Ariel Durant was a writer and historian who produced — along with her husband, Will Durant — one of the most comprehensive and popular histories ever written. The Story of Civilization comprised 11 volumes released over four decades, tracing the development of human society from ancient times to the 19th century. The penultimate volume, Rousseau and Revolution, won the Pulitzer Prize for nonfiction in 1968.
Born Chaya Kaufman in 1898 in Ukraine, she immigrated to New York City with her family when she was a child. She met Will Durant while she was a student at New York City’s Ferrer Modern School, a day school formed by anarchists, where Durant was a teacher. The two formed a deep emotional and intellectual bond and were married in 1913.
She legally changed her first name to Ariel after the character from Shakespeare’s The Tempest, a nickname her husband had given her. He chose it because she was “strong and brave as a boy, and as swift and mischievous as an elf.”
Will and Ariel Durant published Our Oriental Heritage, the first volume of The Story of Civilization, in 1935, although authorship was attributed to Will and Ariel was cited only in the acknowledgements. But Ariel Durant was far more than an assistant to her husband; she was an active co-author, conducting extensive research, contributing to writing and editing, and shaping the narrative voice of their works. Her role was finally recognized officially when her name was added as co-author beginning with The Age of Louis XIV in 1963.
The eleventh and final volume, The Age of Napoleon, was published in 1975. In 1977, the Durants published their joint autobiography, A Dual Autobiography, offering insights into their remarkable partnership and personal philosophy. They remained deeply devoted to each other until their passing, just weeks apart, in 1981, after 68 years as partners in marriage and historical exploration.
