author
Edward L. Bernays
1891–1995
Best known as a founder of modern public relations, this influential and deeply controversial strategist helped show how mass persuasion could shape politics, business, and everyday life. His books still spark debate about where communication ends and manipulation begins.
3 Audiobooks
The Broadway Anthology
by Edward L. Bernays, Samuel Hoffenstein, Walter J. Kingsley, Murdock Pemberton
Crystallizing Public Opinion
by Edward L. Bernays
Propaganda
by Edward L. Bernays
About the author
Born in Vienna on November 22, 1891, and raised in New York, Edward L. Bernays became one of the most important early figures in public relations. Britannica describes him as a pioneer American publicist who helped define the role of the professional public relations counselor, while Wikipedia notes that he was long referred to as the “father of public relations.”
Over the course of a very long life, Bernays worked on publicity campaigns for businesses, nonprofits, and government causes, and he wrote influential books including Crystallizing Public Opinion and Propaganda. He drew on ideas from psychology and the social sciences to shape public opinion, which made his methods highly effective but also deeply controversial.
That tension is a big part of why he remains so widely discussed. To some readers, he was a brilliant architect of modern media strategy; to others, he helped normalize manipulation in public life. He died in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on March 9, 1995, at the age of 103.