Abrams, Douglas Carlton 1967(?)–

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Abrams, Douglas Carlton 1967(?)–

PERSONAL:

Born c. 1967; married; wife's name Rachel (a family physician); children: Jesse, Kayla, Eliana. Education: Stanford University, M.A., 1989.

ADDRESSES:

Home—Santa Cruz, CA. Office—Idea Architects, 106 Corinne Ave., Santa Cruz, CA 95065. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER:

Writer. Former editor for University of California Press, Berkeley, CA, and HarperSanFrancisco, San Francisco, CA; JustGive.org, vice president and editorial director; Idea Architects, Santa Cruz, CA, cofounder and CEO.

WRITINGS:

The Lost Diary of Don Juan: An Account of the True Arts of Passion and the Perilous Adventure of Love (novel), Atria Books (New York, NY), 2007.

Coauthor of several books, including works by Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Yogacharya B.K.S. Iyengar, and Taoist Master Mantak Chia; author of blog Lost Diary.

SIDELIGHTS:

Douglas Carlton Abrams has had a diverse career in the publishing industry, working both on the editorial side and as a writer. In the early part of his career as an editor, he worked at the University of California Press, as well as at HarperSanFrancisco, where he served as a senior editor. Abrams went on to found Idea Architects, an agency that seeks to develop books and other types of media that incorporate an underlying desire to improve the world by making it a healthier, more intelligent place to live. Abrams attempts to work within parameters that allow him to tap into all aspects of humanity, such as his spiritual and emotional sides as well as his physical and mental selves. He is involved in a number of philanthropic organizations, most notably JustGive.org, a Web site that helps guide individuals in their decisions regarding where to donate their money, for which he serves as vice president and editorial director. He brings this deeply rooted system of beliefs to his writing, particularly in the works on which he has served as a cowriter with such luminaries as Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Yogacharya B.K.S. Iyengar, and the Taoist Master Mantak Chia, many of which focus on the blending of love, spirituality, and sexuality to achieve true fulfillment. His works also touch on the improvement of parenting skills and coping within a marriage.

Abrams is the author of The Lost Diary of Don Juan: An Account of the True Arts of Passion and the Perilous Adventure of Love, a novel that includes many of the beliefs that Abrams embraces in his life and other writings. The novel is based on the real life character of Don Juan, tracing the young orphan's ascent through a series of carnal relationships, with a particular focus on those with women who have a difficult time reconciling their more spiritual sides with their sexual desires and passion. Ultimately, Don Juan sets out to cure the women of their reluctance regarding physical pleasure, seeking only to make them feel loved and desired. Abrams's romantic adventure received mixed reviews from critics, with results varying in some cases depending on whether the reader chose to approach the book as serious historical fiction. David Keymer, in a review for Library Journal, remarked that ‘superfluousness is a recurrent fault in this corny retelling of the Don Juan legend.’ Keymer went on to dub the writing ‘florid and self-conscious.’ However, Ellen Loughran, in a review for Booklist, found the book ‘a fast, suspenseful read,’ despite some predictable characterizations. A reviewer for Publishers Weekly concluded: ‘The story unspools with the invigorating trajectory of a thriller and the emotional draw of historical romance."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, April 15, 2007, Ellen Loughran, review of The Lost Diary of Don Juan: An Account of the True Arts of Passion and the Perilous Adventure of Love, p. 29.

Library Journal, April 15, 2007, David Keymer, review of The Lost Diary of Don Juan, p. 70.

Publishers Weekly, March 5, 2007, review of The Lost Diary of Don Juan, p. 37.

Spectator, April 21, 2007, Christina Patterson, ‘Travels with Don Juan."