Michael Seidenberg

Michael Seidenberg (July 22, 1954 – July 8, 2019) was a New York City bookstore owner and writer.[1][2] His shop, BrazenHead Books, was a secret bookstore, its last incarnation a by-appointment-only space, hidden behind a door in his Manhattan apartment.[3][4][5]

Michael Seidenberg
Born(1954-07-22)July 22, 1954
DiedJuly 8, 2019(2019-07-08) (aged 64)
Occupationbook seller

The store was described as one of the "world's most stunning bookstores" by Fodor's in 2014.[6] Seidenberg regularly ran literary salons in the space, described as "more like a salon than a for-profit business" by the New York Times.[7][8] BrazenHead became known more for its get-togethers and the literary atmosphere than as a bookstore. "Literary culture has become far too corporate — Michael and Brazenhead are reminders of how and why to love books and authors," said novelist Porochista Khakpour.[9] Jonathan Lethem was an early bookstore employee as a teenager, and wrote Seidenberg as a character into two of his novels.[8]

Seidenberg wrote a series of advice columns for The New Inquiry called Unsolicited Advice for Living in the End Times which were published in two collected volumes.[10][11]

Personal life

Seidenberg was born in Williamsburg, Brooklyn and grew up in New York City.[12] He studied drama at Queensborough Community College. His first job was as a puppeteer, and he ran his troupe from a storefront in Brooklyn in the 1970's, a space which also became the first iteration of BrazenHead.[8][13] He was married to Nicky Roe who worked as a circulation manager for Rolling Stone.[9]

References
  1. Nawotka, Ed (2019-07-09). "Michael Seidenberg, New York City Bookseller, Dies". PublishersWeekly.com. Retrieved 2019-07-10.
  2. "There's No Place Like Here: Brazenhead Books". Etsy Blog. 2011-07-12. Retrieved 2019-07-09.
  3. Marx, Patricia (2008-06-02). "Wanna Buy A Book?". The New Yorker. Retrieved 2019-07-09.
  4. Devers, AN (2015-10-12). "Brazenhead: New York's speakeasy bookstore turns a new page". the Guardian. Retrieved 2019-07-09.
  5. "To Meet: Michael Seidenberg". Warby Parker. 2013-12-04. Retrieved 2019-07-09.
  6. "World's 20 Most Stunning Bookstores". Fodor's. Archived from the original on 4 August 2014. Retrieved 9 July 2019.
  7. Force, Thessaly La (2011-07-12). "The Secret Bookstore". The Paris Review. Retrieved 2019-07-09.
  8. "The Good Host, but Bad Bookseller, of Brazenhead Books". The New York Times. 2015-03-22. Retrieved 2019-07-09.
  9. Price, J.T. (2015-07-02). "The Best Friend There Is: Keeping Time with Brazenhead Books". The Millions. Retrieved 2019-07-09.
  10. Seidenberg, Michael (2014-01-01). "The Collected Unsolicited Advice for Living in the End Times Vol. 2". The New Inquiry. Retrieved 2019-07-09.
  11. Seidenberg, Michael (2012-12-21). "The Collected Unsolicited Advice for Living in the End Times Vol. 1". The New Inquiry. Retrieved 2019-07-09.
  12. "An Apartment Full of Books and the Man Who Started It". to be discussed. 2009-05-12. Retrieved 2019-07-09.
  13. Meissner, Ivy (2013-09-23). "Words Behind Closed Doors". The New School Free Press. Retrieved 2019-07-09.
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