Oppenheimer's autobiographer struggled with writer's block for 25 years

On July 21, when Christopher Nolan's film "Oppenheimer" is released, many younger audiences will be introduced to the story of J. Robert Oppenheimer for the first time.

on Jul 12, 2023

Oppenheimer's autobiographer struggled with writer's block for 25 years

Martin Sherwin was not a typical writer facing writer's block. He was sociable, humorous, and physically active. People who were acquainted with him describe him as the complete opposite of being anxious.

In the late 1990s, Sherwin found himself at a standstill. He had committed to writing a comprehensive biography of J. Robert Oppenheimer twenty years prior, but was beginning to doubt he would ever complete it. Despite conducting extensive research (collecting over 50,000 pages of interviews, transcripts, letters, diaries, and declassified documents, as well as F.B.I. dossiers), Sherwin had yet to make significant progress on the actual writing. The materials were stored in numerous boxes scattered throughout his home and office.

According to Sherwin's wife, he initially refused the project. He informed his editor, Angus Cameron, that he wasn't experienced enough to handle such an important topic as Oppenheimer, the person regarded as the father of the atomic bomb. Nevertheless, Cameron, who had previously published Sherwin's first book at Knopf and had suffered from McCarthyism like Oppenheimer, persisted.

As a result, Sherwin signed a $70,000 contract with Knopf for the project on March 13, 1980. He received half of the payment to begin, and he anticipated finishing it within five years. However, the book took 25 years to complete, and Sherwin had assistance.

On July 21, when Christopher Nolan's film "Oppenheimer" is released, many younger audiences will be introduced to the story of J. Robert Oppenheimer for the first time. However, this film owes its existence to the exhaustive and captivating 721-page Pulitzer Prize-winning biography titled "American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer", which was co-authored by Sherwin and Kai Bird and published by Knopf in 2005.

The completion of this masterpiece was only made possible due to the exceptional collaboration between these two determined writers, who shared a deep friendship and a passion for the art of biography as a lifelong pursuit.