Benjamin Moser

Benjamin Moser (born September 14, 1976) is an American writer and translator. He received the Pulitzer Prize for his biography of Susan Sontag, titled '' Sontag: Her Life and Work''.

Biography

Born in Houston, Moser attended St. John's School and graduated from Brown University with a degree in history. He came to Brown with the intention of studying Chinese, but soon switched to Portuguese, a choice that would have great influence on his subsequent work. He earned his M.A. and Ph.D. from Utrecht University. He is the brother of author and progressive political activist Laura Moser.

Career and work

''Why This World: A Biography of Clarice Lispector''

Moser’s first book, '' Why This World'', was published in 2009, and was widely recognized as introducing the Brazilian writer, up until that point largely unknown in the United States, to an international public.

"Despite a cult following of artists and scholars, Lispector has yet to gain her rightful place in the literary canon," wrote Fernanda Eberstadt in ''The New York Times Book Review''. "Benjamin Moser’s lively, ardent and intellectually rigorous biography promises to redress this wrong ... His energetically researched, finely argued biography will surely win Lispector the English-language readership she deserves."

Reviews of the book, which was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle award, were overwhelmingly positive. “This is rich biographical material that gets only richer as Mr. Moser, a translator and a book critic for ''Harper’s Magazine'', begins to unpeel the layers of her complicated life. Why This World sucks you … into its subject’s strange vortex. … oseris a lucid and very learned tour guide, and his book is a fascinating and welcome introduction to a writer whose best work should be better known in this country,” wrote Dwight Garner in ''The New York Times''.

In ''The New York Review of Books'', Lorrie Moore wrote that the book was “impressively researched ... Well-written and remarkable ... He discusses her work in great detail, book after book, with sympathy and insight, and admirably eschews jargon ... Moser is impressive ... in his interest and take on Brazilian politics. Providing authoritative historical backdrop is his forte.”

The book was translated in many countries and was a bestseller in Brazil.

''Autoimperialismo''

In 2016, Moser published a book of essays in Portuguese called Autoimperialismo: três ensaios sobre o Brasil (Autoimperialism: Three Essays on Brazil). The book was dedicated to Ocupe Estelita. Ocupe Estelita was an attempt to reclaim Brazilian urban spaces from the corporations that were changing the historic city of Recife, seen as attempts to privatize public space for the benefit of the wealthy. Proceeds from the book were dedicated to the movement. In his book, Moser described the constant violence of Brazilians upon other Brazilians as a form of “autoimperialism.” He described the rhetoric around the construction of the capital of Brasília, the statuary in São Paulo that honors the bandeirantes, and the history of building in Rio de Janeiro that aimed to create a city unconnected to its own past through modern architecture. The book was noted for its harsh criticism of Oscar Niemeyer.

The book received positive reviews and was a bestseller in Brazil.

''Sontag: Her Life and Work''

In 2013, he was named the authorized biographer of the American writer Susan Sontag. In 2019, he published '' Sontag: Her Life and Work'', which won the Pulitzer Prize for Biography in 2020. The citation called it "An authoritatively constructed work told with pathos and grace, that captures the writer’s genius and humanity alongside her addictions, sexual ambiguities and volatile enthusiasms.

The book received critical attention from a number of outlets.

In ''Artforum'', Terry Castle wrote: “Benjamin Moser’s Sontag . . . succeeds as it does—magnificently, humanely—by displaying the same intellectual purchase, curiosity, and moral capaciousness to which his subject laid so inspiring and noble a claim over a lifetime. ... Moser’s biography is a stunningly generous gift—to readers, obviously, but also to his subject. He is patient with her, truthful yet tender, recognizing both what was thrilling and what was cursed about her.”

In the ''Times Literary Supplement'', Elaine Showalter wrote: “Engrossing . . . ontagwas avid, ardent, driven, generous, narcissistic, Olympian, obtuse, maddening, sometimes loveable but not very likeable. Moser has had the confidence and erudition to bring all these contradictory aspects together in a biography fully commensurate with the scale of his subject. He is also a gifted, compassionate writer.”

In ''The New Republic'', Leslie Jamison wrote: “Utterly riveting and consistently insightful . . . The book takes this larger-than-life intellectual powerhouse—formidable, intimidating, often stubbornly impersonal in her work—and makes her life-size again . . . fascinating.”

Translation work

Clarice Lispector translation project

Following his publication of ''Why This World'', Moser was named Series Editor at New Directions Publishing for a new translation of the complete works of Clarice Lispector. The ongoing project, which now stretches to eleven volumes, was carried out with a team of translators, with Moser contributing several translations of his own.

The series has been recognized for its contribution toward the increased readership of Lispector. "The revival of the hypnotic Clarice Lispector has been one of the true literary events of the 21st century," wrote Parul Sehgal in ''The New York Times''.

For his work as biographer, editor, and translator of Clarice Lispector, Moser was awarded the Prize for Cultural Diplomacy from the Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Relations in 2016.

On October 7, 2021, he was elected to one of the twenty chairs reserved for foreigners at the , a lifelong position.

Other translation work

In addition to translations from Portuguese, Moser has also published translations from French.

Journalism

Moser served as New Books Columnist for ''Harper's Magazine'' from 2009 to 2011, and was a ''Bookends'' columnist at ''The New York Times Book Review''.

Moser is currently a Contributing Writer at ''The Nation''.

Personal life

He has lived in France, the Netherlands, and elsewhere. He currently lives in the Netherlands and in France. His partner is the Dutch novelist Arthur Japin.

Awards and honors

*2009 National Books Critics Circle Award

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