Andrew Solomon Bio: Ethnicity, Parents, Net Worth, Age, Books, Children, Awards, Height

Andrew Solomon is an acclaimed American writer, lecturer, and activist renowned for his insightful explorations of psychology, politics, culture, and identity.

He is best known for his National Book Award-winning book The Noonday Demon: An Atlas of Depression (2001), a comprehensive examination of depression, and Far from the Tree: Parents, Children, and the Search for Identity (2012), which earned widespread praise including the National Book Critics Circle Award.

Quick Facts

• Full Name: Andrew Solomon
• Stage Name: Andrew Solomon
• Born: October 30, 1963
• Age: 62 years old
• Birthplace: Manhattan, New York, United States
• Nationality: American
• Occupation: Writer, Lecturer, Activist, Professor of Clinical Psychology
• Height: Unknown
• Parents: Howard Solomon, Carolyn Bower Solomon
• Siblings: David F. Solomon
• Spouse: John Habich (m. 2009)
• Girlfriends: None
• Children: George Charles Habich Solomon , Carolyn Blaine Smith Solomon
• Relationship: Married
• Net Worth: $5 million

Early Life and Education

Andrew Solomon was born on October 30, 1963, in Manhattan, New York, to Howard Solomon, a pharmaceutical executive and founder of Hildred Capital Partners, and Carolyn Bower Solomon. He has one brother, David F. Solomon, who works in finance.

He graduated cum laude from Horace Mann School in 1981, earned a Bachelor of Arts in English from Yale University in 1985, and later obtained a Master’s degree in English from Jesus College, University of Cambridge, where he received a first-class degree and the University writing prize.

In 2013, he completed a PhD in Psychology at Cambridge. He is Jewish American by ethnicity, with religion not publicly emphasized beyond cultural heritage.

Career

Andrew Solomon launched his writing career in the late 1980s with research on Russian artists during the Glasnost era, leading to his first book, The Irony Tower: Soviet Artists in a Time of Glasnost (1991).

He followed with a novel, A Stone Boat (1994), a semi-autobiographical bestseller about identity and family illness that earned runner-up honors for the Los Angeles Times First Fiction prize.

Throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, he contributed journalism to outlets like The New York Times Magazine, The New Yorker, and others, covering topics from Chinese art to Libyan politics and mental health.

His breakthrough came with The Noonday Demon: An Atlas of Depression (2001), blending memoir, science, and global perspectives on depression, which won the National Book Award, was a Pulitzer finalist, and has been translated into over two dozen languages.

Solomon’s reputation grew further with Far from the Tree: Parents, Children, and the Search for Identity (2012), an exhaustive study of families raising children with differences such as autism, deafness, or transgender identity; it received the National Book Critics Circle Award and over twenty-five other honors, inspiring a documentary film and audiobook projects.

He expanded his reach through TED talks on depression and identity, amassing millions of views, and took on leadership as president of PEN America (2015–2017), advocating for free expression.

Additional works include essay collections like Far and Away: Reporting from the Brink of Change (2016) and initiatives in film and audio on modern family structures.

Andrew Solomon continues to influence discourse on mental health, family, and human rights through teaching at Columbia University Medical Center (as Professor of Clinical Psychology), Yale, and Weill Cornell, alongside ongoing writing, lectures, and activism.

His contributions have shaped conversations around depression, diverse families, and LGBTQ+ issues, earning him residencies, awards, and a lasting legacy as a thoughtful chronicler of the human condition.

Social Media

• Instagram Handle: @andrewwsolomon
• Facebook Handle: AndrewSolomon.author

Personal Life

Andrew Solomon has been married to John Habich since 2009, following a civil partnership in 2007 celebrated at Althorp Estate in England; the couple shares a home in New York and London.

Solomon has two children: son George Charles Habich Solomon, who lives with him and Habich, and daughter Carolyn Blaine Smith Solomon, conceived with longtime friend Blaine Smith and living in Texas.

Net Worth

Andrew Solomon has an estimated net worth of $5 million. His primary sources of income include book sales and royalties from bestsellers like The Noonday Demon and Far from the Tree, speaking engagements and TED appearances, journalism contributions to major publications, academic positions at prestigious institutions, and related media projects such as documentaries and audiobooks.