Here's All of the Books Coming Out About Trump |url=http://fortune.com/2016/05/26/books-about-donald-trump/ |newspaper=Fortune |access-date=June 15, 2016 }} It was reviewed favorably by the Daily Telegraph, with reviewer Stephen Robinson writing that the book "offers clearer insight into the mind of the presumptive Republican nominee than any of the detailed biographies written over the years."{{cite news |last=Robinson |first=Stephen |date=June 24, 2016 |title=Trump & Me by Mark Singer, review: 'an extremely funny profile' |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/books/what-to-read/trump--me-by-mark-singer-review-an-extremely-funny-profile/ |newspaper=Daily Telegraph |access-date=June 24, 2016 }} In the Guardian, Hari Kunzru called it, "a viciously entertaining demolition of the branding savant with the peach pompadour."{{cite news |last=Kunzru |first=Hari |date=July 21, 2016 |title=Trump and Me by Mark Singer review – 'a lot of laughs but then horror' |url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2016/jul/21/trump-and-me-mark-singer-donald-review-hari-kunzru |newspaper=The Guardian |access-date=October 26, 2017 }}

In July 2017, Singer wrote a web column about efforts by the 115th United States Congress to repeal the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, including thoughts on his own history of treatment for autoimmune disease. The column, written in anticipation of a crucial vote on the repeal by Senator John McCain, was believed by many to have had a decisive effect on McCain's decision-making, with opinion writer Larry O'Connell calling it "tailor-made" for the senator.{{cite news |last=O'Connell |first=Larry |date=July 28, 2017 |title=John McCain Betrays Republicans… and His Own Legacy |url=https://www.mediaite.com/online/john-mccain-betrays-republicans-and-his-own-legacy/ |newspaper=Mediaite |access-date=August 4, 2017 }}

{{Incomplete list|date=March 2017}}

• {{cite book |author=Singer, Mark |title=Funny money |location=New York |publisher=Knopf |year=1985 }}
• {{cite book |author=Singer, Mark |author-mask=1 |title=Mr. Personality : profiles and talk pieces |url=https://archive.org/details/mrpersonalitypro00sing_0 |url-access=registration |location=New York |publisher=Knopf |year=1989 |isbn=978-0-394-57210-9 }}
• {{cite book |author=Singer, Mark |author-mask=1 |title=Citizen K : the deeply weird American journey of Brett Kimberlin |location=New York |publisher=Knopf |year=1996 }}
• {{cite book |author=Singer, Mark |author-mask=1 |title=Somewhere in America : under the radar with chicken warriors, left-wing patriots, angry nudists, and others |url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780618197248 |url-access=registration |location=Boston |publisher=Houghton Mifflin |year=2004 |isbn=978-0-618-19724-8 }}
• {{cite book |author=Singer, Mark |author-mask=1 |title=Character studies : encounters with the curiously obsessed |url=https://archive.org/details/characterstudies00sing |url-access=registration |location=Boston |publisher=Houghton Mifflin |year=2005 |isbn=9780618197255 }}
• {{cite book |author1=Greenberg, Alan C. |author-link1=Alan C. Greenberg |author2=Mark Singer |name-list-style=amp |title=The rise and fall of Bear Stearns |url=https://archive.org/details/risefallofbearst0000gree |url-access=registration |location=New York |publisher=Simon & Schuster |year=2010 }}
• {{Cite book | title = Trump and Me | location=New York |publisher=Tim Duggan Books |year=2016 |isbn=9780451498595 }}

• {{cite magazine |author=Singer, Mark |date=October 28, 2013 |title=Off the wall |department=The Talk of the Town. Ink |magazine=The New Yorker |volume=89 |issue=34 |pages=24–25 |url=http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2013/10/28/off-the-wall }}
• {{cite magazine |author=Singer, Mark |author-mask=1 |date=December 15, 2014 |title=One father |department=The Talk of the Town. Vigilance Dept. |magazine=The New Yorker |volume=90 |issue=40 |pages=22–23 |url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2014/12/15/one-father }}
• {{cite magazine |author=Singer, Mark |author-mask=1 |date=July 11–18, 2016 |title=Trump vs. 'Trump' |department=The Talk of the Town. Comment |magazine=The New Yorker |volume=92 |issue=21 |pages=27–28 |url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2016/07/11/trump-the-man-and-the-image }}Online version is titled "Trump, the man and the image".
• {{cite magazine |author=Singer, Mark |author-mask=1 |date=October 30, 2017 |title=Game over |department=The Talk of the Town. Moonlighting |magazine=The New Yorker |volume=93 |issue=34 |pages=17–18 |url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2017/10/30/the-dos-and-donts-of-kleptocracy }}Online version is titled "The do's and dont's of kleptocracy".
• {{cite magazine |author=Singer, Mark |author-mask=1 |date=January 7, 2019 |title=Man vs. mouse |department=The Talk of the Town. Ingenuity Dept. |magazine=The New Yorker |volume=94 |issue=43 |pages=14–15 |url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2019/01/07/a-subway-genius-hunts-down-an-apartment-mouse }}Online version is titled "A subway genius hunts down an apartment mouse".
• {{cite magazine |author=Singer, Mark |author-mask=1 |date=May 27, 2019 |title=Hello, darkness : the creator of several hit shows has dementia. And some thoughts about that |department=Profiles |magazine=The New Yorker |volume=95 |issue=14 |pages=24–30 |url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2019/05/27/david-milchs-third-act }}Online version is titled "David Milch's third act".

{{Reflist|30em}}

• [https://charlierose.com/videos/2690 Appearance] on Charlie Rose, January 5, 2004
• [http://www.wnyc.org/story/trump-2016-ultimate-reality-tv-show/ Appearance] on The Takeaway, February 22, 2016

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Category:Writers from Tulsa, Oklahoma

Category:1950 births

Category:The New Yorker staff writers

Category:Living people