Susan Choi
Encyclopedia
Susan Choi is an American novelist. Choi was born in South Bend, Indiana
to a Korean father and the American daughter of Russian
Jewish immigrants. When she was nine years old, her parents divorced. She and her mother moved to Houston, Texas
. Choi earned a B.A. in Literature from Yale University
(1990) and an M.F.A. from Cornell University
.
After receiving her graduate degree, she worked for The New Yorker
as a fact checker.
Choi won the Asian American Literary Award for Fiction and was a finalist of the Discover Great New Writers Award at Barnes & Noble
for her first novel, The Foreign Student. In 2010, she won the PEN
/W.G. Sebald Award.
With David Remnick
, she edited an anthology of short fiction entitled Wonderful Town: New York Stories from The New Yorker. Choi's second novel, American Woman, was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize
. Her newest novel is A Person of Interest, which was a finalist for the PEN/Faulkner Award in 2009.
Choi lives in Brooklyn
, New York City
with her husband Pete Wells, the editor of the dining section of The New York Times, and their two sons, Dexter and Elliot.
South Bend, Indiana
The city of South Bend is the county seat of St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States, on the St. Joseph River near its southernmost bend, from which it derives its name. As of the 2010 Census, the city had a total of 101,168 residents; its Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 316,663...
to a Korean father and the American daughter of Russian
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
Jewish immigrants. When she was nine years old, her parents divorced. She and her mother moved to Houston, Texas
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
. Choi earned a B.A. in Literature from Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
(1990) and an M.F.A. from Cornell University
Cornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
.
After receiving her graduate degree, she worked for 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...
as a fact checker.
Choi won the Asian American Literary Award for Fiction and was a finalist of the Discover Great New Writers Award at Barnes & Noble
Barnes & Noble
Barnes & 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...
for her first novel, The Foreign Student. In 2010, she won the PEN
International PEN
PEN International , the worldwide association of writers, was founded in London in 1921 to promote friendship and intellectual co-operation among writers everywhere....
/W.G. Sebald Award.
With David Remnick
David Remnick
David Remnick is an American journalist, writer, and magazine editor. He won a Pulitzer Prize in 1994 for his book Lenin's Tomb: The Last Days of the Soviet Empire. Remnick has been editor of The New Yorker magazine since 1998. He was named "Editor of the Year" by Advertising Age in 2000...
, she edited an anthology of short fiction entitled Wonderful Town: New York Stories from The New Yorker. Choi's second novel, American Woman, was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize
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...
. Her newest novel is A Person of Interest, which was a finalist for the PEN/Faulkner Award in 2009.
Choi lives in Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
, New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
with her husband Pete Wells, the editor of the dining section of The New York Times, and their two sons, Dexter and Elliot.
Awards and grants
- Asian American Literary Award for Fiction for The Foreign Student
- Steven Turner Award for The Foreign Student
- Barnes & Noble Discover Award finalist for The Foreign Student
- National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship recipient (2001)
- Pulitzer Prize finalist 2004 for American Woman
- New York Public Library Young Lions Award finalist 2004 for American Woman
- Guggenheim Fellow (2004).
- W. G. Sebald Award for a Fiction Writer in Mid-Career
Books
- The Foreign Student (1998), ISBN 0-06-019149-X
- Wonderful Town: New York Stories from The New Yorker (2000), ISBN 0-375-50356-0 (ed. with David Remnick)
- American Woman (2003), ISBN 0-06-054221-7
- A Person of InterestA Person of Interest (novel)A Person of Interest is a 2008 novel written by the American writer Susan Choi . The novel takes its title from the law enforcement term "person of interest", and draws inspiration from the activities of Theodore Kaczynski....
(2008), ISBN 978-0-670-01846-8