Robert Greene (American author)

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For other people named Robert Greene, see Robert Greene (disambiguation).
Robert Greene
Robert Greene B&W.jpg
Born (1959-05-14) May 14, 1959 (age 62)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
OccupationAuthor
Notable works

Robert Greene (born May 14, 1959) is an American author known for his books on strategy, power, and seduction.[1][2] He has written six international bestsellers: The 48 Laws of Power, The Art of Seduction, The 33 Strategies of War, The 50th Law (with rapper 50 Cent), Mastery, and The Laws of Human Nature.[3]

Early life[]

The younger son of Jewish parents,[4] Greene grew up in Los Angeles and attended the University of California, Berkeley before finishing his degree at the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a B.A. in classical studies.[5] Before becoming an author, Greene estimates that he worked 80 jobs, including as a construction worker, translator, magazine editor, and Hollywood movie writer.[6] In 1995, Greene worked as a writer at Fabrica, an art and media school in Italy, and met a book packager named Joost Elffers.[1] Greene pitched a book about power to Elffers and wrote a treatment which eventually became The 48 Laws of Power. He would note this as the turning point of his life.[7]

Books[]

Cover art

The 48 Laws of Power[]

Greene's first book, The 48 Laws of Power, first published in 1998, is a practical guide for anyone who wants power, observes power, or wants to arm themselves against power.[8] The laws are a distillation of 3,000 years in the history of power, drawing on the lives of strategists and historical figures like Niccolò Machiavelli, Sun Tzu, Haile Selassie I, Carl von Clausewitz, Queen Elizabeth I, Henry Kissinger, and P.T. Barnum.[9][10] Each law has its own chapter, complete with a "transgression of the law," "observance of the law," and/or a "reversal."

The 48 Laws of Power has sold more than 1.2 million copies.[11]

The Art of Seduction[]

Main article: The Art of Seduction

Greene's second book, The Art of Seduction, was published in 2001.[12] The book profiles the nine types of seducers (e.g. The Rake, The Siren, and The Charmer) and details aspects of attraction, authenticity, storytelling, and negotiation.[13][14] Greene uses examples from historical figures such as Cleopatra, Giacomo Casanova, Duke Ellington and John F. Kennedy to support the psychology behind seduction.[15][16]

The Art of Seduction is mentioned in Neil Strauss' book The Game as a recommended book in the seduction community.[17] It has sold more than 500,000 copies.[18]

The 33 Strategies of War[]

Main article: The 33 Strategies of War

The 33 Strategies of War is the third book by Greene and was published in 2007.[19] The book is divided into five parts: Self-Directed Warfare, Organizational (Team) Warfare, Defensive Warfare, Offensive Warfare and Unconventional (Dirty) Warfare.[19] The book is a guide to the campaign of everyday life and distills military wisdom from historical figures like Napoleon Bonaparte, Sun Tzu, Alfred Hitchcock, Alexander the Great and Margaret Thatcher.[20][21][22]

The Sunday Times called the book "an excellent toolkit for dealing with business and relationships," and The Independent claims that Greene is "setting himself up as a modern-day Machiavelli" but that "it is never clear whether he really believes what he writes or whether it is just his shtick, an instrument of his will to shift £20 hardbacks."[23][24] NBA player Chris Bosh stated that his favorite book is The 33 Strategies of War.[25][26][27] It has sold more than 200,000 copies.[18]

The 50th Law[]

Main article: The 50th Law

The 50th Law is the fourth book by Greene—written collaboratively with rapper 50 Cent—and was published in 2009.[28][29][30] The book mixes talk of strategy and fearlessness by supplementing anecdotes from 50 Cent's rise as both a young urban hustler and as an up-and-coming musician with lessons from various historical figures.[31][32][33] Each of the 10 chapters in the book explains a factor of fearlessness and begins by telling how 50 learned this "Fearless Philosophy" in Southside Queens.[34][35][36]

The book debuted at #5 on The New York Times Bestseller list and was a USA Today bestseller.[37][38][39][40]

Mastery[]

Main article: Mastery (book)

Greene's fifth book, Mastery, was released on November 13, 2012.[41] Mastery examines the lives of both historical and contemporary figures such as Charles Darwin, Paul Graham, the Wright Brothers, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Edison, and Mozart, and distills the traits and universal ingredients that made them masters.[42] The book is divided into six sections, each focusing on essential lessons and strategies on the path to Mastery.[42][43][44][45]

Mastery reached #6 on The New York Times Bestseller list and was featured in CNN Money, The Huffington Post, The New York Times, Business Insider, Forbes, Management Today, and Fast Company.[41][43][45][46][47][48][49][50][51]

The Laws of Human Nature[]

Greene's sixth book, The Laws of Human Nature, was released in October 2018. The book examines people's conscious and unconscious drives, motivations, and cognitive biases.[52]

Influence and controversy[]

The 48 Laws of Power has been referenced in songs by Jay Z, Kanye West, and Drake.[3][53][54] Busta Rhymes used The 48 Laws of Power to deal with problematic movie producers.[6] Greene has claimed former Cuban President Fidel Castro had also read the book.[1] The Libyan politician Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, son of the late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, read his books as part of his reading routine.[55] The 48 Laws of Power is one of the most requested books in American prison libraries.[56] Several American prisons have banned The 48 Laws of Power and The 33 Strategies of War.[57]

Greene's books are sometimes described as manipulative and amoral. The Sunday Times noted that The 48 Laws of Power has become the "Hollywood back-stabber's bible" and that although the book is reportedly used by some business executives, it is difficult to find people who publicly acknowledge its influence because of the book's controversial nature.[58][59] Greene responds to this sentiment by stating, "These laws… people might say, 'Oh they're wicked', but they're practiced day in and day out by businesspeople. You're always trying to get rid of your competition and it can be pretty bloodthirsty, and that's just the reality."[5][10]

Greene's work has been featured in The New York Times, USA Today, CNN, The New Yorker, Newsweek, the Los Angeles Times, Forbes, Huffington Post, Business Week, Business Insider, Fast Company, Slate, and XXL.[1][6][10][15][31][46][60][61][62][63] Greene has also appeared on The Today Show, CNBC, ABC, and MTV News.[64][65][66][67][68]

Personal life[]

Greene lives in Los Angeles with his girlfriend Anna Biller, who is a filmmaker.[6] Greene can speak five languages and is a student of Zen Buddhism.[5] He is an avid swimmer and mountain biker.

Greene is a mentor for Ryan Holiday, bestselling author of Trust Me, I'm Lying, The Obstacle Is the Way, Ego Is the Enemy, The Daily Stoic.[69]

Greene supported Barack Obama in the 2012 United States presidential election and identifies with liberal politics.[70] Greene says Donald Trump misunderstands power.[71]

When asked in 2012 if he is religious, Greene said "I’m Jewish but I don’t have a hardcore spiritual practice. I’m not hardcore Atheist; I’m sort of how Einstein was: He wasn’t a believer in the Jewish God. I’m intrigued by the sense that there’s something there."[72]

Greene suffered a serious stroke before launching his new book The Laws of Human Nature in 2018. It was caused by a blood clot in his neck and has currently left him without the use of his left hand and leg. [73]

Bibliography[]

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b c d Chang, Andrea. American Apparel's in-house guru shows a lighter side. The Los Angeles Times. August 30, 2011.
  2. ^ "Business Bestsellers". New York Times. November 8, 1998.
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b Lee, Lee (July 12, 2006). "Laws for an Outlaw Culture". LA Times.
  4. ^ Bertodano, Helena de (November 26, 2012). "Why Robert Greene isn't who you think". Daily Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved February 24, 2018.
  5. ^ Jump up to: a b c Chang, Andrea (August 30, 2011). "American Apparel's in-house guru shows a lighter side". The Los Angeles Times.
  6. ^ Jump up to: a b c d Paumgarten, Nick (November 6, 2006). "FRESH PRINCE; Hip-hop's Machiavelli". The New Yorker.
  7. ^ Perlroth, Nicole. Robert Greene on Power Ambition Glory. Forbes. June 16, 2009.
  8. ^ Green, Hardy (November 30, 1998). "Best Selling List". BusinessWeek. Missing or empty |url= (help)
  9. ^ Greene, Robert (2000). The 48 Laws of Power. New York. p. 452. ISBN 0140280197.
  10. ^ Jump up to: a b c Blake, John. How to Master the '48 Laws of Power' Archived December 15, 2012, at the Wayback Machine. CNN. March 15, 2010.
  11. ^ Chang, Andrea (August 30, 2011). "American Apparel's in-house guru shows a lighter side". LA Times.
  12. ^ Greene, Robert (April 2004). The Art of Seduction. ISBN 1861977697.
  13. ^ Bruce, Robert (October 21, 2001). "The Art of Seductive Writing: A Conversation with Robert Greene". Copy Blogger.
  14. ^ Eddie Lennon (September 4, 2003). "Seduce them by the book". The Irish Independent.
  15. ^ Jump up to: a b Groth, Aimee (June 4, 2012). "Robert Greene Tells Us What People Don't Understand About Power". Business Insider.
  16. ^ David Colman (August 3, 2003). "POSSESSED; Seduction's Earthy Scent". The New York Times.
  17. ^ Strauss, Neil (May 24, 2011). "A Seducer's Library: The Top Game Books". Neil Strauss.
  18. ^ Jump up to: a b Robert Greene Interview, Part 1. Power Seduction and War. July 7, 2006.
  19. ^ Jump up to: a b Greene, Robert (2006). The 33 Strategies of War. New York: Viking. p. 496. ISBN 0143112783.
  20. ^ Lee, Eloise (May 4, 2012). "33 War Strategies That Will Help You Win Everything In Life". Business Insider.
  21. ^ "Online Extra: A Best-Seller Smorgasbord". BusinessWeek. April 30, 2006.
  22. ^ "33 Strategies of War". Publishers Weekly. December 12, 2005.
  23. ^ Fearn, Nicholas (March 5, 2006). "The 33 Strategies of War, by Robert Greene". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on December 17, 2008.
  24. ^ Dillon, Frank (January 10, 2010). "A guide to balancing your books; Business leaders give Frank Dillon tips on what the best managers should be reading". The Sunday Times.
  25. ^ Tice, Carol. All's Fair?. Entrepreneur. November 1, 2006.
  26. ^ Green, Mark (January 12, 2012). "Not a Third Wheel: A GQ&A with Chris Bosh". GQ.
  27. ^ Mirchandini, Raakhee (January 5, 2007). "The Merchant of Menace". The New York Post.
  28. ^ "50 Cent is New York Times Certified". Vibe. September 28, 2009.
  29. ^ Schuessler, Jennifer (September 27, 2009). "Bestsellers". New York Times.
  30. ^ Schuessler, Jennifer (September 18, 2009). "Inside the List". New York Times.
  31. ^ Jump up to: a b Johnson, Lynne (September 10, 2009). "The 50 Cent Bible". Fast Company.
  32. ^ Groth, Aimee (May 10, 2012). "10 Tips For Becoming Fearless Like 50 Cent". Business Insider.
  33. ^ Goodman, Matthew (October 29, 2009). "Rapper's latest hit for business scene". The Australian.
  34. ^ Richards, Jason (September 17, 2009). "Interview: Robert Greene on 50 Cent". The Huffington Post.
  35. ^ Burkeman, Oliver (September 4, 2009). "When the gangsta rapper met the self-help guru". The Guardian. London.
  36. ^ Finnell, Joshua (August 20, 2009). "The Blingdom of God: Books on the Religion of Hip-Hop". Library Journal. Archived from the original on September 15, 2012.
  37. ^ Hardcover Advice & Misc. Bestsellers. New York Times. September 27, 2009.
  38. ^ "USA TODAY Money best sellers". USA Today. October 12, 2009.
  39. ^ "The 50th Law". USA Today.
  40. ^ Getlen, Larry (September 20, 2009). "Talking Cents". New York Post.
  41. ^ Jump up to: a b Capouya, John (November 9, 2012). "Zen and the art of global domination". CNN Money. Archived from the original on November 13, 2012.
  42. ^ Jump up to: a b Greene, Robert (2012). Mastery. Viking. ISBN 978-0670024964.
  43. ^ Jump up to: a b Kurutz, Steven (November 7, 2012). "Renovate Like a Master". New York Times.
  44. ^ How Yoky Matsuoka created the modern robotic hand, and what the rest of us can learn from her GeekWire. November 12, 2012.
  45. ^ Jump up to: a b Groth, Aimee (November 2, 1012). "27 Tips For Mastering Anything". Business Insider.
  46. ^ Jump up to: a b Bradt, George (November 8, 2012). "Beyond 10,000 Hours: The Constant Pursuit of Mastery". Forbes.
  47. ^ Chamorro-Premuzic, Tomas. Book review: Mastery, by Robert Greene. Management Today. November 1, 2012.
  48. ^ Robert Greene. The Aha! Moments That Made Paul Grahms Y Combinator Possible. Fast Company. November 12, 2012.
  49. ^ 'Mastery' By Robert Greene: How to Become a Master in Your Chosen Field. Huffington Post. November 15, 2012.
  50. ^ Best Sellers: Advice and Misc..The New York Times. November 26, 2012.
  51. ^ "Mastery". USA Today.
  52. ^ Livni, Ephrat. "The big new book on all your flaws and how to turn them around". Quartz.
  53. ^ "Kanye West – Primetime Lyrics". RapGenius.
  54. ^ "Drake – What I'm Thinkin' Right Now Lyrics". RapGenius.
  55. ^ https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/30/magazine/qaddafi-libya.html?action=click&module=Top%20Stories&pgtype=Homepage
  56. ^ The Readers Behind Bars Put Books to Many Uses New York Times, October 19, 2010
  57. ^ Books Banned in U.S. Prisons Featured at Minneapolis Art Festival (video), Unicorn Riot Media, June 25, 2018
  58. ^ "How to take power and influence people". The Sunday Times (London). August 6, 2006. "Despite Greene's obvious influence, most Hollywood executives are coy about admitting it. Jonathan Baker, marketing manager for Sony Pictures Entertainment, says the book is often used by executives he knows, "but because of its nature, you won't find a lot of people who will own up to how important a resource it has become for them. Acknowledging its influence can be damning; you are opening yourself up to being judged in a negative way. But I don't mind saying that I stumbled on it in a very down period in my life, and it gave me a lot of clarity when I needed it most".
  59. ^ "Robert Greene and his influence over American Apparel [Video]". The Los Angeles Times. August 31, 2011.
  60. ^ Wilson, Craig (September 30, 1998). "Playing the power game '48 Laws' on winning, whatever the stakes". USA Today.
  61. ^ Stranahan, Lee (January 22, 2010). "33 Strategies Of War Author Robert Greene on Obama's Tactical Hell". The Huffington Post.
  62. ^ Beam, Christopher (October 31, 2006). "The Oracle of Hip Hop". Slate Magazine.
  63. ^ "XXL Quick Hitters: 50 Cent, Shyne, Diddy and The Weekend, Just Blaze And Saigon". XXL. May 29, 2012.
  64. ^ "50 Cent On The Today Show for supporting his new book "The 50th Law"". The Today Show. October 1, 2009.
  65. ^ "50 Cent sits down with CNBC and talks about his new book "The 50th Law". CNBC. October 1, 2009.
  66. ^ "The 50 Cent Empire". ABC News. November 5, 2009.
  67. ^ "Guest List: 50 Cent". ABC. November 9, 2009.
  68. ^ Reid, Shaheem (September 10, 2009). "50 Cent Signs Copies Of His New Book 'The 50th Law'". MTV News.
  69. ^ https://learningleader.com/episode-088-ryan-holiday-how-to-find-the-best-mentor-viewing-obstacles-as-opportunities/
  70. ^ Lynskey, Dorian (December 3, 2012). "Robert Greene on his 48 laws of power: 'I'm not evil – I'm a realist'". The Guardian. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
  71. ^ "Strategic thinking expert: Trump doesn't get 'laws of power'". MSNBC.com.
  72. ^ Groth, Aimee (June 5, 2012). "Robert Greene Tells Us What People Don't Understand About Power". Business Insider Australia.
  73. ^ https://twitter.com/RobertGreene/status/1041728219987238912/photo/1

External links[]

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