Ethan Canin
Encyclopedia
Ethan Andrew Canin is an American
author, educator, and physician
. He is a member of the faculty of the Iowa Writers' Workshop
at the University of Iowa
.
Canin was born in Ann Arbor, Michigan
while his parents were vacationing from Iowa City, where his father taught violin at the University of Iowa
. He and his family moved around the midwestern and northeastern United States, and eventually settled in San Francisco, California
where he attended Town School and later graduated from San Francisco University High School
. He attended Stanford University
and earned an undergraduate degree
in English. Returning to the University of Iowa, Canin entered the Iowa Writers' Workshop
, receiving an MFA in 1984 and went on to attend Harvard Medical School
where he earned an M.D.
in 1991.
Beginning his medical practice with a residency at the University of California San Francisco, he pursued both medicine and writing for several years, leaving medicine in 1998 to join the faculty of the Iowa Writers' Workshop
, where he still teaches. He is a co-founder of the San Francisco Writers' Grotto.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
author, educator, and physician
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
. He is a member of the faculty of the Iowa Writers' Workshop
Iowa Writers' Workshop
The Program in Creative Writing, more commonly known as the Iowa Writers' Workshop, at the University of Iowa in Iowa City, Iowa, is a highly regarded graduate-level creative writing program in the United States...
at the University of Iowa
University of Iowa
The University of Iowa is a public state-supported research university located in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. It is the oldest public university in the state. The university is organized into eleven colleges granting undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees...
.
Canin was born in Ann Arbor, Michigan
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Ann Arbor is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Washtenaw County. The 2010 census places the population at 113,934, making it the sixth largest city in Michigan. The Ann Arbor Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 344,791 as of 2010...
while his parents were vacationing from Iowa City, where his father taught violin at the University of Iowa
University of Iowa
The University of Iowa is a public state-supported research university located in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. It is the oldest public university in the state. The university is organized into eleven colleges granting undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees...
. He and his family moved around the midwestern and northeastern United States, and eventually settled in San Francisco, California
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
where he attended Town School and later graduated from San Francisco University High School
San Francisco University High School
San Francisco University High School is an academically focused, college preparatory, private high school located in the Pacific Heights neighborhood of San Francisco, California...
. He attended Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
and earned an undergraduate degree
Undergraduate degree
An undergraduate degree is a colloquial term for an academic degree taken by a person who has completed undergraduate courses. It is usually offered at an institution of higher education, such as a university...
in English. Returning to the University of Iowa, Canin entered the Iowa Writers' Workshop
Iowa Writers' Workshop
The Program in Creative Writing, more commonly known as the Iowa Writers' Workshop, at the University of Iowa in Iowa City, Iowa, is a highly regarded graduate-level creative writing program in the United States...
, receiving an MFA in 1984 and went on to attend Harvard Medical School
Harvard Medical School
Harvard Medical School is the graduate medical school of Harvard University. It is located in the Longwood Medical Area of the Mission Hill neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts....
where he earned an M.D.
Doctor of Medicine
Doctor of Medicine is a doctoral degree for physicians. The degree is granted by medical schools...
in 1991.
Beginning his medical practice with a residency at the University of California San Francisco, he pursued both medicine and writing for several years, leaving medicine in 1998 to join the faculty of the Iowa Writers' Workshop
Iowa Writers' Workshop
The Program in Creative Writing, more commonly known as the Iowa Writers' Workshop, at the University of Iowa in Iowa City, Iowa, is a highly regarded graduate-level creative writing program in the United States...
, where he still teaches. He is a co-founder of the San Francisco Writers' Grotto.
Awards
- 2010 Guggenheim Fellowship
- The California Book Award/Gold Medal in Literature (1994)
- National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship (1987 & 1996)
- The Lyndhurst Prize (1994–1996)
- Henfield/Transatlantic Review Prize (1987)
- The Houghton Mifflin Literary Fellowship (1986)
Novels
- Blue River October 1992, Time Warner International, ISBN 9780446394475
- For Kings and Planets 1999, Saint Martin's press Inc., ISBN 9780312241254
- Carry Me Across the WaterCarry Me Across the WaterCarry Me Across the Water is a novel by the American writer Ethan Canin.It is an elegiac novel that tells the story of August Kleinman, a 78-year-old former Pittsburgh brewery owner who remembers episodes from his life—from his escape from Nazi Germany to his life of poverty in New York to...
(2001) September 2002, Bloomsbury Publishing PLC., ISBN 9780747557906 - America America June 2009, Bloomsbury Publishing PLC., ISBN 9780747598725
Filmography
- Blue River (1995)
- Emperor of the Air (1996)
- The Emperor's ClubThe Emperor's ClubThe Emperor's Club is a 2002 drama film that tells the story of a prep school teacher and his students. Based on Ethan Canin's short story "The Palace Thief," the film is directed by Michael Hoffman and stars Kevin Kline. The film is set at a fictional boys' prep school, St. Benedict's Academy,...
(2002) - Beautiful Ohio (2006)
- The Year of Getting to Know Us (2008)