Blake Nelson
Encyclopedia
Blake Nelson is an American
author
of adult
and children's literature
. He grew up in Portland
, Oregon
, and attended Wesleyan University
.
Nelson began his career writing short humor pieces for Details
magazine in the mid-nineties. These articles, with titles like "How to Date a Feminist" and "How to Live on $3600 a year", explored the slacker
west coast lifestyle.
His first novel Girl was excerpted in Sassy Magazine
in three successive issues. The mail Sassy received in response was key to the eventual publication of Girl. It has since been published in eight foreign countries and made into a feature film, Girl
. It was reissued as a Young Adult novel by Simon Pulse in October 2007.
Nelson's novel Paranoid Park
was made into a film of the same name
by Gus Van Sant
. The book won the prestigious Grinzane award in Italy. The film won a special 60th Anniversary prize at the Cannes Film Festival
in 2007.
His 2009 novel Destroy All Cars was called "Smart and Entertaining" by the New York Times. His latest Recovery Road will be released in March, 2011.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
of adult
Literature
Literature is the art of written works, and is not bound to published sources...
and children's literature
Children's literature
Children's literature is for readers and listeners up to about age twelve; it is often defined in four different ways: books written by children, books written for children, books chosen by children, or books chosen for children. It is often illustrated. The term is used in senses which sometimes...
. He grew up in Portland
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
, Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
, and attended Wesleyan University
Wesleyan University
Wesleyan University is a private liberal arts college founded in 1831 and located in Middletown, Connecticut. According to the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, Wesleyan is the only Baccalaureate College in the nation that emphasizes undergraduate instruction in the arts and...
.
Nelson began his career writing short humor pieces for Details
Details (magazine)
Details is an American monthly men's magazine published by Condé Nast Publications, founded in 1982. Though primarily a magazine devoted to fashion and lifestyle, Details also features reports on relevant social and political issues.-History:...
magazine in the mid-nineties. These articles, with titles like "How to Date a Feminist" and "How to Live on $3600 a year", explored the slacker
Slacker
The term "slacker" is used to refer to a person who habitually avoids work. Slackers may be regarded as belonging to an antimaterialistic counterculture, though in some cases their behavior may be due to other causes ....
west coast lifestyle.
His first novel Girl was excerpted in Sassy Magazine
Sassy Magazine
Sassy magazine is a defunct teen magazine, aimed at teenage female fans of alternative and indie rock music. It was founded in March 1988 by an Australian feminist, Sandra Yates, CEO of Matilda Publications, who based it on the teen magazine Dolly, which is still in publication in...
in three successive issues. The mail Sassy received in response was key to the eventual publication of Girl. It has since been published in eight foreign countries and made into a feature film, Girl
Girl (film)
Girl is a 1998 American drama film starring Dominique Swain, Christopher Masterson, Sean Patrick Flanery, Summer Phoenix, Tara Reid, John Philbin and Selma Blair. It was based on the novel of the same name, written by Blake Nelson. It was written by Blake Nelson and David E...
. It was reissued as a Young Adult novel by Simon Pulse in October 2007.
Nelson's novel Paranoid Park
Paranoid Park (novel)
Paranoid Park is a young adult novel by Blake Nelson. Paranoid Park is the story of a 16-year-old skateboarder who tries to fit in with the skater crowd and accidentally kills a security guard while trying to board a train. The author has said that the book is a kind of retelling of Crime and...
was made into a film of the same name
Paranoid Park (film)
Paranoid Park is a 2007 American drama film written and directed by Gus Van Sant. The film is based on the novel of the same name by Blake Nelson and takes place in Portland, Oregon. It stars Gabe Nevins as a teenage skateboarder who accidentally kills a security guard.Van Sant wrote the draft...
by Gus Van Sant
Gus Van Sant
Gus Green Van Sant, Jr. is an American director, screenwriter, painter, photographer, musician, and author. He is a two time nominee of the Academy Award for Best Director for his 1997 film Good Will Hunting and his 2008 film Milk, both of which were also nominated for Best Picture, and won the...
. The book won the prestigious Grinzane award in Italy. The film won a special 60th Anniversary prize at the Cannes Film Festival
Cannes Film Festival
The Cannes International Film Festival , is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films of all genres including documentaries from around the world. Founded in 1946, it is among the world's most prestigious and publicized film festivals...
in 2007.
His 2009 novel Destroy All Cars was called "Smart and Entertaining" by the New York Times. His latest Recovery Road will be released in March, 2011.