Alexander Theroux
Encyclopedia
Alexander Theroux is an American novelist, poet
, and essayist.
He was born in Medford
, Massachusetts
. His brother is Paul Theroux
. He studied at Harvard University
and Yale University
. On publishing his first novel, Three Wogs aged 32, the New York Times called him "a certified, grade A, major new talent." His most recent novel, Laura Warholic
, has been described as "the Moby-Dick of misanthropy
". His first book of travel writing, Estonia: A Ramble Through the Periphery, was published by Fantagraphics in November 2011.
). Theroux attributed the matter to "stupidity and bad note taking," noting that he had read hundreds of books for The Primary Colors. Theroux's editor said that future editions would credit Murchie's work, or remove the passages.
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
, and essayist.
He was born in Medford
Medford, Massachusetts
Medford is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, in the United States, on the Mystic River, five miles northwest of downtown Boston. In the 2010 U.S. Census, Medford's population was 56,173...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
. His brother is Paul Theroux
Paul Theroux
Paul Edward Theroux is an American travel writer and novelist, whose best known work of travel writing is perhaps The Great Railway Bazaar . He has also published numerous works of fiction, some of which were made into feature films. He was awarded the 1981 James Tait Black Memorial Prize for his...
. He studied at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
and Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
. On publishing his first novel, Three Wogs aged 32, the New York Times called him "a certified, grade A, major new talent." His most recent novel, Laura Warholic
Laura Warholic
Laura Warholic; or, The Sexual Intellectual is a 2007 novel by Alexander Theroux. The plot concerns the relationship between Eugene Eyestones, the writer of an advice column called "The Sexual Intellectual", and his editor's ex-wife, Laura Warholic, whom Eyestones pities more than likes...
, has been described as "the Moby-Dick of misanthropy
Misanthropy
Misanthropy is generalized dislike, distrust, disgust, contempt or hatred of the human species or human nature. A misanthrope, or misanthropist is someone who holds such views or feelings...
". His first book of travel writing, Estonia: A Ramble Through the Periphery, was published by Fantagraphics in November 2011.
Plagiarism controversy
In 1995 the New York Times reported that one of its readers had noted the similarity of 6 passages in Theroux's 1994 survey of The Primary Colors with a 1954 book Song of the Sky (by Guy MurchieGuy Murchie
Guy Murchie , the son of Ethel A. and Guy Murchie Sr., was a Chicago Tribune photographer, staff artist and reporter, who had served as a war correspondent in England and Iceland from 1940 to 1942. He was briefly married to Barbara Cooney , with whom he shared two children...
). Theroux attributed the matter to "stupidity and bad note taking," noting that he had read hundreds of books for The Primary Colors. Theroux's editor said that future editions would credit Murchie's work, or remove the passages.
Novels
- Three Wogs (1972)
- Darconville's CatDarconville's CatDarconville's Cat is a novel by Alexander Theroux, first published in 1981. The main story is a love affair between Alaric Darconville, an English professor at a Virginia women's college, and one of his students, Isabel....
(1981) - An Adultery (1987)
- Laura WarholicLaura WarholicLaura Warholic; or, The Sexual Intellectual is a 2007 novel by Alexander Theroux. The plot concerns the relationship between Eugene Eyestones, the writer of an advice column called "The Sexual Intellectual", and his editor's ex-wife, Laura Warholic, whom Eyestones pities more than likes...
or, The Sexual Intellectual (2007)
Other
- Theroux Metaphrastes: An Essay on Literature
- The Primary Colors: Three Essays
- The Secondary Colors: Three Essays
- The Strange Case of Edward GoreyEdward GoreyEdward St. John Gorey was an American writer and artist noted for his macabre illustrated books.-Early life:...
- The Enigma of Al CappAl CappAlfred Gerald Caplin , better known as Al Capp, was an American cartoonist and humorist best known for the satirical comic strip Li'l Abner. He also wrote the comic strips Abbie an' Slats and Long Sam...
- Estonia: A Ramble Through the Periphery
Critical studies
- Steven Moore, "Alexander Theroux's Darconville's Cat and the Tradition of Learned Wit." Contemporary Literature 27.2 (Summer 1986): 233-45.
- "Alexander Theroux/Paul West Number", The Review of Contemporary Fiction, Spring 1991
Newspaper stories
- "The Theroux Family Arsenal", James Atlas, New York Times Magazine, April 30, 1978
- "The Man Who Knows Too Much", M. R. Montgomery, The Boston Globe, September 14, 1994