Meg Wolitzer
Encyclopedia
Meg Wolitzer is an American
writer
, born on Long Island
, New York
. She is the daughter of novelist Hilma Wolitzer
.
She studied creative writing at Smith College
and graduated from Brown University
in 1981. She wrote her first novel, Sleepwalking, a story of three college girls obsessed with poetry and death, while still an undergradate; it was published in 1982. Her following books include Hidden Pictures (1986), This Is Your Life (1988), Friends for Life (1994), Surrender, Dorothy (1998), The Wife (2003), The Position (2005), The Ten-Year Nap (2008), and The Uncoupling (2011). Her short story "Tea at the House" was featured in 1998's Best American Short Stories
collection.
She has taught creative writing at the University of Iowa's
Writers' Workshop and Skidmore College
and has written several Hollywood screenplays, most of which are unproduced. Two films have been based on her work; This Is My Life
, scripted and directed by Nora Ephron
, and the 2006 TV movie Surrender, Dorothy, starring Diane Keaton
and directed by Charles McDougall
.
The Uncoupling was the subject of the first coast-to-coast virtual book club discussion, via Skype
.
She lives in New York
with her husband Richard Panek, also a writer, and two sons.
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....
, born on Long Island
Long 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...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. She is the daughter of novelist Hilma Wolitzer
Hilma Wolitzer
Hilma Wolitzer is an American novelist whose novels include Ending, In the Flesh, The Doctor's Daughter and Hearts. Her daughter, Meg Wolitzer, is also a writer.-External links:*http://freshfiction.com/author.php?id=11679...
.
She studied creative writing at Smith College
Smith College
Smith College is a private, independent women's liberal arts college located in Northampton, Massachusetts. It is the largest member of the Seven Sisters...
and graduated from Brown University
Brown University
Brown University is a private, Ivy League university located in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1764 prior to American independence from the British Empire as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations early in the reign of King George III ,...
in 1981. She wrote her first novel, Sleepwalking, a story of three college girls obsessed with poetry and death, while still an undergradate; it was published in 1982. Her following books include Hidden Pictures (1986), This Is Your Life (1988), Friends for Life (1994), Surrender, Dorothy (1998), The Wife (2003), The Position (2005), The Ten-Year Nap (2008), and The Uncoupling (2011). Her short story "Tea at the House" was featured in 1998's Best American Short Stories
Best American Short Stories
The Best American Short Stories yearly anthology is a part of The Best American Series published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Since 1915, the BASS anthology has striven to contain the best short stories by some of the best-known writers in contemporary American literature.-Edward O'Brien:The...
collection.
She has taught creative writing at the University of Iowa's
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...
Writers' Workshop and Skidmore College
Skidmore College
Skidmore College is a private, independent, liberal arts college with an enrollment of approximately 2,500 students. The college is located in the town of Saratoga Springs, New York State....
and has written several Hollywood screenplays, most of which are unproduced. Two films have been based on her work; This Is My Life
This is My Life (film)
This Is My Life is a 1992 film that marked the directorial debut of screenwriter Nora Ephron. The screenplay, written by Ephron and her sister, Delia Ephron, is based on the book, This Is Your Life, by Meg Wolitzer. The film tells the story of Dottie Ingels , who works at a cosmetics counter but...
, scripted and directed by Nora Ephron
Nora Ephron
Nora Ephron is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, novelist, playwright, journalist, author, and blogger.She is best known for her romantic comedies and is a triple nominee for the Academy Award for Writing Original Screenplay; for Silkwood, When Harry Met Sally... and Sleepless in...
, and the 2006 TV movie Surrender, Dorothy, starring Diane Keaton
Diane Keaton
Diane Keaton is an American film actress, director, producer, and screenwriter. Keaton began her career on stage, and made her screen debut in 1970...
and directed by Charles McDougall
Charles McDougall
Charles McDougall is a British Emmy Award and BAFTA-winning director.-Biography:McDougall has directed for popular television series which include the pilot episode of ABC's Desperate Housewives . McDougall has also directed episodes of Queer as Folk on Channel 4 and Sex and the City on HBO...
.
The Uncoupling was the subject of the first coast-to-coast virtual book club discussion, via Skype
Skype
Skype is a software application that allows users to make voice and video calls and chat over the Internet. Calls to other users within the Skype service are free, while calls to both traditional landline telephones and mobile phones can be made for a fee using a debit-based user account system...
.
She lives in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
with her husband Richard Panek, also a writer, and two sons.
Reviews
- "Here are three words that land with a thunk: gender, writing and identity. Yet in The Wife, Meg Wolitzer has fashioned a light-stepping, streamlined novel from just these dolorous, bitter-sounding themes. Maybe that's because she's set them all smoldering: rage might be the signature emotion of the powerless, but in Wolitzer's hands, rage is also very funny."
- "Meg Wolitzer, the bestselling author of the The Ten-Year Nap..."
- "At this point in her career, Meg Wolitzer deserves to be a household name. Every few years she turns out a sparkling novel that manages to bring the shine back to big, tarnished issues of gender politics, such as women's pull between work and family, or the role of sexuality in family dynamics."