Mark Kurlanski

Mark Kurlansky is an American writer, journalist, translator, and editor. His main genre is nonfiction. He is the author of about 30 books in the field of nonfiction and journalistic literature. His book Cod: A Biography of the Fish That Changed the World became an international bestseller and was translated into 15 languages; Nonviolence: Twenty-Five Lessons from the History of a Dangerous Idea won the 2007 Dayton Literary Peace Prize in the nonfiction category. His daughter and coauthor is Talia Kurlansky.

Mark Kurlansky received his higher education at Butler University in Indianapolis, where he was interested in theater during his studies. In 1970, after completing his studies, he received a Bachelor of Arts degree. From 1976 to 1991, he worked in Western Europe as a correspondent for the American newspapers the Miami Herald, the Philadelphia Inquirer, and the International Herald Tribune (in Paris). In the 1980s, journalism also took him to Mexico.

In 1992, Kurlansky's first book, A Continent of Islands: Searching for the Caribbean Destiny, was published. However, real success came only in 1997 with Cod: A Biography of the Fish That Changed the World, in which he was able to fully express his long-standing interest in food and the history of food. It was followed by books about salt and oysters.

In 1999, The Basque History of the World was published, devoted to the history of the Basque people. For his major contribution to Basque identity and culture, the Society of Basque Studies in America inducted Mark Kurlansky into the Basque Hall of Fame. That same year, he was awarded the title of honorary ambassador of the Basque government.

Mark currently lives with his wife and daughter in New York and writes a column on the history of food for Food & Wine magazine.