Tama Janowitz
Encyclopedia
Tama Janowitz is an American
novel
ist and a short story writer. The 2005 September/October issue of Pages
magazine listed her as one of the four "brat pack"
authors, along with Bret Easton Ellis
, Mark Lindquist
and Jay McInerney
.
father, Julian Janowitz, and literature professor mother, Phyllis Janowitz, divorced when she was ten. She grew up with her mother in Massachusetts
.
She graduated from Barnard College
with a B.A. in 1977, and from Hollins College with a M.A. in 1979.
She studied at the Columbia University School of the Arts
and started writing about life in New York City
, where she had settled down.
She socialized with Andy Warhol
and became well-known in New York's literary and social circles.
Her 1986
collection of short stories
, Slaves of New York brought her wider fame. Slaves of New York
was adapted into a 1989
film directed by James Ivory
and starring Bernadette Peters
. Janowitz wrote the screenplay and also appeared, playing Peters' friend.
Janowitz has published seven novels, one collection of stories and one work of non-fiction.
She lives in Brooklyn
with her husband, Tim Hunt, and their daughter.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
ist and a short story writer. The 2005 September/October issue of Pages
Pages
Pages is a word processor and page layout application developed by Apple. It is part of the iWork productivity suite and runs on the Mac OS X & iOS operating systems. The first version of Pages was announced on January 11, 2005, and was released one month later. The most recent Macintosh version,...
magazine listed her as one of the four "brat pack"
Brat Pack (literary)
The expression "literary Brat Pack" refers to the three young, East-coast American authors, Bret Easton Ellis, Tama Janowitz and Jay McInerney, who emerged in USA in the 1980s...
authors, along with Bret Easton Ellis
Bret Easton Ellis
Bret Easton Ellis is an American novelist and short story writer. His works have been translated into 27 different languages. He was regarded as one of the so-called literary Brat Pack, which also included Tama Janowitz and Jay McInerney...
, Mark Lindquist
Mark Lindquist
Mark Lindquist is an American novelist and lawyer.- Books background :His books are known for mixing literature with pop culture. His first two novels, Sad Movies and Carnival Desires, were insider depictions of Los Angeles and the movie business, while his third novel, Never Mind Nirvana, did the...
and Jay McInerney
Jay McInerney
John Barrett McInerney Jr. is an American writer. His novels include Bright Lights, Big City; Ransom; Story of My Life; Brightness Falls; and The Last of the Savages...
.
Life
Her parents, a psychiatristPsychiatrist
A psychiatrist is a physician who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders. All psychiatrists are trained in diagnostic evaluation and in psychotherapy...
father, Julian Janowitz, and literature professor mother, Phyllis Janowitz, divorced when she was ten. She grew up with her mother in Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
.
She graduated from Barnard College
Barnard College
Barnard College is a private women's liberal arts college and a member of the Seven Sisters. Founded in 1889, Barnard has been affiliated with Columbia University since 1900. The campus stretches along Broadway between 116th and 120th Streets in the Morningside Heights neighborhood in the borough...
with a B.A. in 1977, and from Hollins College with a M.A. in 1979.
She studied at the Columbia University School of the Arts
Columbia University School of the Arts
The Columbia University School of the Arts , also known simply as the School of the Arts or as SoA, is the division of the university that offers Master of Fine Arts degrees in Film, Visual Arts, Theatre Arts, and Writing, as well as a Master of Arts degree in Film Studies...
and started writing about life in 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...
, where she had settled down.
She socialized with Andy Warhol
Andy Warhol
Andrew Warhola , known as Andy Warhol, was an American painter, printmaker, and filmmaker who was a leading figure in the visual art movement known as pop art...
and became well-known in New York's literary and social circles.
Her 1986
1986 in literature
The year 1986 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*Michael Grade. Controller of BBC One, axes plans to televise Ian Curteis's The Falklands Play.-New books:*Kingsley Amis - The Old Devils...
collection of short stories
Short story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
, Slaves of New York brought her wider fame. Slaves of New York
Slaves of New York
Slaves of New York is a 1989 comedy-drama Merchant Ivory Productions film. It was directed byJames Ivory, produced by Ismail Merchant, and starred Bernadette Peters, Adam Coleman Howard, Chris Sarandon, Mary Beth Hurt, Mercedes Ruehl, Madeleine Potter, and Steve Buscemi.Based on the stories Slaves...
was adapted into a 1989
1989 in film
-Events:* Batman is released on June 23, and goes on to gross over $410 million worldwide.* Actress Kim Basinger and her brother Mick purchase Braselton, Georgia, for $20 million...
film directed by James Ivory
James Ivory (director)
James Francis Ivory is an American film director, best known for the results of his long collaboration with Merchant Ivory Productions, which included both Indian-born film producer Ismail Merchant, and screenwriter Ruth Prawer Jhabvala...
and starring Bernadette Peters
Bernadette Peters
Bernadette Peters is an American actress, singer and children's book author from Ozone Park, Queens, New York. Over the course of a career that has spanned five decades, she has starred in musical theatre, films and television, as well as performing in solo concerts and recordings...
. Janowitz wrote the screenplay and also appeared, playing Peters' friend.
Janowitz has published seven novels, one collection of stories and one work of non-fiction.
She 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...
with her husband, Tim Hunt, and their daughter.
Awards
- 1975 Bread Loaf Writers fellowship
- 1976; 1977 Janoway Fiction prize
- 1982 National Endowment award
Fiction
- American Dad, Crown, 1981, ISBN 9780517565735; Picador, 1988, ISBN 9780330302678
- Slaves of New York Crown Publishers, 19861986 in literatureThe year 1986 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*Michael Grade. Controller of BBC One, axes plans to televise Ian Curteis's The Falklands Play.-New books:*Kingsley Amis - The Old Devils...
, ISBN 9780517561072 - A Cannibal in Manhattan Washington Square Press, July 1988, ISBN 9780671665982
- The Male Cross-Dresser Support Group, Crown Publishers, 1992, ISBN 9780517586983; Simon and Schuster, 1994, ISBN 9780671871505
- By the Shores of Gitchee GumeeBy the Shores of Gitchee GumeeBy the Shores of Gitchee Gumee is a satirical novel by Tama Janowitz about the Slivenowiczes, a trailer park trash family who are forced to leave their home in a polluted swamp area in upstate New York By the Shores of Gitchee Gumee (1996) is a satirical novel by Tama Janowitz about the...
Crown Publishers, 1996, ISBN 9780517702987 - A Certain Age Doubleday, 1999; Anchor Books, 2000, ISBN 9780385496117
- Hear that?, Illustrator Tracy Dockray, SeaStar Books, 2001, ISBN 9781587170744
- Peyton Amberg, Bloomsbury, 2003, ISBN 9780747561385; Macmillan, 2004, ISBN 9780312318451
- They Is Us, The Friday Project Limited, 2008, ISBN 9781906321123
Nonfiction
- Area Code 212, Bloomsbury, 2002, ISBN 9780747558286; Macmillan, 2005, ISBN 9780312320638
External links
- "My Lunch with Tama", Random House Bold Type, 08 1999, Laura L. Buchwald
- "She'll Take Manhattan", New York Magazine, July 14, 1986
- Audio Interview with Tama Janowitz