Blake Bailey
Encyclopedia
Blake Bailey is an American
writer. He has written biographies of Richard Yates
and John Cheever
, and is the editor of the Library of America
omnibus editions of Cheever's stories and novels.
, Bailey contracted to write a full-length biography of the novelist, A Tragic Honesty: The Life and Work of Richard Yates (2003), which was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award
.
In 2005, Bailey was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship
to work on his biography, Cheever: A Life, which won the 2009 National Book Critics Circle Award
, the Francis Parkman Prize
, and was a finalist for the Pulitzer
and the James Tait Black Memorial Prize
. He also edited a two-volume edition of Cheever's work for the Library of America
. In 2010, he received an Academy Award in Literature from the American Academy of Arts and Letters.
Bailey and his family lost their house and most of their possessions in Hurricane Katrina
, an experience he wrote about in a series of articles for Slate
.
He is currently the Mina Hohenberg Darden Professor of Creative Writing at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia, and is working on a biography of Charles Jackson
, author of The Lost Weekend
(1944) and other novels.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
writer. He has written biographies of Richard Yates
Richard Yates (novelist)
Richard Yates was an American novelist and short story writer, known for his exploration of mid-20th century life.-Life:...
and John Cheever
John Cheever
John William Cheever was an American novelist and short story writer. He is sometimes called "the Chekhov of the suburbs." His fiction is mostly set in the Upper East Side of Manhattan, the Westchester suburbs, old New England villages based on various South Shore towns around Quincy,...
, and is the editor of the Library of America
Library of America
The Library of America is a nonprofit publisher of classic American literature.- Overview and history :Founded in 1979 with seed money from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Ford Foundation, the LoA has published over 200 volumes by a wide range of authors from Mark Twain to Philip...
omnibus editions of Cheever's stories and novels.
Personal
Bailey grew up in Oklahoma City and went to college at Tulane University, from which he graduated in 1985.Career
After college, Bailey wrote occasional free-lance pieces and taught gifted eighth-graders at a magnet school in New Orleans. After publishing a long critical profile of Richard YatesRichard Yates (novelist)
Richard Yates was an American novelist and short story writer, known for his exploration of mid-20th century life.-Life:...
, Bailey contracted to write a full-length biography of the novelist, A Tragic Honesty: The Life and Work of Richard Yates (2003), which was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award
National Book Critics Circle Award
The National Book Critics Circle Award is an annual award given by the National Book Critics Circle to promote the finest books and reviews published in English....
.
In 2005, Bailey was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship
Guggenheim Fellowship
Guggenheim Fellowships are American grants that have been awarded annually since 1925 by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation to those "who have demonstrated exceptional capacity for productive scholarship or exceptional creative ability in the arts." Each year, the foundation makes...
to work on his biography, Cheever: A Life, which won the 2009 National Book Critics Circle Award
National Book Critics Circle Award
The National Book Critics Circle Award is an annual award given by the National Book Critics Circle to promote the finest books and reviews published in English....
, the Francis Parkman Prize
Francis Parkman Prize
The Francis Parkman Prize, named after Francis Parkman, is awarded by the Society of American Historians for the best book in American history each year. Its purpose is to promote literary distinction in historical writing...
, and was a finalist for the Pulitzer
Pulitzer Prize
The Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City...
and the James Tait Black Memorial Prize
James Tait Black Memorial Prize
Founded in 1919, the James Tait Black Memorial Prizes are among the oldest and most prestigious book prizes awarded for literature written in the English language and are Britain's oldest literary awards...
. He also edited a two-volume edition of Cheever's work for the Library of America
Library of America
The Library of America is a nonprofit publisher of classic American literature.- Overview and history :Founded in 1979 with seed money from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Ford Foundation, the LoA has published over 200 volumes by a wide range of authors from Mark Twain to Philip...
. In 2010, he received an Academy Award in Literature from the American Academy of Arts and Letters.
Bailey and his family lost their house and most of their possessions in Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...
, an experience he wrote about in a series of articles for Slate
Slate (magazine)
Slate is a US-based English language online current affairs and culture magazine created in 1996 by former New Republic editor Michael Kinsley, initially under the ownership of Microsoft as part of MSN. On 21 December 2004 it was purchased by the Washington Post Company...
.
He is currently the Mina Hohenberg Darden Professor of Creative Writing at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia, and is working on a biography of Charles Jackson
Charles R. Jackson
Charles Reginald Jackson was an American author, best known for his 1944 novel The Lost Weekend.-Career:Jackson's first published story, "Palm Sunday", appeared in the Partisan Review in 1939...
, author of The Lost Weekend
The Lost Weekend (novel)
The Lost Weekend is Charles R. Jackson's first novel, published by Farrar & Rinehart in 1944. It served as the basis for a film adaptation by the same name in 1945.-Synopsis:...
(1944) and other novels.
External links
- Official website
- http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/15/books/review/Wolff-t.html/Geoffrey Wolff's review of "Cheever: A Life" in The New York Times Book ReviewThe New York Times Book ReviewThe New York Times Book Review is a weekly paper-magazine supplement to The New York Times in which current non-fiction and fiction books are reviewed. It is one of the most influential and widely read book review publications in the industry. The offices are located near Times Square in New York...
] - http://www.slate.com/id/2127127/"My Year of Hurricanes" in SlateSlate (magazine)Slate is a US-based English language online current affairs and culture magazine created in 1996 by former New Republic editor Michael Kinsley, initially under the ownership of Microsoft as part of MSN. On 21 December 2004 it was purchased by the Washington Post Company...
] - http://www.moreintelligentlife.com/blog/qa-blake-bailey-literary-biographer/Blake Bailey interviewed on The EconomistThe EconomistThe Economist is an English-language weekly news and international affairs publication owned by The Economist Newspaper Ltd. and edited in offices in the City of Westminster, London, England. Continuous publication began under founder James Wilson in September 1843...
blog] - http://wamu.org/programs/dr/09/03/10.php/Blake Bailey interviewed on The Diane Rehm ShowThe Diane Rehm ShowThe Diane Rehm Show is a National Public Radio call-in show based in the United States. In October, 2007, The Diane Rehm Show was named to Audience Research Analysis’ list of the top ten most powerful national programs in public radio – the only talk show on the list...
] - Blake Bailey interviewed on The Leonard Lopate Show
- Blake Bailey interviewed by The Library of America