Gail Caldwell was the chief book critic for The Boston Globe

The Boston Globe

The Boston Globe is an American daily newspaper based in Boston, Massachusetts. The Boston Globe has been owned by The New York Times Company since 1993...

, where she was on staff from 1985 to 2009. Caldwell was the winner of the 2001

2001 Pulitzer Prize

-Journalism awards:-Letters awards:*Fiction:**The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon *History:**Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation by Joseph J. Ellis *Biography or Autobiography:...

 Pulitzer Prize

Pulitzer Prize

The Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City...

 for Criticism

Pulitzer Prize for Criticism

The Pulitzer Prize for Criticism has been presented since 1970 to a newspaper writer who has demonstrated 'distinguished criticism'. Recipients of the award are chosen by an independent board and officially administered by Columbia University...

. The award was for eight Sunday reviews and two other columns written in 2000. According to the Pulitzer Prize board, those columns were noted for “her insightful observations on contemporary life and literature.”

Caldwell was born and raised in Amarillo

Amarillo, Texas

Amarillo is the 14th-largest city, by population, in the state of Texas, the largest in the Texas Panhandle, and the seat of Potter County. A portion of the city extends into Randall County. The population was 190,695 at the 2010 census...

, Texas

Texas

Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...

. After graduating from Tascosa High School

Tascosa High School

Tascosa High School is a high school in Amarillo, Texas- Notable alumni :* Kevin Fowler, Class of 1984 - country musician*Paul Lockhart, Class of 1974 - former USAF test pilot and astronaut...

, she attended Texas Tech University

Texas Tech University

Texas Tech University, often referred to as Texas Tech or TTU, is a public research university in Lubbock, Texas, United States. Established on February 10, 1923, and originally known as Texas Technological College, it is the leading institution of the Texas Tech University System and has the...

 for a while but transferred to University of Texas at Austin

University of Texas at Austin

The University of Texas at Austin is a state research university located in Austin, Texas, USA, and is the flagship institution of the The University of Texas System. Founded in 1883, its campus is located approximately from the Texas State Capitol in Austin...

 and obtained two degrees in American studies

American studies

American studies or American civilization is an interdisciplinary field dealing with the study of the United States. It traditionally incorporates the study of history, literature, and critical theory, but also includes fields as diverse as law, art, the media, film, religious studies, urban...

. She was an instructor at the University of Texas until 1981. Before joining the The Boston Globe, Caldwell taught feature writing at Boston University

Boston University

Boston University is a private research university located in Boston, Massachusetts. With more than 4,000 faculty members and more than 31,000 students, Boston University is one of the largest private universities in the United States and one of Boston's largest employers...

, worked as the arts editor of the Boston Review

Boston Review

Boston Review is a bimonthly American political and literary magazine. The magazine covers, specifically, political debates, literature, and poetry...

and wrote for the publications New England Monthly

New England Monthly

New England Monthly was a magazine published in Haydenville, Massachusetts from 1984 to 1990. Founded by Robert Nylen and Daniel Okrent , it won the National Magazine Award for General Excellence in both 1986 and 1987, and was a finalist for many other National Magazine Awards in its brief...

and Village Voice.

She lives in Cambridge

Cambridge, Massachusetts

Cambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. It was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in England, an important center of the Puritan theology embraced by the town's founders. Cambridge is home to two of the world's most prominent...

, Massachusetts

Massachusetts

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...

 and wrote the 2006 memoir

Memoir

A memoir , is a literary genre, forming a subclass of autobiography – although the terms 'memoir' and 'autobiography' are almost interchangeable. Memoir is autobiographical writing, but not all autobiographical writing follows the criteria for memoir set out below...

, A Strong West Wind : A Memoir (ISBN 1-4000-6248-9) and the 2010, Let's Take the Long Way Home

Let's Take the Long Way Home

Let's Take the Long Way Home: a memoir of friendship is a memoir by Gail Caldwell . The memoir describes the friendship between the author and fellow writer and dog lover Caroline Knapp who died at age 42 in 2002 and it takes place in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Let's Take the Long Way Home was...

, a memoir of her friendship with author Caroline Knapp

Caroline Knapp

Caroline Knapp was an American writer and columnist whose candid best-selling memoir Drinking: A Love Story recounted her 20-year battle with alcoholism. She was the daughter of noted psychiatrist Peter H. Knapp, who did groundbreaking research into psychosomatic medicine.Knapp grew up in...

. She has a Samoyed named Tula.

Gail Caldwell was born in 1951. At the age of 6 months, she caught polio.

External links

• Birnbaum v. Gail Caldwell, an interview with The Morning News
  The Morning News (online magazine)
  The Morning News is a U.S.-based daily online magazine founded in 1999 by Rosecrans Baldwin and Andrew Womack. It began as an email newsletter and in the fall of 2000 evolved into a news-oriented weblog with a New York focus...
  
  .