
Darin Strauss
'Darin Strauss' (born
March 1,
1970) is an
American writer based in
Brooklyn, NY. Both of his novels were ''
The New York Times'' Notable Books; Strauss is a 2006 recipient of a
Guggenheim Fellowship, and he currently resides in
Brooklyn,
New York. He teaches writing at
New York University, for which he won a "Outstanding Dozen" teaching award in 2005.
Strauss has been called "a brave new voice in literature" by
The Wall Street Journal, "a hugely talented writer with unlimited potential" by
The Times of London, "one of the most sharp and spirited of his generation," by Powells Books, "sublime" and "brilliant" by The
Boston Globe, "a magnificent and subtle writer" by
Le Monde, a "master" by The
Chicago Tribune, a novelist of "humor, humanity, and aching sadness" by
The New York Times, "as lyrical as he is daring" by
The New Yorker, "the most fearless of writers" by
Salon.com, and "one of America's handful of young, great authors" by The
Austin Chronicle.
He is married to the
Newsweek senior writer
Susannah Meadows. His work has been translated into fourteen languages.
Biography
Darin Strauss was born in the
Long Island town of
Roslyn Harbor; he attended
Tufts University, where he studied with
Jay Cantor. He received his MFA at
New York University, where he studied with
Peter Carey and
E.L. Doctorow.
His ALA Alix Award-winning best-selling 2000 first novel ''
Chang and Eng'' -- a runner-up for the
Barnes and Noble Discover Award, the
Literary Lions Award, and a nominee for the PEN Hemingway award, among others -- is based on the lives of the famous
conjoined twins. The rights to this novel were optioned to
Disney, for the director
Julie Taymor. Recently, the actor
Gary Oldman purchased the rights from Disney. Strauss and Oldman are together adapting ''Chang & Eng'' for the screen.
Strauss's second book, ''The Real McCoy'' (2002), was based on the life of the boxer
Charles "Kid McCoy." A
Los Angeles Times Best Book of the Year, ''The Real McCoy'' was also named one of the "25 Best Books of the Year" by the
New York Public Library, and a "year-end favorite" by the Independent Small Book Sellers' Association.
Strauss's third novel, "More Than It Hurts You," his first in a contemporary setting, is being published by PenguinPutnam in 2008. A book of short stories and non-fiction essays, ''Truth and Lies'', is scheduled to follow later in that year.
Bibliography
Novels
★ ''
Chang and Eng'' (2000)
★ ''
The Real McCoy'' (2003)
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)
★ '' (2007)
Other
★ ''
Mr. Beluncle'', by
V. S. Pritchett; Strauss wrote the new introduction (2005)
External links
★
Darin Strauss's Guggenheim Fellowship page
★
Darin Strauss's personal website
★
Author Interview on identitytheory.com