Brady Udall is an American writer. In 2010, he was appointed

Writer-in-Residence Artist-in-residence (also Writer-in-residence), or artist residencies, encompass a wide spectrum of artistic programs that involve a collaboration between artists and hosting organisations, institutions, or communities. They are programs that pr ...

of Idaho, a position he held until 2013.

Biography

Udall grew up in a large

Mormon Mormons are a religious and cultural group related to Mormonism, the principal branch of the Latter Day Saint movement started by Joseph Smith in upstate New York during the 1820s. After Smith's death in 1844, the movement split into several ...

family in St. Johns, Arizona. He graduated from

Brigham Young University Brigham Young University (BYU) is a Private education, private research university in Provo, Utah, United States. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is the flagship university of the Church Educational System sponsore ...

and later attended the

Iowa Writers' Workshop The Iowa Writers' Workshop, at the University of Iowa, is a graduate-level creative writing program. At 89 years, it is the oldest writing program offering a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) degree in the United States. Its acceptance rate is between 2 ...

at the

University of Iowa The University of Iowa (U of I, UIowa, or Iowa) is a public university, public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is organized int ...

."Udall Mints a Dickens of a Tale in 'Miracle Life'" by Brandon Griggs, ''

Salt Lake Tribune ''The Salt Lake Tribune'' is a newspaper published in the city of Salt Lake City, Utah. The ''Tribune'' is owned by The Salt Lake Tribune, Inc., a non-profit corporation. The newspaper's motto is "Utah's Independent Voice Since 1871." History ...

'', 17 June 2001,
mirror of article
He was formerly a faculty member of

Franklin & Marshall College Franklin & Marshall College (F&M) is a private liberal arts college in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1787 as Franklin College and later merged with Marshall College in 1853, it is one of the oldest colleges in the United St ...

starting in 1998, then

Southern Illinois University Southern Illinois University is a system of public universities in the southern region of the U.S. state of Illinois. Its headquarters is in Carbondale, Illinois. Board of trustees The university is governed by the nine member SIU Board of T ...

, and now teaches writing at

Boise State University Boise State University (BSU) is a Public university, public research university in Boise, Idaho, United States. Founded in 1932 by the Episcopal Church (United States), Episcopal Church, it became an independent junior college in 1934 and has b ...

. A collection of his short stories titled ''Letting Loose the Hounds'' was published in 1998, and his debut novel ''The Miracle Life of Edgar Mint'' was first published in 2001. The characterization and structure of the latter has been favorably compared to the work of

John Irving John Winslow Irving (born John Wallace Blunt Jr.; March 2, 1942) is an American and Canadian novelist, short story writer, and screenwriter. Irving achieved critical and popular acclaim after the international success of his fourth novel '' Th ...

."Cuesta pulls off 'Miracle' for UA, Cell"
by Michael Fleming, ''Variety'', 13 February 2002 Thematically it has been compared to

Charles Dickens Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English novelist, journalist, short story writer and Social criticism, social critic. He created some of literature's best-known fictional characters, and is regarded by ...

Michael Stipe John Michael Stipe (; born January 4, 1960) is an American singer, songwriter and artist, best known as the lead singer and lyricist of the alternative rock band R.E.M. Stipe was born in Metro Atlanta in January 1960. Due to his father's militar ...

has

optioned In the film industry, an option agreement is a contract that "rents" the rights to a source material to a potential film producer. It grants the film producer the exclusive option to purchase rights to the source material if they live up to the te ...

a film adaptation of ''Miracle'', with

United Artists United Artists (UA) is an American film production and film distribution, distribution company owned by Amazon MGM Studios. In its original operating period, it was founded in February 1919 by Charlie Chaplin, D. W. Griffith, Mary Pickford an ...

hiring

Michael Cuesta Michael Cuesta (born July 8, 1963) is an American film and television director, best known for his independent films, specially for having co-written and directed the 2001 film '' L.I.E.'' He has directed and produced television series including ...

to direct. In July 2007, Udall appeared on an episode of ''

This American Life ''This American Life'' is a weekly hour-long American radio program produced in collaboration with Chicago Public Media and hosted by Ira Glass. It is broadcast on numerous public radio stations in the United States and internationally, and is ...

''. Udall is the great-great-grandson of

David King Udall David King Udall, Sr. (September 7, 1851 – February 18, 1938) was an American politician who was a representative to the Arizona Territorial Legislature and the founder of the Udall political family. Childhood years David King Udall was born ...

and his plural wife Ida Hunt Udall. In an interview about his novel ''The Lonely Polygamist'', he said this "strong family connection to polygamy" made it "only right" that he author a novel about a polygamist. Through this heritage, Udall is related to members of the

Udall family The Udall family is a U.S. political family rooted in the American West. Its role in politics spans over 100 years and four generations. Udall politicians have been elected from four different states: Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Orego ...

, including former U.S. congressman and Interior Secretary

Stewart Udall Stewart Lee Udall (January 31, 1920 – March 20, 2010) was an American politician and later, a federal government official who belonged to the Democratic Party. After serving three terms as a congressman from Arizona, he served as Secretary ...

, and former congressman and presidential candidate

Morris Udall Morris King Udall (June 15, 1922 – December 12, 1998) was an American attorney and Democratic politician who served as a U.S. representative from Arizona from May 2, 1961, to May 4, 1991. He was a leading contender for the 1976 Democratic pr ...

Bibliography

* ''Letting Loose the Hounds'' (stories) (1997) * ''The Miracle Life of Edgar Mint'' (novel) (2001) * '' The Lonely Polygamist'' (novel) (2010)

Notes

External links

* http://books.wwnorton.com/books/Author.aspx?id=4902 {{DEFAULTSORT:Udall, Brady 20th-century American novelists 21st-century American novelists American Latter Day Saints American male novelists Brigham Young University alumni Living people Mormon studies scholars Udall family Year of birth missing (living people) Iowa Writers' Workshop alumni Poets laureate of Idaho People from St. Johns, Arizona 20th-century American poets 21st-century American poets American male poets Novelists from Arizona Novelists from Idaho Novelists from Iowa Poets from Arizona 20th-century American male writers 21st-century American male writers