Darin Strauss
Encyclopedia
Darin Strauss is an American
writer
based in Brooklyn, NY. Strauss's memoir Half a Life
won the 2011 National Book Critics Circle Award
for memoir/autobiography.
town of Roslyn Harbor. He attended Tufts University
, where he studied with Jay Cantor
. He is married to the journalist Susannah Meadows
. He is the father of identical twin boys. He currently resides in Brooklyn, New York and teaches writing at New York University
.
Alex Award-winning, best-selling 2000 first novel Chang and Eng - a runner-up for the Barnes and Noble Discover Award, the Literary Lions Award, a Borders Award winner, and a nominee for the PEN Hemingway award
, among others — is based on the lives of the famous conjoined twins
Chang and Eng. Chang and Eng was a Los Angeles Times
Best Book of the Year, a Newsweek
Best Book of the Year, among others. The rights to the novel were optioned to Disney, for the director Julie Taymor
; the actor Gary Oldman
purchased the rights from Disney. Strauss and Oldman are together adapting Chang and Eng for the screen.
Strauss's second book, The Real McCoy (2002), was based on the life of the boxer Charles "Kid McCoy."
"The Real McCoy" was named a New York Times Notable Book," and one of the "25 Best Books of the Year," by the New York Public Library
.
It was after this novel that Strauss won a Guggenheim Fellowship
in Fiction Writing.
Strauss's third novel, More Than It Hurts You, his first in a contemporary setting, was published by PenguinPutnam in 2008. The book made a number of year-end best-book lists, and was also a national bestseller—reaching as high as #3 on both the Denver Post and Rocky Mountain News
lists, and #6 on the New York Post
list, in July, 2008. Publicity for the book was strong, and Strauss blogged about his extensive book-tour for Newsweek
, and was featured on The CBS Late, Late Show with Craig Ferguson
and Good Morning America.
He appeared on This American Life
in a July 2008 episode titled "Life After Death," in which he talks about the effects of a traffic accident during high school, in which a classmate on a bicycle swerved in front of his car, and was killed. Although he could not have avoided the accident, and was not at fault, he still felt guilty, and it affected him for decades
His next book, Half a Life
is an essay-length memoir based on his traffic accident; it was published by McSweeney's
in September, 2010, and was excerpted in GQ magazine, and This American Life
, and also in The Times of London and The Daily Mail (UK). Half a Life
was named an Entertainment Weekly
Must Read and a New York Times Editor's Pick—and a Best Book of the Year by NPR
, Amazon.com
, The Plain Dealer, The San Francisco Chronicle, among many others. A critical favorite in the UK, Half a Life was called "a masterpiece" by Robert McCrum
in The Guardian
, "one of the best books I have ever read" by Ali Catterall on The BBC, as well as "precise, elegantly written, fresh, wise, and very sad ... indicative not only of a very talented writer, but of a proper human being” by Nick Hornby
Half a Life
won the 2011 National Book Critics Circle Award
(Autobiography).
, "a hugely talented writer with unlimited potential" by The Times
(London), "one of the most sharp and spirited of his generation," by Powells Books, "sublime" and "brilliant" by the Boston Globe, "a magnificent and subtle writer" by Le Monde
, a "master" by the Chicago Tribune
, a novelist of "humor, humanity, and aching sadness" by The New York Times
, "as lyrical as he is daring" by The New Yorker
, "the most fearless of writers" by Salon.com
, a "master of brevity" by The Observer
(UK), and "one of America's handful of young, great authors" by The Austin Chronicle
.
Vadim Razov, reviewing for the AV Club, found that the book Half-Life "...stumbles through a series of apololgies.."
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
based in Brooklyn, NY. Strauss's memoir Half a Life
Half a Life (memoir)
Half a Life is a book by American author Darin Strauss. It received the National Book Critics Circle Award for memoir in 2011.-Summary:Strauss, a novelist, recounts how his life was profoundly altered when a car he was driving struck and killed a fellow high school student.-Plot:Strauss' memoir...
won the 2011 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....
for memoir/autobiography.
Biography
Darin Strauss was born in the Long IslandLong Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
town of Roslyn Harbor. He attended Tufts University
Tufts University
Tufts University is a private research university located in Medford/Somerville, near Boston, Massachusetts. It is organized into ten schools, including two undergraduate programs and eight graduate divisions, on four campuses in Massachusetts and on the eastern border of France...
, where he studied with Jay Cantor
Jay Cantor
Jay Cantor, B.A., Ph.D. is an American novelist, and essayist.He graduated from Harvard University with a BA, and from University of California, Santa Cruz with a Ph.D.He teaches at Tufts University....
. He is married to the journalist Susannah Meadows
Susannah Meadows
Susannah Meadows is a senior writer for Newsweek magazine.She covered the presidential campaigns of Howard Dean and John Kerry, the five year anniversary of the Columbine High School massacre and the rape allegations against lacrosse players at Duke University...
. He is the father of identical twin boys. He currently resides in Brooklyn, New York and teaches writing at New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
.
Writing career
His ALAAmerican Library Association
The American Library Association is a non-profit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world, with more than 62,000 members....
Alex Award-winning, best-selling 2000 first novel Chang and Eng - a runner-up for the Barnes and Noble Discover Award, the Literary Lions Award, a Borders Award winner, and a nominee for the PEN Hemingway award
Hemingway Foundation/PEN Award
The Hemingway Foundation/PEN Award is awarded annually to a novel or book of short stories by an American author who has not previously published a book of fiction. The award is named after Ernest Hemingway and funded by the Ernest Hemingway Foundation, which has been administered by the Hemingway...
, among others — is based on the lives of the famous conjoined twins
Conjoined twins
Conjoined twins are identical twins whose bodies are joined in utero. A rare phenomenon, the occurrence is estimated to range from 1 in 50,000 births to 1 in 100,000 births, with a somewhat higher incidence in Southwest Asia and Africa. Approximately half are stillborn, and a smaller fraction of...
Chang and Eng. Chang and Eng was a Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
Best Book of the Year, a Newsweek
Newsweek
Newsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
Best Book of the Year, among others. The rights to the novel were optioned to Disney, for the director Julie Taymor
Julie Taymor
Julie Taymor is an American director of theater, opera and film. Taymor's work has received many accolades from critics, and she has earned two Tony Awards out of four nominations, the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Costume Design, an Emmy Award and an Academy Award nomination for Original Song...
; the actor Gary Oldman
Gary Oldman
Gary Leonard Oldman is an English actor, voice actor, filmmaker and musician.A member of the 1980s Brit Pack, Oldman came to prominence via starring roles in British films Meantime , Sid and Nancy and Prick Up Your Ears , with his performance in the latter bringing him his first BAFTA Award...
purchased the rights from Disney. Strauss and Oldman are together adapting Chang and Eng for the screen.
Strauss's second book, The Real McCoy (2002), was based on the life of the boxer Charles "Kid McCoy."
Kid McCoy
Charles "Kid" McCoy, who was born Norman Selby was an American world champion boxer.-Overview:Born in Moscow, Rush County, Indiana, McCoy would eventually weigh 160 pounds, stand 5' 11", and go on to a record 81 wins...
"The Real McCoy" was named a New York Times Notable Book," and one of the "25 Best Books of the Year," by the New York Public Library
New York Public Library
The New York Public Library is the largest public library in North America and is one of the United States' most significant research libraries...
.
It was after this novel that Strauss won 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...
in Fiction Writing.
Strauss's third novel, More Than It Hurts You, his first in a contemporary setting, was published by PenguinPutnam in 2008. The book made a number of year-end best-book lists, and was also a national bestseller—reaching as high as #3 on both the Denver Post and Rocky Mountain News
Rocky Mountain News
The Rocky Mountain News was a daily newspaper published in Denver, Colorado, United States from April 23, 1859, until February 27, 2009. It was owned by the E. W. Scripps Company from 1926 until its closing. As of March 2006, the Monday-Friday circulation was 255,427...
lists, and #6 on the New York Post
New York Post
The New York Post is the 13th-oldest newspaper published in the United States and is generally acknowledged as the oldest to have been published continuously as a daily, although – as is the case with most other papers – its publication has been periodically interrupted by labor actions...
list, in July, 2008. Publicity for the book was strong, and Strauss blogged about his extensive book-tour for Newsweek
Newsweek
Newsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
, and was featured on The CBS Late, Late Show with Craig Ferguson
The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson
The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson is a Peabody Award-winning American late-night talk show hosted by Scottish American comedian Craig Ferguson. Ferguson, the third regular host of the Late Late Show franchise, follows Late Show with David Letterman in the CBS late-night lineup...
and Good Morning America.
Good Morning America
Good Morning America is an American morning news and talk show that is broadcast on the ABC television network; it debuted on November 3, 1975. The weekday program airs for two hours; a third hour aired between 2007 and 2008 exclusively on ABC News Now...
He appeared on This American Life
This American Life
This American Life is a weekly hour-long radio program produced by WBEZ and hosted by Ira Glass. It is distributed by Public Radio International on PRI affiliate stations and is also available as a free weekly podcast. Primarily a journalistic non-fiction program, it has also featured essays,...
in a July 2008 episode titled "Life After Death," in which he talks about the effects of a traffic accident during high school, in which a classmate on a bicycle swerved in front of his car, and was killed. Although he could not have avoided the accident, and was not at fault, he still felt guilty, and it affected him for decades
His next book, Half a Life
Half a Life (memoir)
Half a Life is a book by American author Darin Strauss. It received the National Book Critics Circle Award for memoir in 2011.-Summary:Strauss, a novelist, recounts how his life was profoundly altered when a car he was driving struck and killed a fellow high school student.-Plot:Strauss' memoir...
is an essay-length memoir based on his traffic accident; it was published by McSweeney's
McSweeney's
McSweeney's is an American publishing house founded by editor Dave Eggers.Apart from its book list, McSweeney's is responsible for four regular publications: the quarterly literary journal,...
in September, 2010, and was excerpted in GQ magazine, and This American Life
This American Life
This American Life is a weekly hour-long radio program produced by WBEZ and hosted by Ira Glass. It is distributed by Public Radio International on PRI affiliate stations and is also available as a free weekly podcast. Primarily a journalistic non-fiction program, it has also featured essays,...
, and also in The Times of London and The Daily Mail (UK). Half a Life
Half a Life (memoir)
Half a Life is a book by American author Darin Strauss. It received the National Book Critics Circle Award for memoir in 2011.-Summary:Strauss, a novelist, recounts how his life was profoundly altered when a car he was driving struck and killed a fellow high school student.-Plot:Strauss' memoir...
was named an Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
Must Read and a New York Times Editor's Pick—and a Best Book of the Year by NPR
NPR
NPR, formerly National Public Radio, is a privately and publicly funded non-profit membership media organization that serves as a national syndicator to a network of 900 public radio stations in the United States. NPR was created in 1970, following congressional passage of the Public Broadcasting...
, Amazon.com
Amazon.com
Amazon.com, Inc. is a multinational electronic commerce company headquartered in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is the world's largest online retailer. Amazon has separate websites for the following countries: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, and...
, The Plain Dealer, The San Francisco Chronicle, among many others. A critical favorite in the UK, Half a Life was called "a masterpiece" by Robert McCrum
Robert McCrum
Robert McCrum , is an English writer and editor. He served as literary editor of The Observer for more than ten years. In May 2008 he was appointed Associate Editor of the Observer and was succeeded as literary editor by William Skidelsky...
in The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
, "one of the best books I have ever read" by Ali Catterall on The BBC, as well as "precise, elegantly written, fresh, wise, and very sad ... indicative not only of a very talented writer, but of a proper human being” by Nick Hornby
Nick Hornby
Nick Hornby is an English novelist, essayist and screenwriter. He is best known for the novels High Fidelity, About a Boy, and for the football memoir Fever Pitch. His work frequently touches upon music, sport, and the aimless and obsessive natures of his protagonists.-Life and career:Hornby was...
Half a Life
Half a Life (memoir)
Half a Life is a book by American author Darin Strauss. It received the National Book Critics Circle Award for memoir in 2011.-Summary:Strauss, a novelist, recounts how his life was profoundly altered when a car he was driving struck and killed a fellow high school student.-Plot:Strauss' memoir...
won the 2011 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....
(Autobiography).
Critical reception
Strauss has been called "a brave new voice in literature" by The Wall Street JournalThe Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal is an American English-language international daily newspaper. It is published in New York City by Dow Jones & Company, a division of News Corporation, along with the Asian and European editions of the Journal....
, "a hugely talented writer with unlimited potential" by The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
(London), "one of the most sharp and spirited of his generation," by Powells Books, "sublime" and "brilliant" by the Boston Globe, "a magnificent and subtle writer" by Le Monde
Le Monde
Le Monde is a French daily evening newspaper owned by La Vie-Le Monde Group and edited in Paris. It is one of two French newspapers of record, and has generally been well respected since its first edition under founder Hubert Beuve-Méry on 19 December 1944...
, a "master" by the Chicago Tribune
Chicago Tribune
The Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company. Formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" , it remains the most read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region and is...
, a novelist of "humor, humanity, and aching sadness" by The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, "as lyrical as he is daring" by The New Yorker
The New Yorker
The New Yorker is an American magazine of reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons and poetry published by Condé Nast...
, "the most fearless of writers" by Salon.com
Salon.com
Salon.com, part of Salon Media Group , often just called Salon, is an online liberal magazine, with content updated each weekday. Salon was founded by David Talbot and launched on November 20, 1995. It was the internet's first online-only commercial publication. The magazine focuses on U.S...
, a "master of brevity" by The Observer
The Observer
The Observer is a British newspaper, published on Sundays. In the same place on the political spectrum as its daily sister paper The Guardian, which acquired it in 1993, it takes a liberal or social democratic line on most issues. It is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper.-Origins:The first issue,...
(UK), and "one of America's handful of young, great authors" by The Austin Chronicle
Austin Chronicle
The Austin Chronicle is an alternative weekly, tabloid-style newspaper published every Thursday in Austin, Texas, United States. The paper is distributed through free news-stands, often at local eateries or coffee houses frequented by its targeted demographic...
.
Vadim Razov, reviewing for the AV Club, found that the book Half-Life "...stumbles through a series of apololgies.."
Awards and honors
- 2011: National Book Critics Circle AwardNational Book Critics Circle AwardThe 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....
, Winner - 2011: New York UniversityNew York UniversityNew York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
's Alumnae Achievement Award, Winner - 2010: "Editor's Choice," The New York TimesThe New York TimesThe New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
- 2010: "Best Books of the Year," NPRNPRNPR, formerly National Public Radio, is a privately and publicly funded non-profit membership media organization that serves as a national syndicator to a network of 900 public radio stations in the United States. NPR was created in 1970, following congressional passage of the Public Broadcasting...
- 2010: "Best Books of the Year," The Plain Dealer (Cleveland, OhioOhioOhio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
) - 2010: "Best Books of the Year," AmazonAmazon.comAmazon.com, Inc. is a multinational electronic commerce company headquartered in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is the world's largest online retailer. Amazon has separate websites for the following countries: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, and...
- 2010: "Best Books of the Year," San Francisco ChronicleSan Francisco Chroniclethumb|right|upright|The Chronicle Building following the [[1906 San Francisco earthquake|1906 earthquake]] and fireThe San Francisco Chronicle is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California, but distributed throughout Northern and Central California,...
- 2008: "Best Books of the Year," Denver Post
- 2008: "Book of the Summer," GQ Magazine
- 2006: Guggenheim FellowshipGuggenheim FellowshipGuggenheim 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...
, Winner - 2005: "Outstanding Dozen" teaching award, New York UniversityNew York UniversityNew York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
, Winner - 2002: "Times Notable Book," The New York TimesThe New York TimesThe New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
- 2002: "25 Best Books of the Year," New York Public LibraryNew York Public LibraryThe New York Public Library is the largest public library in North America and is one of the United States' most significant research libraries...
- 2000: "10 Best Novels of the Year," NewsweekNewsweekNewsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
- 2000:"Best Books of the Year," Los Angeles TimesLos Angeles TimesThe Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
- 2000: ALAAmerican Library AssociationThe American Library Association is a non-profit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world, with more than 62,000 members....
Alex Award, Winner - 2000: Barnes & NobleBarnes & NobleBarnes & Noble, Inc. is the largest book retailer in the United States, operating mainly through its Barnes & Noble Booksellers chain of bookstores headquartered at 122 Fifth Avenue in the Flatiron District in Manhattan in New York City. Barnes & Noble also operated the chain of small B. Dalton...
Discover Award, Runner-up - 2000: NYPLNew York Public LibraryThe New York Public Library is the largest public library in North America and is one of the United States' most significant research libraries...
Literary Lions Award, Finalist
Books
- Chang and Eng (2000)
- The Real McCoy (2002)
- More Than It Hurts You (2008)
- Half a LifeHalf a Life (memoir)Half a Life is a book by American author Darin Strauss. It received the National Book Critics Circle Award for memoir in 2011.-Summary:Strauss, a novelist, recounts how his life was profoundly altered when a car he was driving struck and killed a fellow high school student.-Plot:Strauss' memoir...
(2010)
Selected Anthologies
- Lit Riffs (2004)
- The Dictionary of Failed Relationships (2004)
- Coaches (2005)
- A People's Fictional History of the United States (2006)
- An Encyclopedia of Exes (2004)
- Bloodshot: An Insomnia Anthology (2007)
- Brooklyn Was Mine (2008)
- Brothers (2009)
- The Book of Dads (2009)
- Top of The Order: Best-selling writers on Baseball (2010)
Other
- Mr. Beluncle, by V. S. PritchettV. S. PritchettSir Victor Sawdon Pritchett CH CBE , was a British writer and critic. He was particularly known for his short stories, collected in a number of volumes...
; Strauss wrote the new introduction (2005) - Long Island Shaolin, one of the first Kindle Singles -- short works published by Amazon; other Kindle Single debut authors include Jodi PicoultJodi PicoultJodi Lynn Picoult is an American author. She was awarded the New England Bookseller Award for fiction in 2003. Picoult currently has some 14 million copies of her books in print worldwide.-Early life and education:...
and Rich Cohen
See also
- Darin Strauss on CBS Late, Late Show
- Extended interview (plus video) with Newsweek
- Darin Strauss and Jonathan Coulton perform
- Video tour of Darin Strauss's Bookshelves
- http://video.nytimes.com/video/2010/09/10/multimedia/1248068999965/an-interview-with-darin-strauss.htmlTimesTalks video with New York Times' Book Review editor Sam TanenhausSam TanenhausSam Tanenhaus is an American historian, biographer, and journalist.-Biography:Tanenhaus received his B.A. in English from Grinnell College in 1977 and a M.A. in English Literature from Yale University in 1978. He is currently the editor of The New York Times Book Review and Week in Review...
]