Charles Morley Baxter (born May 13, 1947) is an American novelist, essayist, and poet.

Biography

Baxter was born in

Minneapolis Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the state's List of cities in Minnesota, most populous city. Locat ...

, Minnesota, to John and Mary Barber (Eaton) Baxter. He graduated from

Macalester College Macalester College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States. Founded in 1874, Macalester is exclusively an undergraduate institution with an enrollment of 2,142 students in the fall of 2023. The college ha ...

Saint Paul Paul, also named Saul of Tarsus, commonly known as Paul the Apostle and Saint Paul, was a Christian apostle ( AD) who spread the teachings of Jesus in the first-century world. For his contributions towards the New Testament, he is generally ...

in 1969. In 1974 he received his PhD in English from the

University at Buffalo The State University of New York at Buffalo (commonly referred to as UB, University at Buffalo, and sometimes SUNY Buffalo) is a public university, public research university in Buffalo, New York, Buffalo and Amherst, New York, United States. ...

with a thesis on

Djuna Barnes Djuna Barnes ( ; June 12, 1892 – June 18, 1982) was an American artist, illustrator, journalist, and writer who is perhaps best known for her novel '' Nightwood'' (1936), a cult classic of lesbian fiction and an important work of modernist lite ...

Malcolm Lowry Clarence Malcolm Lowry (; 28 July 1909 – 26 June 1957) was an English poet and novelist who is best known for his 1947 novel ''Under the Volcano'', which was voted No. 11 in the Modern Library's 100 Best Novels list.

, and

Nathanael West Nathanael West (born Nathan Weinstein; October 17, 1903 – December 22, 1940) was an American writer and screenwriter. He is remembered for two darkly satirical novels: '' Miss Lonelyhearts'' (1933) and '' The Day of the Locust'' (1939), set ...

. Baxter taught high school in

Pinconning, Michigan Pinconning is a city in Bay County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 1,204 at the 2020 census. It is included in the Saginaw, Midland, and Bay City metropolitan area. The city is locally noted for its former production of chees ...

for a year before beginning his university teaching career at

Wayne State University Wayne State University (WSU) is a public university, public research university in Detroit, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1868, Wayne State consists of 13 schools and colleges offering approximately 375 programs. It is Michigan's third-l ...

Detroit, Michigan Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

. He then moved to the

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

, where for many years he directed the Creative Writing MFA program. He was a visiting professor of creative writing 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 ...

and at

Stanford Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth governor of and th ...

. He taught at the

University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota Twin Cities (historically known as University of Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint ...

and in the

Warren Wilson College MFA Program for Writers Warren Wilson College (WWC) is a private liberal arts college in Swannanoa, North Carolina. It is known for its curriculum that combines academics, work, and service as every student must complete a required course of study, work an on-campus jo ...

. He retired in 2020. He was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1985. He received the PEN/Malamud Award in 2021 for Excellence in the Short Story. He married teacher Martha Ann Hauser in 1976, and has a son. Baxter and Hauser separated.

Works

Novels

* ''First Light'' (1987). An eminent astrophysicist and her brother, a small-town Buick salesman, discover how they grew so far apart and the bonds of love that still keep them together. * ''Shadow Play'' (1993). As his wife does gymnastics and magic tricks, his crazy mother invents her own vocabulary, and his aunt writes her own version of the Bible, Five Oaks Assistant City Manager Wyatt Palmer tries to live a normal life and nearly succeeds, but... * '' The Feast of Love'' (2000) (

Pantheon Books Pantheon Books is an American book publishing imprint. Founded in 1942 as an independent publishing house in New York City by Kurt and Helen Wolff, it specialized in introducing progressive European works to American readers. In 1961, it was ...

), a reimagined ''Midsummer Night's Dream'', a story told through the eyes of several different people. Nominated for the

National Book Award The National Book Awards (NBA) are a set of annual U.S. literary awards. At the final National Book Awards Ceremony every November, the National Book Foundation presents the National Book Awards and two lifetime achievement awards to authors. ...

. A film version of the book, starring

Morgan Freeman Morgan Freeman (born June 1, 1937) is an American actor, producer, and narrator. In a career spanning six decades, he has received numerous accolades, including an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award, as well as a nomination for a Tony ...

Fred Ward Freddie Joe Ward (December 30, 1942 – May 8, 2022) was an American character actor. Starting with a role in an Italian television movie in 1973, he appeared in such diverse films as '' Escape from Alcatraz'', '' The Right Stuff'', '' Remo Wil ...

and

Greg Kinnear Gregory Buck Kinnear (born June 17, 1963) is an American actor and former talk show host. He was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in '' As Good as It Gets'' (1997). Kinnear has appeared in many popular films, ...

and directed by

Robert Benton Robert Douglas Benton (September 29, 1932 – May 11, 2025) was an American film director and screenwriter. He, along with his co-writer David Newman, was nominated for the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay for the 1967 film '' Bonnie and Clyd ...

, was released in 2007. * ''Saul and Patsy'' (2003). A teacher's marriage and identity are threatened by a dangerously obsessed teenage boy at his school. * ''The Soul Thief'' (2008). A graduate student's complicated relationships lead to a disturbing case of identity theft, which ultimately leads the man to wonder if he really is who he thinks he is. * ''The Sun Collective'' (2020, Pantheon Books). The lives of two very different couples—one retired, one in their twenties—intersect in Minneapolis around an anti-capitalist collective arguing for revolution, as an underground group of extremists wage war on the homeless. * ''Blood Test'' (2024) (Pantheon), Brock Hobson, an insurance salesman and Sunday-school teacher, finds his equilibrium disturbed by the results of a predictive blood test.

Short story collections

* ''Harmony of the World'' (1984). Winner of the

Associated Writing Programs The Association of Writers & Writing Programs (AWP) is a nonprofit literary organization that provides support, advocacy, resources, and community to nearly 50,000 writers, 500 college and university creative writing programs, and 125 writers' c ...

Award. * ''Through the Safety Net'' (1985) * ''A Relative Stranger'' (1990) * ''Believers'' (1997) * ''Gryphon: New and Selected Stories'' (2011) * ''There's Something I Want You to Do: Stories'' (February 2015)

Non-fiction

* ''Burning Down the House: Essays on Fiction'' (1997) * ''The Art of Subtext: Beyond Plot'' (2007). Winner of the 2008 Minnesota Book Award for General Non-fiction. * ''Wonderlands: Essays on the Life of Literature'' (2022)

Poetry collections

* ''Chameleon'' (1970) * ''The South Dakota Guidebook'' (1974) * ''Imaginary Paintings'' (1989)

Edited works

* ''The Business of Memory'' (1999) * ''Best New American Voices 2001'' (2001) * ''Bringing the Devil to His Knees: The Craft of Fiction and the Writing Life'' (2001) * ''A William Maxwell Portrait: Memories and Appreciations'' (2004)

References

* Greasley, Philip A. (2001). Dictionary of Midwestern Literature Volume One: The Authors. Indiana: Indiana University Press. p. 54. .

External links

Charles Baxter's official website

at Powells.com

* ttp://www.pifmagazine.com/2013/04/charles-baxter/ Interview with the authorat Pif Magazine.
Interview with Charles Baxter, author of ''The Sun Collective''
at the

World Socialist Web Site The World Socialist Web Site (WSWS) is the website of the International Committee of the Fourth International (ICFI). It describes itself as an "online newspaper of the international Trotskyist movement". About The WSWS was established on Fe ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Baxter, Charles 1947 births American book editors 20th-century American novelists 20th-century American male writers Novelists from Minnesota Living people University at Buffalo alumni Writers from Minneapolis Wayne State University faculty Macalester College alumni Warren Wilson College faculty 21st-century American novelists American male novelists University of Michigan faculty American male essayists American male short story writers 20th-century American short story writers 21st-century American short story writers 20th-century American essayists 21st-century American essayists 21st-century American male writers Novelists from Michigan