Kathleen Alcott (born October 17, 1988) is an American novelist, short story writer, and essayist from Northern California. She has taught Creative Writing and Literature at Columbia University and Bennington College. Her work has been translated into Dutch, Italian, Korean, French, Turkish, and Chinese.[1]
Alcott has published three novels. The Dangers of Proximal Alphabets (2012), a Bildungsroman, was called "a joyously good first novel" by the Wall Street Journal.[2]
Her followup, Infinite Home (2015), deals with the housing shortage in New York City[3] and with Williams syndrome, a neurological disorder that causes an abnormally outgoing personality in those afflicted.[4] The novel was shortlisted for The Chautuaqua Prize and nominated for The Kirkus Prize.
Her third novel, America Was Hard to Find (2019), an epic loosely centered on space travel between Sputnik (1957) and the Challenger disaster (1986), was noted for its "sprawling" historical scope, its multifaceted cultural critique of the United States, and it frank treatment of feminism,[5]countercultural radicalism, and the AIDS crisis.[6]The New Yorker stated that the book "displays a sure-handed lyricism—from the lunar surface, the sky appears 'glossy like a baby girl’s church shoes'—but its energy lies in its skepticism about the American century and the parallels the author finds between contradictory currents."[7]
Among her varied nonfiction, Alcott's culinary writing is noteworthy for its mingling of memoir and literary criticism.[10] For the Paris Review she has profiled the use of food in James Salter's fiction.[11] From 2015 to 2018 she contributed a food column to The Guardian.
Style and methodEdit
Though described as being firmly in the "realist" mode, Alcott makes strategic use of figurative language to suggest psychological states.[12]Anthony Doerr writes that her “prose […] is always trending away from straightforward clarity toward something more interesting.”[13] In a commentary on the care required to balance this clarity with more figurative language, the narrator of Alcott's story “Natural Light,” a professor of creative writing, wonders
how close a simile should get to the character’s actual life and circumstances: in comparing her inner sadness to the color of her dress, weren’t we depriving the reader of some useful speculative distance?[14]
Alcott's method relies heavily on primary research. For her depiction of a rare neurological condition in Infinite Home, she interviewed people with Williams syndrome.[15] To describe the 1969 Apollo landing in America Was Hard to Find, Alcott conducted what would be one of astronaut Alan Bean's final interviews.[16]
BibliographyEdit
This list is incomplete; you can help by adding missing items. (January 2020)
NovelsEdit
The Dangers of Proximal Alphabets. New York: Other Press, 2012.
Infinite Home. New York: Riverhead Books, 2015.
America Was Hard to Find. New York: Ecco, 2019.
(UK edition) London: W. W. Norton, 2020.
Short fictionEdit
"Saturation." In The Coffin Factory, (2013).
"Taking Shape." In ZYZZYVA, (2015).
"Letters from the Postmaster General." In ZYZZYVA, (2016).
"Reputation Management." In The Bennington Review, no. 3 (2017).
"Reputation Management." Korean translation in Littor, (2018).
"Natural Light." In The Best American Short Stories 2019, eds. Anthony Doerr and Heidi Pitlor (New York: Houghton Mifflin, 2019).
"Temporary Housing." In Harper's Magazine, (May 2022)
Honors and fellowshipsEdit
The Best American Short Stories of 2015, Notable (2015) The Chautauqua Prize Shortlist (2016) The Kirkus Prize Nominee (2016) The Sunday Times Short Story Award, Shortlist (2017) MacDowell Colony Fellow (2018) The Best American Short Stories of 2019, The Sunday Times Short Story Award, Longlist (2019) Simpson/Joyce Carol Oates Prize, LongList (2020)
ReferencesEdit
^"Creative Writing Faculty". Columbia - School of the Arts. Retrieved 2020-01-19.
^Sacks, Sam (2012-09-14). "Mirabile Dictu: Two Great Debut Novels". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2020-01-18.
^Bausells, Marta (2016-06-01). "Kathleen Alcott's journey from east to west coast into print". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2020-01-20.
^Ciuraru, Carmela (2015-08-26). "Novels by Kathleen Alcott, Vu Tran and Alaa Al Aswany; a Memoir by David Payne". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-01-19.
^Lacey, Catherine (2019-05-14). "The Toxicity of Female Tokenism: An Interview with Kathleen Alcott". The Paris Review. Retrieved 2020-01-20.
^Walker, Karen Thompson (2019-05-13). "An Astronaut, an Antiwar Radical and a Novelist's Epic Vision of America". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-01-22.
^"Briefly Noted Book Reviews". The New Yorker. 2019-06-24. ISSN 0028-792X. Retrieved 2020-01-18.
^"'Reputation Management' (Kathleen Alcott) | The Sunday Times Audible Short Story Award". www.shortstoryaward.co.uk. Retrieved 2020-01-18.
^Alcott, Kathleen (2017-01-15). "'Restaurants have taught me who I am'". The Observer. ISSN 0029-7712. Retrieved 2020-01-19.
^Alcott, Kathleen (2015-10-23). "The Lights in the Kitchen Were On". The Paris Review. Retrieved 2020-01-18.
^Greenberg, Elianna (2012-11-06). "Relative Triangles and The Dangers of Proximal Alphabets". The Brooklyn Rail. Retrieved 2020-01-18.
^Doerr, Anthony. “Introduction.” In Anthony Doerr and Heidi Pitlor, eds. The Best American Short Stories 2019. New York: Houghton Mifflin, 2019. p. xviii.
^Alcott, Kathleen. “Natural Light.” In Anthony Doerr and Heidi Pitlor, eds. The Best American Short Stories 2019. New York: Houghton Mifflin, 2019. p. 32.
^Alcott, Kathleen (2015). Infinite Home. New York: Riverhead. p. 317.
^Alcott, Kathleen (2019). America Was Hard to Find. New York: Ecco. pp. 415–417.
External linksEdit
Guardian profile, 2016
Paris Review interview, 2019
October 21, 2023
kathleen, alcott, born, october, 1988, american, novelist, short, story, writer, essayist, from, northern, california, taught, creative, writing, literature, columbia, university, bennington, college, work, been, translated, into, dutch, italian, korean, frenc. Kathleen Alcott born October 17 1988 is an American novelist short story writer and essayist from Northern California She has taught Creative Writing and Literature at Columbia University and Bennington College Her work has been translated into Dutch Italian Korean French Turkish and Chinese 1 Kathleen AlcottBorn 1988 10 17 October 17 1988 age 34 NationalityAmerican Contents 1 Career 2 Style and method 3 Bibliography 3 1 Novels 3 2 Short fiction 4 Honors and fellowships 5 References 6 External linksCareer EditAlcott has published three novels The Dangers of Proximal Alphabets 2012 a Bildungsroman was called a joyously good first novel by the Wall Street Journal 2 Her followup Infinite Home 2015 deals with the housing shortage in New York City 3 and with Williams syndrome a neurological disorder that causes an abnormally outgoing personality in those afflicted 4 The novel was shortlisted for The Chautuaqua Prize and nominated for The Kirkus Prize Her third novel America Was Hard to Find 2019 an epic loosely centered on space travel between Sputnik 1957 and the Challenger disaster 1986 was noted for its sprawling historical scope its multifaceted cultural critique of the United States and it frank treatment of feminism 5 countercultural radicalism and the AIDS crisis 6 The New Yorker stated that the book displays a sure handed lyricism from the lunar surface the sky appears glossy like a baby girl s church shoes but its energy lies in its skepticism about the American century and the parallels the author finds between contradictory currents 7 In 2017 Alcott s short story Reputation Management was shortlisted for the Sunday Times EFG Short Story Award 8 Her story Natural Light first appearing in Zoetrope was selected for inclusion in the 2019 Best American Short Stories anthology In 2018 Alcott was chosen to be a Fellow at The Macdowell Colony 9 Among her varied nonfiction Alcott s culinary writing is noteworthy for its mingling of memoir and literary criticism 10 For the Paris Review she has profiled the use of food in James Salter s fiction 11 From 2015 to 2018 she contributed a food column to The Guardian Style and method EditThough described as being firmly in the realist mode Alcott makes strategic use of figurative language to suggest psychological states 12 Anthony Doerr writes that her prose is always trending away from straightforward clarity toward something more interesting 13 In a commentary on the care required to balance this clarity with more figurative language the narrator of Alcott s story Natural Light a professor of creative writing wondershow close a simile should get to the character s actual life and circumstances in comparing her inner sadness to the color of her dress weren t we depriving the reader of some useful speculative distance 14 Alcott s method relies heavily on primary research For her depiction of a rare neurological condition in Infinite Home she interviewed people with Williams syndrome 15 To describe the 1969 Apollo landing in America Was Hard to Find Alcott conducted what would be one of astronaut Alan Bean s final interviews 16 Bibliography EditThis list is incomplete you can help by adding missing items January 2020 Novels Edit The Dangers of Proximal Alphabets New York Other Press 2012 Infinite Home New York Riverhead Books 2015 America Was Hard to Find New York Ecco 2019 UK edition London W W Norton 2020 Short fiction Edit Saturation In The Coffin Factory 2013 Taking Shape In ZYZZYVA 2015 Letters from the Postmaster General In ZYZZYVA 2016 Reputation Management In The Bennington Review no 3 2017 Reputation Management Korean translation in Littor 2018 Natural Light In The Best American Short Stories 2019 eds Anthony Doerr and Heidi Pitlor New York Houghton Mifflin 2019 Temporary Housing In Harper s Magazine May 2022 Honors and fellowships EditThe Best American Short Stories of 2015 Notable 2015 The Chautauqua Prize Shortlist 2016 The Kirkus Prize Nominee 2016 The Sunday Times Short Story Award Shortlist 2017 MacDowell Colony Fellow 2018 The Best American Short Stories of 2019 The Sunday Times Short Story Award Longlist 2019 Simpson Joyce Carol Oates Prize LongList 2020 References Edit Creative Writing Faculty Columbia School of the Arts Retrieved 2020 01 19 Sacks Sam 2012 09 14 Mirabile Dictu Two Great Debut Novels Wall Street Journal ISSN 0099 9660 Retrieved 2020 01 18 Bausells Marta 2016 06 01 Kathleen Alcott s journey from east to west coast into print The Guardian ISSN 0261 3077 Retrieved 2020 01 20 Ciuraru Carmela 2015 08 26 Novels by Kathleen Alcott Vu Tran and Alaa Al Aswany a Memoir by David Payne The New York Times ISSN 0362 4331 Retrieved 2020 01 19 Lacey Catherine 2019 05 14 The Toxicity of Female Tokenism An Interview with Kathleen Alcott The Paris Review Retrieved 2020 01 20 Walker Karen Thompson 2019 05 13 An Astronaut an Antiwar Radical and a Novelist s Epic Vision of America The New York Times ISSN 0362 4331 Retrieved 2020 01 22 Briefly Noted Book Reviews The New Yorker 2019 06 24 ISSN 0028 792X Retrieved 2020 01 18 Reputation Management Kathleen Alcott The Sunday Times Audible Short Story Award www shortstoryaward co uk Retrieved 2020 01 18 Fellows Kathleen Alcott MacDowell Colony Retrieved 2020 01 18 Alcott Kathleen 2017 01 15 Restaurants have taught me who I am The Observer ISSN 0029 7712 Retrieved 2020 01 19 Alcott Kathleen 2015 10 23 The Lights in the Kitchen Were On The Paris Review Retrieved 2020 01 18 Greenberg Elianna 2012 11 06 Relative Triangles and The Dangers of Proximal Alphabets The Brooklyn Rail Retrieved 2020 01 18 Doerr Anthony Introduction In Anthony Doerr and Heidi Pitlor eds The Best American Short Stories 2019 New York Houghton Mifflin 2019 p xviii Alcott Kathleen Natural Light In Anthony Doerr and Heidi Pitlor eds The Best American Short Stories 2019 New York Houghton Mifflin 2019 p 32 Alcott Kathleen 2015 Infinite Home New York Riverhead p 317 Alcott Kathleen 2019 America Was Hard to Find New York Ecco pp 415 417 External links EditGuardian profile 2016 Paris Review interview 2019 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Kathleen Alcott amp oldid 1162433489, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
