My life in books: John Williams made me realise the power of the simple, unadorned sentence

Daniel Okrent is a former managing editor of 'Life' magazine and served as the first public editor of 'The New York Times'

Daniel Okrent's latest book, 'Stephen Sondheim: Art Isn’t Easy', published by Yale University Press, is out now. Picture: Leo Sorel

Daniel Okrent is a prize-winning author whose books include Last Call: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition and Great Fortune: The Epic of Rockefeller Center, which was a finalist for the 2004 Pulitzer Prize in history.

He is a former managing editor of Life magazine and served as the first public editor of The New York Times. A native of Detroit, he lives between New York and Cape Cod.