Darin Strauss

Darin Strauss is an American writer whose work has earned a Guggenheim Fellowship and the National Book Critics Circle Award. Strauss's 2011 book '' Half a Life,'' won the 2011 NBCC Award for memoir/autobiography. His most recent book, '' The Queen of Tuesday,'' came out in August 2020. It was nominated for the Joyce Carol Oates Literary Prize.

Early life

Strauss was born in the Long Island town of Roslyn Harbor. He attended Tufts University, where he studied with Jay Cantor. After attending graduate school at New York University, he played guitar in a band with Jonathan Coulton.

Career

Strauss' 2000 first novel '' Chang & Eng'', – a runner-up for the Barnes & Noble Discover Award, the Literary Lions Award, a Borders Award winner, and a nominee for the PEN Hemingway award is based on the lives of conjoined twins Chang and Eng. It was a ''Los Angeles Times'' Best Book of the Year and a ''Newsweek'' Best Book of the Year. The rights to the novel were optioned to Disney, for the director Julie Taymor; the actor Gary Oldman purchased the rights from Disney. Strauss and Oldman are together adapting ''Chang and Eng'' for the screen.

Strauss's second book, ''The Real McCoy'' (2002), was based on the life of the boxer Charles "Kid McCoy." "The Real McCoy" was named a ''New York Times'' Notable Book," and one of the "25 Best Books of the Year," by the New York Public Library.

It was after this novel that Strauss won a Guggenheim Fellowship in Fiction Writing.

Strauss's third novel, ''More Than It Hurts You,'' his first in a contemporary setting, was published by PenguinPutnam in 2008. Strauss blogged about his extensive book-tour for ''Newsweek'', and was featured on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson and Good Morning America.

Strauss appeared on '' This American Life'' in a July 2008 episode titled "Life After Death," in which he talks about the effects of a traffic accident during high school, in which a classmate on a bicycle swerved in front of his car, and was killed. Although he could not have avoided the accident, and was not at fault, he still felt guilty, and it affected him for decades.

His next book, '' Half a Life'' is a memoir concerning that traffic accident; it was published by '' McSweeney's'' in September 2010, and was excerpted in '' GQ'' magazine, and '' This American Life'', and also in ''The Times'' and '' The Daily Mail'' (UK). ''Half a Life'' was named an ''Entertainment Weekly'' Must Read and a ''New York Times'' Editor's Pick—and a Best Book of the Year by NPR, Amazon, ''The Plain Dealer'', and '' The San Francisco Chronicle'', among many others. ''Half a Life'' was called "a masterpiece" by Robert McCrum in ''The Guardian'', "one of the best books I have ever read" by Ali Catterall on the BBC, as well as "precise, elegantly written, fresh, wise, and very sad ... indicative not only of a very talented writer, but of a proper human being" by Nick Hornby.

'' Half a Life'' won the 2011 National Book Critics Circle Award (Autobiography).

Strauss' most recent book, '' The Queen of Tuesday,'' is a hybrid of fiction, biography, and memoir, focused around an imagined love-affair between the author's grandfather and ''Lucille Ball''. It has received favorable reviews in ''The New York Times'', ''The Boston Globe'', ''The Washington Post'', the '' New Yorker'', and the ''Los Angeles Times''. The Millions declared, of the novel, "The best book yet from one of our best writers." In "New Pop Lit," Karl Wenclas wrote, "If Darin Strauss isn't the best contemporary American writer, he's near the top ... No one could write a better book!" On NBC News, Bill Goldstein said "I love this book ... Brilliant."

The novel was a ''Washington Post'' Best Book of the Year, a '' The Millions'' and Lit Hub Best Book of the Year, and a finalist for the Joyce Carol Oates Literary Prize, as well as being featured on '' CBS Sunday Morning'', ''NBC News'', ''the CW'', and '' PBSs Articulate.

Critical reception

Strauss has been called "a brave new voice in literature" by ''The Wall Street Journal'', and "one of the most sharp and spirited of his generation," by Powells Books, "sublime" and "brilliant" by ''The Boston Globe''.Graham, Renee, ''The Boston Globe'', page B9, 5 June 2000.

Personal life

Strauss is married to journalist Susannah Meadows, who writes a monthly Newly Released Books column for ''The New York Times daily Arts Section. He is the father of identical twin boys. He currently resides in Brooklyn, New York, and teaches writing at New York University.

Awards and honors

*2021: Joyce Carol Oates Literary Prize, finalist (winner to be announced in April 2021)
*2020: "Best Books of the Year," ''The Washington Post''
*2020: "Best Books of the Year," Literary Hub
*2011: National Book Critics Circle Award, Winner
*2011: New York University's Alumni Achievement Award, Winner
*2010: "Editor's Choice," ''The New York Times''
*2010: "Best Books of the Year," NPR
*2010: "Best Books of the Year," ''The Plain Dealer'' (Cleveland, Ohio)
*2010: "Best Books of the Year," Amazon
*2010: "Best Books of the Year," ''San Francisco Chronicle''
*2008: "Best Books of the Year," '' Denver Post''
*2008: "Book of the Summer," '' GQ Magazine''
*2006: Guggenheim Fellowship, Winner
*2005: "Outstanding Dozen" teaching award, New York University, Winner
*2002: "Times Notable Book," ''The New York Times''
*2002: "25 Best Books of the Year," New York Public Library
*2000: "10 Best Novels of the Year," ''Newsweek''
*2000:"Best Books of the Year," ''Los Angeles Times''
*2000: ALA Alex Award, Winner
*2000: Barnes & Noble Discover Award, Runner-up
*2000: NYPL Literary Lions Award, Finalist

Bibliography

Novels

* '' Chang & Eng'' (2000)
* ''The Real McCoy'' (2002)
* ''More Than It Hurts You'' (2008)
* '' The Queen of Tuesday'' (2020)

Nonfiction

* '' Half a Life'' (2010)

Graphic novel

* ''Olivia Twist'' (2019)

Selected anthologies

* ''Lit Riffs'' (2004)
* ''The Dictionary of Failed Relationships'' (2004)
* ''Coaches'' (2005)
* ''A People's Fictional History of the United States'' (2006)
* ''An Encyclopedia of Exes'' (2004)
* ''Bloodshot: An Insomnia Anthology'' (2007)
* ''Brooklyn Was Mine'' (2008)
* ''Brothers'' (2009)
* ''The Book of Dads'' (2009)
* ''Top of The Order: Best-selling writers on Baseball'' (2010)

Other

* ''Mr. Beluncle'', by V. S. Pritchett; Strauss wrote the new introduction (2005)
* ''Long Island Shaolin'', one of the first Kindle Singles—short works published by Amazon; other Kindle Single debut authors include Jodi Picoult and Rich Cohen

See also

* ''Radio Interview with Darin Strauss on "Read First, Ask Later" (Ep. 11)
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References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Strauss, Darin
1970 births
Living people
21st-century American novelists
American male novelists
21st-century American memoirists
People from Roslyn Harbor, New York
Novelists from New York (state)
Tufts University alumni
21st-century American male writers
American male non-fiction writers