Caro and Gottlieb Biographical Collaboration

• Robert Caro and Robert Gottlieb have collaborated on a biography of Lyndon B. Johnson for over 50 years.
• The two of them have a contentious relationship, with Gottlieb accusing Caro of being over-the-top in his punctuation marks and Caro accusing Gottlieb of being too meddlesome.
• The two of them have had many disagreements about how much to trust the reader, with Caro insisting that the reader understand his ideas clearly and Gottlieb insisting that the reader be engaged with the text.
• The two of them are currently working on the fifth and final volume of the Johnson biography, which is expected to take them until their deaths.
• Gottlieb is an editor who has worked with, among others, Toni Morrison and Joseph Heller.
• He is more voluble and philosophical than Caro, and his work is fundamentally "a service job."
• He says that a strong ego is necessary for an editor because there has to be an equivalence of strength.

Explore the unique and contentious collaboration between biographer Robert Caro and editor Robert Gottlieb as they work on the multi-volume biography of Lyndon B. Johnson. Delve into their disagreements, working dynamics, and the impact of their contrasting approaches.