Richard Burgin (writer)
Encyclopedia
For the Polish-American violinist,(1892–1981), see Richard Burgin
Richard Burgin is an American fiction writer, editor, composer, critic, and academic. He has published fourteen books, with one more forthcoming, and since 1996 has been professor of Communication and English at St. Louis University. He is also the founder and editor of the internationally distributed award-winning literary magazine Boulevard
, now in its 26th year of continuous publication.
and received a B.A.
from Brandeis University
. His first published book was a collection of interviews he conducted with the Latin American writer, Jorge Luis Borges
, while Burgin was still an undergraduate. Conversations with Jorge Luis Borges (Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1969) was the first book-length series of interviews with Borges in English and has been translated and published in eight foreign language editions. Burgin later received a Master's with highest honors from Columbia University
.
In 1975 he was one of the founding editors of the New Boston Review, now Boston Review
magazine. In 1985 he published Conversations with Isaac Bashevis Singer
, a major part of which appeared as a two-part cover story in the New York Times Magazine, and which today has been translated into six foreign language editions.
His stories have received numerous prizes and awards, including five Pushcart Prize
s. Among his fourteen published books, The Identity Club: New and Selected Stories and Songs (Ontario Review Press, 2005) was listed by Times Literary Supplement as one of the best books of 2006. The Huffington Post
recently named it one of the 40 best books of fiction in the last decade. The title story of The Identity Club was reprinted in Best American Mystery Stories 2005 and The Ecco Anthology of Contemporary American Short Fiction (Harper Perennial, 2008) edited by Joyce Carol Oates. In an interview published in the literary journal Pleiades
, Burgin said, “My goal is and always has been to depict people as honestly as I know them, which means writing about their mistakes as well as their victories, their fear as well as their courage (the two are always mixed), their cruelty or selfishness as well as their kindness.” In another interview, with The Philadelphia Inquirer, he said, "One of the things I try to achieve in some of my short stories is a kind of novelistic density or weight. My stories tend to have a number of characters, a period of time going by, and character and thematic development."
As a critic, Burgin has published numerous essays and reviews in (among many others) The New York Times Book Review, The Washington Post
, Chicago Tribune
, Partisan Review
, Chicago Review
, and The Boston Globe
, where he was a columnist for both the paper and The Globe Magazine.
Texas Review Press recently published Burgin’s novel Rivers Last Longer in November 2010. The anthology L'Ecume des Flammes, a Richard Burgin Reader, was published in February 2011 (in French) by 13e Note Editions.
Burgin founded the literary journal Boulevard in 1985 and currently serves as editor. In an interview for the book Creating Fiction: A Writer's Companion (Harcourt Brace, 1995) Burgin said, "At Boulevard we're open to different styles of writing. We try to be eclectic in the best sense of the word and to be mindful of Nabokov's dictum, "there's only one school, the school of talent"." In addition to Boulevard and Boston Review, Burgin was the founding editor of the New York Arts Journal. He has previously taught at Tufts University
, Drexel University
and the University of California at Santa Barbara.
Burgin has also composed six CDs, one of which was co-produced with Gloria Vanderbilt.
Richard Burgin
For the American writer, see Richard Burgin Richard Burgin was a Polish-American violinist, best known as associate conductor and the concertmaster of the Boston Symphony Orchestra .-Early life:...
Richard Burgin is an American fiction writer, editor, composer, critic, and academic. He has published fourteen books, with one more forthcoming, and since 1996 has been professor of Communication and English at St. Louis University. He is also the founder and editor of the internationally distributed award-winning literary magazine Boulevard
Boulevard (magazine)
Boulevard magazine, published by St. Louis University, is an American literary magazine that publishes award-winning prose and poetry. Boulevard has been called "one of the half-dozen best literary journals" by Poet Laureate Daniel Hoffman in The Philadelphia Inquirer.- Overview :Richard Burgin...
, now in its 26th year of continuous publication.
Career
Richard Burgin grew up in Brookline, MassachusettsBrookline, Massachusetts
Brookline is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States, which borders on the cities of Boston and Newton. As of the 2010 census, the population of the town was 58,732.-Etymology:...
and received a B.A.
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
from Brandeis University
Brandeis University
Brandeis University is an American private research university with a liberal arts focus. It is located in the southwestern corner of Waltham, Massachusetts, nine miles west of Boston. The University has an enrollment of approximately 3,200 undergraduate and 2,100 graduate students. In 2011, it...
. His first published book was a collection of interviews he conducted with the Latin American writer, Jorge Luis Borges
Jorge Luis Borges
Jorge Francisco Isidoro Luis Borges Acevedo , known as Jorge Luis Borges , was an Argentine writer, essayist, poet and translator born in Buenos Aires. In 1914 his family moved to Switzerland where he attended school, receiving his baccalauréat from the Collège de Genève in 1918. The family...
, while Burgin was still an undergraduate. Conversations with Jorge Luis Borges (Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1969) was the first book-length series of interviews with Borges in English and has been translated and published in eight foreign language editions. Burgin later received a Master's with highest honors from Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
.
In 1975 he was one of the founding editors of the New Boston Review, now Boston Review
Boston Review
Boston Review is a bimonthly American political and literary magazine. The magazine covers, specifically, political debates, literature, and poetry...
magazine. In 1985 he published Conversations with Isaac Bashevis Singer
Isaac Bashevis Singer
Isaac Bashevis Singer – July 24, 1991) was a Polish Jewish American author noted for his short stories. He was one of the leading figures in the Yiddish literary movement, and received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1978...
, a major part of which appeared as a two-part cover story in the New York Times Magazine, and which today has been translated into six foreign language editions.
His stories have received numerous prizes and awards, including five Pushcart Prize
Pushcart Prize
The Pushcart Prize is an American literary prize by Pushcart Press that honors the best "poetry, short fiction, essays or literary whatnot" published in the small presses over the previous year. Magazine and small book press editors are invited to nominate up to 6 works they have featured....
s. Among his fourteen published books, The Identity Club: New and Selected Stories and Songs (Ontario Review Press, 2005) was listed by Times Literary Supplement as one of the best books of 2006. The Huffington Post
The Huffington Post
The Huffington Post is an American news website and content-aggregating blog founded by Arianna Huffington, Kenneth Lerer, and Jonah Peretti, featuring liberal minded columnists and various news sources. The site offers coverage of politics, theology, media, business, entertainment, living, style,...
recently named it one of the 40 best books of fiction in the last decade. The title story of The Identity Club was reprinted in Best American Mystery Stories 2005 and The Ecco Anthology of Contemporary American Short Fiction (Harper Perennial, 2008) edited by Joyce Carol Oates. In an interview published in the literary journal Pleiades
Pleiades (magazine)
Pleiades: A Journal of New Writing is a literary semiannual, non-profit publisher of contemporary American poetry, fiction, essays, and extensive reviews of recent small/university press titles. First published in . The journal is published by the University of Central Missouri's English and...
, Burgin said, “My goal is and always has been to depict people as honestly as I know them, which means writing about their mistakes as well as their victories, their fear as well as their courage (the two are always mixed), their cruelty or selfishness as well as their kindness.” In another interview, with The Philadelphia Inquirer, he said, "One of the things I try to achieve in some of my short stories is a kind of novelistic density or weight. My stories tend to have a number of characters, a period of time going by, and character and thematic development."
As a critic, Burgin has published numerous essays and reviews in (among many others) The New York Times Book Review, The Washington Post
The Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
, 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...
, Partisan Review
Partisan Review
Partisan Review was an American political and literary quarterly published from 1934 to 2003, though it suspended publication between October 1936 and December 1937.-Overview:...
, Chicago Review
Chicago Review
The Chicago Review is a literary magazine published four times per year in the Humanities Division at the University of Chicago. It was founded in 1946. Three stories published in the Chicago Review have won the O. Henry Prize...
, and The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe is an American daily newspaper based in Boston, Massachusetts. The Boston Globe has been owned by The New York Times Company since 1993...
, where he was a columnist for both the paper and The Globe Magazine.
Texas Review Press recently published Burgin’s novel Rivers Last Longer in November 2010. The anthology L'Ecume des Flammes, a Richard Burgin Reader, was published in February 2011 (in French) by 13e Note Editions.
Burgin founded the literary journal Boulevard in 1985 and currently serves as editor. In an interview for the book Creating Fiction: A Writer's Companion (Harcourt Brace, 1995) Burgin said, "At Boulevard we're open to different styles of writing. We try to be eclectic in the best sense of the word and to be mindful of Nabokov's dictum, "there's only one school, the school of talent"." In addition to Boulevard and Boston Review, Burgin was the founding editor of the New York Arts Journal. He has previously taught at 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...
, Drexel University
Drexel University
Drexel University is a private research university with the main campus located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. It was founded in 1891 by Anthony J. Drexel, a noted financier and philanthropist. Drexel offers 70 full-time undergraduate programs and accelerated degrees...
and the University of California at Santa Barbara.
Burgin has also composed six CDs, one of which was co-produced with Gloria Vanderbilt.
Short Story Collections
- Shadow Traffic: Stories (2011)
- The Conference on Beautiful Moments (2007)
- The Identity Club: New and Selected Stories and Songs (2006)
- The Spirit Returns (2001)
- Fear of Blue Skies (l998)
- Private Fame (1991)
- Man Without Memory (1989)
Interviews
- Jorge Luis Borges: Conversations (Editor) (1998)
- Conversations with Isaac Bashevis Singer (1985)
- Conversations with Jorge Luis Borges (1969)
Collaborations
- Stories and Dream Boxes with art by Gloria Vanderbilt (2002)
- The Man With Missing Parts, a novella with J. M. Alonso (1973)
Prizes
- 1982 Pushcart PrizePushcart PrizeThe Pushcart Prize is an American literary prize by Pushcart Press that honors the best "poetry, short fiction, essays or literary whatnot" published in the small presses over the previous year. Magazine and small book press editors are invited to nominate up to 6 works they have featured....
- 1986 Pushcart PrizePushcart PrizeThe Pushcart Prize is an American literary prize by Pushcart Press that honors the best "poetry, short fiction, essays or literary whatnot" published in the small presses over the previous year. Magazine and small book press editors are invited to nominate up to 6 works they have featured....
- 1998 Pushcart PrizePushcart PrizeThe Pushcart Prize is an American literary prize by Pushcart Press that honors the best "poetry, short fiction, essays or literary whatnot" published in the small presses over the previous year. Magazine and small book press editors are invited to nominate up to 6 works they have featured....
- 2002 Pushcart PrizePushcart PrizeThe Pushcart Prize is an American literary prize by Pushcart Press that honors the best "poetry, short fiction, essays or literary whatnot" published in the small presses over the previous year. Magazine and small book press editors are invited to nominate up to 6 works they have featured....
- 2007 Pushcart PrizePushcart PrizeThe Pushcart Prize is an American literary prize by Pushcart Press that honors the best "poetry, short fiction, essays or literary whatnot" published in the small presses over the previous year. Magazine and small book press editors are invited to nominate up to 6 works they have featured....
- The Best of American Mystery Stories 2005
Periodicals
- founding editor of Boston ReviewBoston ReviewBoston Review is a bimonthly American political and literary magazine. The magazine covers, specifically, political debates, literature, and poetry...
, 1975 - founder of New York Arts Journal, 1975–1982
- founder and editor of BoulevardBoulevard (magazine)Boulevard magazine, published by St. Louis University, is an American literary magazine that publishes award-winning prose and poetry. Boulevard has been called "one of the half-dozen best literary journals" by Poet Laureate Daniel Hoffman in The Philadelphia Inquirer.- Overview :Richard Burgin...
, 1985-