David Grann
David Elliot Grann (born March 10, 1968) is an American journalist, a staff writer for The New Yorker, and author. His first book, The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon, was published by Doubleday in February 2009. After its first week of publication, it debuted on The New York Times bestseller list at No.
Also recorded as David Elliot Grann
David Grann

Library of Congress Life · 20230812SM0592 · CC0
- Name
- David Grann
- Born
- 10 March 1968
- Birth Name
- David Elliot Grann
- Birthplace
- Sutton England uk
- Education
- Connecticut College (BA) Tufts University (MA) Boston University (MFA)
- Occupation
- Staff writer, and book writer
- Awards
- Thomas J.
- Nationality
- United States
- Known for
- The Lost City of Z · Killers of the Flower Moon
- Honours
- George Polk Award · Anthony Award · Cullman Fellowship
- Languages
- English
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In this article
Biography
Biography
4 and later reached No. Grann's articles have been collected in several anthologies, including What We Saw: The Events of September 11, 2001, The Best American Crime Writing of 2004 and 2005, and The Best American Sports Writing of 2003 and 2006. He has written for The New York Times Magazine, The Atlantic, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, and The Weekly Standard. According to a profile in Slate, Grann has a reputation as a "workhorse reporter", which has made him a popular journalist who "inspires a devotion in readers that can border on the obsessive."
David Grann studied at Connecticut College. The recorded working language is English. Works named in the authority record are The Lost City of Z and Killers of the Flower Moon. Distinctions recorded are George Polk Award, Anthony Award and Cullman Fellowship.

Author David Grann at the 2010 Texas Book Festival in Austin, Texas, United States.
Larry D. Moore

Journalist David Grann at the 2018 Texas Book Festival in Austin, Texas, United States.
Larry D. Moore
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — David Grann • Born — 10 March 1968 • Birth Name — David Elliot Grann • Birthplace — Sutton England uk • Education — Connecticut College (BA) Tufts University (MA) Boston University (MFA) • Website — davidgrann.com • Children — 2 • Occupation — Staff writer, and book writer • Notable Works — The Lost City of Z The Devil and Sherlock Holmes Killers of the Flower Moon The White Darkness The Wager • Awards — Thomas J. Watson Fellowship George Polk Awards
Early life
Early life
Grann was born on March 10, 1968, to publishing executive Phyllis E. Grann and oncologist Victor Grann. Grann has two siblings, Edward and Alison.
Career
Career
He graduated from Connecticut College in 1989 with a B.A. in Government. While still in college, Grann received a Thomas J. Watson Fellowship and conducted research in Mexico, where he began his career as a freelance journalist. He received a master's degree in international relations from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University in 1993. At that point primarily interested in fiction, Grann hoped to develop a career as a novelist. In 1994 he was hired as a copy editor at The Hill, a Washington, D.C.–based newspaper covering the United States Congress. The same year, Grann earned a master's degree in creative writing from Boston University, where he taught courses in creative writing and fiction. He was named The Hill's executive editor in 1995. In 1996, Grann became a senior editor at The New Republic. He joined The New Yorker in 2003 as a staff writer. He was a finalist for the Michael Kelly Award in 2005. In 2009, he received both the George Polk Award and Sigma Delta Chi Award for his New Yorker piece "Trial By Fire", about Cameron Todd Willingham. Another New Yorker investigative article, "The Mark of a Masterpiece", raised questions about the methods of Peter Paul Biro, who claimed to use fingerprints to help authenticate lost masterpieces. Biro sued Grann and The New Yorker for libel, but the case was summarily dismissed. The article was a finalist for the 2010 National Magazine Award.
The Lost City of Z
The Lost City of Z
Grann's 2009 non-fiction book The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon recounts the odyssey of the notable British explorer, Captain Percy Fawcett who, in 1925, disappeared with his son in the Amazon while looking for the Lost City of Z. For decades, explorers and scientists have tried to find evidence of both his party and the Lost City of Z. Grann also trekked into the Amazon. In his book, he reveals new evidence about how Fawcett died and shows that "Z" may have existed.
Killers of the Flower Moon
Killers of the Flower Moon
In March 2014, Grann said he was working on a new book about the Osage Indian murders, considered "one of the most sinister crimes in American history." His book Killers of the Flower Moon: An American Crime and the Birth of the FBI was published in 2017, chronicling "a tale of murder, betrayal, heroism and a nation's struggle to leave its frontier culture behind and enter the modern world." It was a finalist for the 2013 National Book Award and later became #1 on The New York Times bestseller list. The film adaptation, Killers of the Flower Moon, was directed by Martin Scorsese and released in October 2025.
The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder
The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder
The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder, was published in April 2025. It debuted at #1 on The New York Times bestseller list and the hardcover stayed on the list for 65 weeks. A reviewer in The Guardian wrote, “The Wager is one of the finest nonfiction books I've ever read. I can only offer the highest praise a writer can give: endless envy, as deep and salty as the sea." Former President Barack Obama selected The Wager as one of his summer reading books, a popular booklist he shares annually.
Personal life
Personal life
Grann married Kyra Darnton in 2012. They have two children, and as of 2016 resided in New York.
Articles
Articles
Collections: •. Collection of 8 articles: • * • * • * • * • * • * • * • * • * • * • * • * •. Collection of 3 articles: • "The Old Man and the Gun: Forrest Tucker had a long career robbing banks, and he wasn't willing to retire", "True Crime: A postmodern murder mystery", "The Chameleon: The many lives of Frédéric Bourdin"
Adaptations
Adaptations
• The Lost City of Z (2016), film directed by James Gray, based on book The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon • Dark Crimes (2016) The film was based on a 2008 article in The New Yorker titled "True Crime: A Postmodern Murder Mystery." • The Old Man & the Gun (2018), film directed by David Lowery, based on article "The Old Man and the Gun: Forrest Tucker had a long career robbing banks, and he wasn't willing to retire" • Trial by Fire (2018), film directed by Edward Zwick, based on article "Trial by Fire: Did Texas execute an innocent man?" • Killers of the Flower Moon (2023), film directed by Martin Scorsese, based on book Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI Forthcoming: • The White Darkness: • Apple TV+ announced in April 2022 that Grann's book The White Darkness would be developed into a new limited series starring Tom Hiddleston. The series will be developed by Soo Hugh and co-produced by Apple Studios and UCP. • The Wager: • In July 2022, Scorsese and DiCaprio also acquired the rights to Grann's 2023 non-fiction book, The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder.
Other books
Other books
A collection of twelve previously published Grann essays, The Devil and Sherlock Holmes: Tales of Murder, Madness, and Obsession, was published in March 2012. Another book, The White Darkness, was published in October 2017.
Books
Books
• His article "The Lost City of Z: A quest to uncover the secrets of the Amazon" is about the same subject. • His article "The Marked Woman: How an Osage Indian family became the prime target of one of the most sinister crimes in American history" is about the same subject. • Based on his article "The White Darkness". *
Awards
• 1989 Thomas J. Watson Fellowship • 2005 (finalist) Michael Kelly award • 2009 George Polk Awards • 2009 Sigma Delta Chi Award • 2009 (shortlist) Samuel Johnson Prize • 2010 (finalist) National Magazine Awards • 2013 Cullman Fellowship • 2024 (finalist) National Book AwardReferences
Text attribution
Licensing
Text attribution
Part of the biographical narrative on this page reuses licensed material. Its origin, revision and licence are recorded here.
The biographical narrative on this page is based on the Wikipedia article David Grann, revision 1373211002 (EN edition), by its contributors. VALÉORINE has edited that text and built its own documentary record around it. The reused material is available under CC BY-SA 4.0, and this page's reuse of it is offered under the same licence. Everything else on this page — the chronology, the holdings, the evidence, the plates and the connections — is VALÉORINE's own record. Sources and licences.
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Hardcover Non-fiction Bestsellers. The New York Times. March 6, 2009.
- 2.Paperback Non-fiction Bestsellers. The New York Times. February 21, 2010.
- 3.Jonah Weiner. The Storyteller's Storyteller. Slate. April 11, 2011.
- 4.Maneker, Marion. Now for the Grann Finale. New York Magazine. January 1, 2002.
- 5."Contributors: David Grann." The New Yorker. No date. Accessed May 26, 2009.
- 6.Potts, Rolf and Grann, David. "David Grann", RolfPotts.com (March 2009). Accessed May 26, 2009.
- 7.Weddings; Kyra Darnton, David Grann. The New York Times. July 2, 2000.
- 8."David Grann on murder, madness and writing for The New Yorker" by Andrea Pitzer, Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard, April 5, 2010
- 9.Press release: The 2005 Michael Kelly Award, June 6, 2005
- 10.Charney, Noah. Interview on Art Security Technology. Artinfo International Edition. September 16, 2011.
- 11."Art Analyst Sues The New Yorker" by Julia Filip, Courthouse News Service (July 1, 2011)
- 12."Forensic Art Expert Sues New Yorker – Author Wants $2 million for defamation over David Grann piece" by Dylan Byers, Adweek, June 30, 2011
- 13.11 Civ. 4442 (JPO) Peter Paul Biro v. ... David Grann ... , United States District Court – Southern District of New York
- 14."Art Authenticator Loses Defamation Suit Against the New Yorker , by Albert Samaha, Village Voice blog, August 5, 2013
- 15."Check Out ASME's National Magazine Awards Finalists" by Caroline Stanley, FlavorWire.com, 5 April 2011
- 16.Heckenberger, Michael. The Ecology of Power: Culture, Place, and Personhood in the Southern Amazon, A.D. 1000–2000. New York: Routledge, 2005. ;
- 17.Heckenberger, Michael J.; Kuikuro, Afukaka; Kuikuro, Urissapá Tabata; Russell, J. Christian; Schmidt, Morgan; Fausto, Carlos; and Franchetto, Bruna. "Amazonia 1492: Pristine Forest or Cultural Parkland?" Science. April 25, 2003
- 18.Heckenberger, Michael J. "Manioc Agriculture and Sedentism in Amazonia: The Upper Xingu Example." Antiquity. September 1998.
- 19.I am David Grann. Reddit. March 2014.
- 20.Sean Woods, "'Killers of the Flower Moon': Inside David Grann's New True-Crime Epic," Rolling Stone, April 17, 2017.
- 21.Nationalbook.org.
- 22.Books Best Sellers: Combined Print and E-Book Nonfiction. New York Times. April 22, 2018.
- 23.Lang, Brett. Martin Scorsese's 'Killers of the Flower Moon' With Leonardo DiCaprio Gets October Release Date. Variety. March 27, 2023.
- 24.Hardcover Nonfiction Bestsellers. The New York Times. August 18, 2024.
- 25.Teague, Matthew. The Wager review: David Grann's magnificent shipwreck epic | Books | the Guardian. The Guardian. April 30, 2023.
- 26.All the books Barack Obama is reading this summer. Washington Post. 2023-07-20.
- 27.WEDDINGS; Kyra Darnton, David Grann. The New York Times. July 2, 2000.
- 28.Donohue, Keith. David Grann: Killers of the Flower Moon. Prologue Magazine. 49. 3. Fall 2017.
- 29.Siegel, Tatiana. "Paramount, Brad Pitt Find 'Lost City'," Variety (March 31, 2008).
- 30.Davis, Edward. Sienna Miller joins James Gray's 'Lost City Of Z'; shooting may happen Summer 2015. IndieWire. December 27, 2014.
- 31.Fleming, Michael. James Gray, Brad Pitt find lost city. Variety. December 9, 2009.
- 32.Nordine, Michael. Amazon Studios acquires James Gray's rainforest drama 'The Lost City of Z' starring Charlie Hunnam. IndieWire. September 1, 2016.
- 33.Chang, Justin. "James Gray's hauntingly beautiful 'The Lost City of Z' is Charlie Hunnam's finest performance," Los Angeles Times (April 13, 2017).
- 34.Murthi, Vikram. Robert Redford Announces Retirement From Acting. IndieWire. Penske Media Corporation. November 11, 2016.
- 35.McClintock, Pamela. Edward Zwick's 'Trial by Fire' Lands Early Summer Release Date From Roadside. The Hollywood Reporter. 25 February 2019.
- 36.Everything We Know About Martin Scorsese And Leonardo DiCaprio's Next Project, 'Killers Of The Flower Moon'. Esquire. 2017-07-17.
- 37.World, Michael Smith Tulsa. What we know so far about the 'Killers of the Flower Moon' movie set in Oklahoma. Tulsa World.
- 38.Clayton Davis. Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio's 'Killers of the Flower Moon' to Release in 2023. Variety. July 26, 2022.
- 39.Fleming, Mike Jr. Apple Partners With Paramount on Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio's 'Killers of the Flower Moon'. Deadline Hollywood. May 27, 2020.
- 40.Tom Hiddleston to star in and executive produce new Apple Original limited series "The White Darkness". Apple. April 7, 2022.
- 41.Borys Kit. Leonardo DiCaprio, Martin Scorsese Tackling Naval Survival Tale 'The Wager' for Apple, Imperative (Exclusive). Hollywood Reporter. July 29, 2022.
- 42.[https://www.nypl.org/press/new-york-public-librarys-dorothy-and-lewis-b-cullman-center-scholars-and-writers-announces-1 "The New York Public Library's Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center for Scholars and Writers Announces 2013-2014 Fellows: David Grann, Téa Obreht, Anthony Grafton, Uwem Akpan among 2013-14 Cullman Center Fellows,"] New York Public Library (March 25, 2013).
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The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 21 August 2026.
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