Emily St. John Mandel (; ; born 1979) is a Canadian novelist and essayist.
She has written six novels, including ''
Station Eleven'' (2014), ''
The Glass Hotel
''The Glass Hotel'' is a 2020 novel by Canadian writer Emily St. John Mandel. It is Mandel's fifth novel, and the first since winning the Arthur C. Clarke Award in 2015. It follows the aftermath of a disturbing graffiti incident at a hotel on Va ...
'' (2020), and ''
Sea of Tranquility
Mare Tranquillitatis (Latin for Sea of Tranquillity or Sea of Tranquility) is a lunar mare that sits within the Tranquillitatis basin on the Moon. It contains Tranquility Base, the first location on another celestial body to be visited by hu ...
'' (2022). ''Station Eleven'', which has been translated into 33 languages,
has been adapted into a
limited series
In the field of comic books, and particularly in the United States, a limited series is a comics series with a predetermined number of issues. A limited series differs from an ongoing series in that the number of issues is finite and determined ...
on
HBO Max
Max (known in other countries as, and soon to be reverted globally to HBO Max) is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. It is a proprietary unit of Warner Bros. Discovery Streaming on behalf of Home Box Of ...
.
''The Glass Hotel'' was translated into twenty languages and was selected by
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...
as one of his favorite books of 2020.
''Sea of Tranquility'' was published in April 2022 and debuted at number three on
''The New York Times'' Best Seller list.
Early life
Mandel was born in spring 1979
in
Merville, British Columbia
Merville is an unincorporated community in the Comox Valley between the City of Courtenay, Mount Washington, Dove Creek, and Black Creek near the east coast of Vancouver Island. It was named by Canadian World War I soldiers returning to the Isla ...
, Canada.
Her Canadian mother is a social worker and her American father is a plumber.
[
] St. John, her grandmother's surname, is her middle name.
When she was ten years old, she moved with her parents and four siblings to
Denman Island
Denman Island, (also known by Sla-dai-aich or Taystayic, in the Comox language), is one of the Northern Gulf Islands and part of the Comox Valley Regional District of British Columbia, Canada. It is a member of the Islands Trust group of ...
, which is south of Merville near Union Bay.
She was home-schooled there until the age of fifteen, during which time she began keeping a daily diary.
She left high school when she was eighteen to study contemporary dance at
The School of Toronto Dance Theatre.
She worked with independent choreographers.
She was also administrative assistant at a Manhattan law firm and helped with grants at the
Anderson Center for Cancer Research at
Rockefeller University
The Rockefeller University is a Private university, private Medical research, biomedical Research university, research and graduate-only university in New York City, New York. It focuses primarily on the biological and medical sciences and pro ...
.
Career
In 2002, Mandel began writing her first novel, ''Last Night in Montreal,'' while living in Montreal.
She is a staff writer for ''
The Millions
''The Millions'' is an online literary magazine created by C. Max Magee in 2003. It contains articles about literary topics and book reviews.
''The Millions'' has several regular contributors as well as frequent guest appearances by literary no ...
'', an online magazine.
In 2012, she used the
Goodreads
Goodreads is an American social cataloging website and a subsidiary of Amazon that allows individuals to search its database of books, annotations, quotes, and reviews. Users can sign up and register books to generate library catalogs and readi ...
database to write an article for ''The Millions,'' analyzing statistics relating to novels with titles in "The ___'s Daughter" pattern. In 2016, she wrote a subsequent article, analyzing statistics relating to novels that included the word "girl" in the title. One of her findings was that the girl of the title is "significantly more likely to end up dead" if the author of the book is male.
Novels
Mandel's first three novels are ''Last Night in Montreal'' (2009), ''The Singer's Gun'' (2009), and ''The Lola Quartet'' (2012). Unbridled Books published all three novels.
''Last Night in Montreal'' follows a young woman with a secret who cannot seem to settle in one city. When she is pursued by a private detective and a former lover, she is forced to come to terms with her own past and the secrets that haunt a childhood she cannot remember.
''The Singer's Gun'' tells the story of Anton Waker, who grew up surrounded by corruption, but has now decided to live a more honourable life. His life unravels when his cousin blackmails him into doing one last job. As a result, his forged Harvard diploma is revealed, and his secretary disappears. Anton must choose between his loyalty to his family and his desire to live life with integrity.
''The Lola Quartet'' is a literary noir novel that takes place in Florida following the 2008 economic collapse. Gavin, a recently fired journalist and former jazz musician, is contacted by his sister who believes she has discovered a daughter he never knew he had. Jobless, Gavin returns to his hometown and begins searching for his unknown child and the supposed mother—his high school girlfriend.
''Station Eleven''
Mandel's fourth novel, ''
Station Eleven'' (2014), is a post-apocalyptic novel set in the near future in a world ravaged by the effects of a virus and follows a troupe of Shakespearean actors who travel from town to town around the Great Lakes region. It was 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. ...
, the
PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction
The PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction is awarded annually by the PEN/Faulkner Foundation to the authors of the year's best works of fiction by living Americans, Green Card holders or permanent residents. The winner receives US$15,000 and each of ...
and the
Baileys Women's Prize for Fiction
The Women's Prize for Fiction (previously with sponsor names Orange Prize for Fiction (1996–2006 and 2009–2012), Orange Broadband Prize for Fiction (2007–08) and Baileys Women's Prize for Fiction (2014–2017) is one of the United Kingdom's ...
, and won the
Arthur C. Clarke Award
The Arthur C. Clarke Award is a British award given for the best science fiction novel first published in the United Kingdom during the previous year. It is named after British author Arthur C. Clarke, who gave a grant to establish the award ...
and the
Toronto Book Award. A film adaptation of the novel was developed by producer
Scott Steindorff.
The resulting ten-episode limited mini-series on HBO Max, ''
Station Eleven'', premiered on December 16, 2021.
''Station Eleven'' was selected for the 2023 edition of ''
Canada Reads
''Canada Reads'' is an annual "battle of the books" competition organized and broadcast by Canada's public broadcaster, the CBC. The program has aired in two distinct editions, the English-language ''Canada Reads'' on CBC Radio One, and the Fre ...
'', where it was championed by
Michael Greyeyes
Michael Greyeyes (born June 4, 1967) is a First Nations ( Muskeg Lake Cree Nation) actor, dancer, choreographer, director, and educator.
In 1996, Greyeyes portrayed Crazy Horse in the television film ''Crazy Horse''. In 2018, Greyeyes portrayed ...
.
''Station Eleven'' was named one of the top books of the century according to the NYTimes.
''The Glass Hotel''
Her fifth novel, a mystery thriller titled ''
The Glass Hotel
''The Glass Hotel'' is a 2020 novel by Canadian writer Emily St. John Mandel. It is Mandel's fifth novel, and the first since winning the Arthur C. Clarke Award in 2015. It follows the aftermath of a disturbing graffiti incident at a hotel on Va ...
'', was shortlisted for the
Giller Prize
The Giller Prize (known as the Scotiabank Giller Prize from 2005-2023) is a literary award given to a Canadian author of a novel or short story collection published in English (including translation) the previous year, after an annual juried co ...
in 2020 and was recommended by Barack Obama when he released a list of his favourite books from 2020.
In August 2019,
NBCUniversal International Studios
Universal International Studios (formerly known as NBCUniversal International Television Production and NBCUniversal International Studios) is a British international television production company that is a division of American television product ...
acquired the rights to ''The Glass Hotel'' for a television series adaptation, with producer Lark Productions.
Mandel is writing the screenplay.
''Sea of Tranquility''
Mandel's sixth novel, ''
Sea of Tranquility
Mare Tranquillitatis (Latin for Sea of Tranquillity or Sea of Tranquility) is a lunar mare that sits within the Tranquillitatis basin on the Moon. It contains Tranquility Base, the first location on another celestial body to be visited by hu ...
,'' was published in 2022.
["66 works of Canadian fiction to watch for in spring 2022"](_blank)
. CBC Books
CBC Arts () is the division of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation that creates and curates written articles, short documentaries, non-fiction series and interactive projects that represent the excellence of Canada's diverse artistic communitie ...
, January 11, 2022. It is a work of
speculative fiction
Speculative fiction is an umbrella term, umbrella genre of fiction that encompasses all the subgenres that depart from Realism (arts), realism, or strictly imitating everyday reality, instead presenting fantastical, supernatural, futuristic, or ...
and explores questions pertaining to
time travel
Time travel is the hypothetical activity of traveling into the past or future. Time travel is a concept in philosophy and fiction, particularly science fiction. In fiction, time travel is typically achieved through the use of a device known a ...
and the
simulation hypothesis
The simulation hypothesis proposes that what one experiences as the real world is actually a simulated reality, such as a computer simulation in which humans are constructs. There has been much debate over this topic in the Philosophy, philosophi ...
. It debuted at number 3 on
''The New York Times'' Best Seller list for "Combined Print & E-Book Fiction," and number 2 for "Hardcover Fiction."
Barack Obama included the novel on his list of favourite books from 2022.
Personal life
After studying dance, Mandel lived in
Toronto
Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...
and
Montreal
Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...
before relocating to
New York City
New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
.
She was married to Kevin Mandel, a writer and executive recruiter,
with whom she has a daughter.
They divorced in 2022.
As of 2022, Mandel lived in Brooklyn, New York.
As of 2024, she has a girlfriend, and the couple announced their engagement that year.
Publications
Novels
*
*
*
*
*
*
Short stories
*
*
*
*
*
*
Essays
* "Emilie" in ''
The Millions
''The Millions'' is an online literary magazine created by C. Max Magee in 2003. It contains articles about literary topics and book reviews.
''The Millions'' has several regular contributors as well as frequent guest appearances by literary no ...
'' (April 19, 2010)
* "Nicholas Carr's ''The Shallows'': What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains" in ''The Millions'' (October 25, 2010)
* "On Bad Reviews" in ''The Millions'' (February 7, 2011)
* "The Second Life of Irmgard Keun" in ''The Millions'' (February 7, 2011)
* "Irène Némirovsky, ''Suite Française'', and ''The Mirador''" in ''The Millions'' (September 2, 2011)
* "The ___'s Daughter" in ''The Millions'' (March 28, 2012)
* "''Eating Dirt'': On Charlotte Gill and the Life of the Treeplanter" in ''The Millions'' (September 6, 2012)
* "Susanna Moore,
Cheryl Strayed
Cheryl Strayed (; née Nyland; born September 17, 1968) is an American writer and podcast host. She has written four books: the novel ''Torch'' (2006) and the nonfiction books '' Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail'' (2012), '' Ti ...
, and the Place Where the Writers Work" in ''The Millions'' (October 4, 2012)
* "Strange Long Dream: Justin Cronin's ''The Twelve"'' in ''The Millions'' (October 15, 2012)
* "Drinking at the End of the World: Lars Iver's Exodus" in ''The Millions'' (February 22, 2013)
* "I Await the Devil's Friend Request: On Social Media and Mary MacLane" in ''The Millions'' (March 29, 2013)
* "The Bulldozing Powers of Cheap" in ''The Millions'' (June 28, 2013)
* "Motherless Tacoma: On Eric Barnes's ''Something Pretty, Something Beautiful''" in ''The Millions'' (July 11, 2013)
* "A Woman's Unraveling: On Suzanne Rindell's ''The Other Typist''" in ''The Millions'' (July 31, 2013)
* "The Asking is Both Graceful and Profound: On the Stories of Josephine Rowe" in ''The Millions'' (August 8, 2013)
* "On the Pleasures and Solitudes of Quiet Books" in ''The Millions'' (August 27, 2013)
* "A Closed World: On ''By Grand Central Station I Sat Down and Wept''" in ''The Millions'' (March 7, 2014)
* "You'll Probably Never Catch Ebola—So Why Is the Disease So Terrifying?" in ''
The New Republic
''The New Republic'' (often abbreviated as ''TNR'') is an American magazine focused on domestic politics, news, culture, and the arts from a left-wing perspective. It publishes ten print magazines a year and a daily online platform. ''The New Y ...
'' (August 12, 2014)
* "
Susan Sontag
Susan Lee Sontag (; January 16, 1933 – December 28, 2004) was an American writer, critic, and public intellectual. She mostly wrote essays, but also published novels; she published her first major work, the essay "Notes on "Camp", Notes on 'Ca ...
, Essayist and So Much Else" in
''Humanities'', 35:5 (September/October 2014)
* "The Land of Ice and Snow: On Lars Iyer's ''Wittgenstein Jr.''" in ''The Millions'' (November 24, 2014)
* "The Year of Numbered Rooms" in ''Humanities,'' 37:2 (Spring 2016)
* "The Gone Girl with the Dragon Tattoo on the Train" in ''
FiveThirtyEight
''FiveThirtyEight'', also rendered as ''538'', was an American website that focused on opinion poll analysis, politics, economics, and sports blogging in the United States.
The website, which took its name from the number of electors in the U ...
'' (October 2016)
* "A Year in Reading: Emily St. John Mandel" in ''The Millions'' (December 2, 2017)
* "Year in Reading: Emily St. John Mandel" in ''The Millions'' (December 23, 2018)
Awards and nominations
* 2014:
Prix Mystère de la Critique
Prix was an American power pop band formed in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1975 by Tommy Hoehn and Jon Tiven. The group ended up primarily as a studio project. Its recordings were produced by Tiven along with former Big Star member Chris Bell, who ...
, Best Foreign Novel for ''The Singer's Gun''
* 2014: finalist,
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. ...
for ''
Station Eleven''
* 2015:
Arthur C. Clarke Award
The Arthur C. Clarke Award is a British award given for the best science fiction novel first published in the United Kingdom during the previous year. It is named after British author Arthur C. Clarke, who gave a grant to establish the award ...
for ''Station Eleven''
* 2015:
Toronto Book Award for ''Station Eleven''
* 2015: finalist,
PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction
The PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction is awarded annually by the PEN/Faulkner Foundation to the authors of the year's best works of fiction by living Americans, Green Card holders or permanent residents. The winner receives US$15,000 and each of ...
for ''Station Eleven''
* 2015: longlisted,
Baileys Women's Prize for Fiction
The Women's Prize for Fiction (previously with sponsor names Orange Prize for Fiction (1996–2006 and 2009–2012), Orange Broadband Prize for Fiction (2007–08) and Baileys Women's Prize for Fiction (2014–2017) is one of the United Kingdom's ...
for ''Station Eleven''
* 2017: , ''Novel Category Outside Quebec'' for ''Station Eleven''
* 2020: shortlisted for
Scotiabank Giller Prize
The Giller Prize (known as the Scotiabank Giller Prize from 2005-2023) is a literary award given to a Canadian author of a novel or short story collection published in English (including translation) the previous year, after an annual juried c ...
for ''
The Glass Hotel
''The Glass Hotel'' is a 2020 novel by Canadian writer Emily St. John Mandel. It is Mandel's fifth novel, and the first since winning the Arthur C. Clarke Award in 2015. It follows the aftermath of a disturbing graffiti incident at a hotel on Va ...
''
* 2022:
Goodreads Choice Awards
The Goodreads Choice Awards is a yearly award program, first launched on Goodreads in 2009.
Winners are determined by crowdvoting, users voting on books that Goodreads has nominated or books of their choosing, released in the given year. Most boo ...
, Best Science Fiction for ''
Sea of Tranquility
Mare Tranquillitatis (Latin for Sea of Tranquillity or Sea of Tranquility) is a lunar mare that sits within the Tranquillitatis basin on the Moon. It contains Tranquility Base, the first location on another celestial body to be visited by hu ...
''
References
External links
*
Emily St. John Mandelat
Goodreads
Goodreads is an American social cataloging website and a subsidiary of Amazon that allows individuals to search its database of books, annotations, quotes, and reviews. Users can sign up and register books to generate library catalogs and readi ...
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mandel, Emily St. John
Living people
1979 births
21st-century Canadian novelists
21st-century Canadian women writers
Canadian science fiction writers
Canadian women novelists
PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction winners
Canadian women science fiction and fantasy writers
Canadian people of American descent
Canadian LGBTQ novelists
21st-century Canadian LGBTQ people
Novelists from British Columbia