Jeffrey Eugenides
Encyclopedia
Jeffrey Kent Eugenides is an American Pulitzer Prize
-winning novelist and short story writer. Eugenides is most known for his first two novels, The Virgin Suicides
(1993) and Middlesex
(2002). His novel The Marriage Plot
was published in October, 2011.
, of Greek and Irish descent. He attended Grosse Pointe's
private University Liggett School
. He took his undergraduate degree at Brown University
, graduating in 1983. He later earned an M.A.
in Creative Writing from Stanford University
.
In 1986 he received the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
Nicholl Fellowship for his story "Here Comes Winston, Full of the Holy Spirit." His 1993 novel, The Virgin Suicides
, gained mainstream interest with the 1999 film adaptation directed by Sofia Coppola
. The novel was reissued in 2009.
Eugenides is reluctant to disclose details about his private life, except through Michigan-area book signings in which he details the influence of Detroit and his high-school experiences on his writings. He has said that he has "a perverse love" of his birthplace. "I think most of the major elements of American history are exemplified in Detroit, from the triumph of the automobile and the assembly line to the blight of racism, not to mention the music, Motown, the MC5
, house, techno." He also says he has been haunted by the decline of Detroit.
He lives in Princeton, New Jersey
, with his wife, Karen Yamauchi, and their daughter, Georgia. In the fall of 2007, Eugenides joined the faculty of Princeton University
's Program in Creative Writing.
His 2002 novel, Middlesex
, won the Pulitzer Prize
for fiction and the Ambassador Book Award
. Part of it was set in Berlin
, Germany
, where Eugenides lived
from 1999 to 2004, but it was chiefly concerned with the Greek-American immigrant experience in the United States, against the rise and fall of Detroit. It explores the experience of the intersex
ed in the USA. Eugenides wrote a lecture titled "On Obstacles and Omens: The Writing of 'Middlesex'", in which he discussed the numerous omens he experienced while working on Middlesex. In one omen, Eugenides based Cal's grandparents on his own grandparents, whom he recalled through an ancient, furled snapshot he had seen many years prior. As he finished a character sketch of Cal's grandparents one day, Eugenides received from the post office a parcel from his mother. It contained the photograph of his grandparents, now unfurled and framed, that Eugenides had been recalling. In another omen, Eugenides wrote about the adolescent Calliope's intimate relations with a girl she names the Obscure Object. The name was derived from the nickname of a captivating woman he had met in university. The same day he completed the novel, he attended a dinner hosted at the American Academy in Berlin
, where he conversed with a faintly recognizable woman. After talking with her briefly, he suddenly recognized that she was the Obscure Object whom he had not seen for two decades.
Eugenides has also published short stories, primarily in The New Yorker
. His 1996 story "Baster" became the basis for the 2010 romantic comedy The Switch.
His third novel, The Marriage Plot
(Farrar, Straus and Giroux, October 2011 ), has been called by Carlin Romano
in the Chronicle of Higher Education "the most entertaining campus novel since Wolfe
's I Am Charlotte Simmons
". The novel begins on graduation day at Brown University
in 1982.
Eugenides announced at a 2011 Washington, DC reading for "The Marriage Plot" that his next project would be book of self-written short stories.
Eugenides is the editor of the collection of short stories titled My Mistress's Sparrow is Dead. The proceeds of the collection go to the writing center 826 Chicago
, established to encourage young people's writing.
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...
-winning novelist and short story writer. Eugenides is most known for his first two novels, The Virgin Suicides
The Virgin Suicides
The Virgin Suicides is the 1993 debut novel by American writer Jeffrey Eugenides. The story, which is set in Grosse Pointe, Michigan during the 1970s, centers on the suicides of five sisters. The Lisbon girls' suicides fascinate their community as their neighbors struggle to find an explanation for...
(1993) and Middlesex
Middlesex (novel)
Middlesex is a Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Jeffrey Eugenides published in 2002. The book is a bestseller, with more than three million copies sold as of May 2011. Its characters and events are loosely based on aspects of Eugenides' life and observations of his Greek heritage. It is...
(2002). His novel The Marriage Plot
The Marriage Plot
The Marriage Plot is a 2011 novel by American writer Jeffrey Eugenides.-Summary:The story concerns three college friends from Brown University—Madeleine, Leonard, and Mitchell—beginning in their senior year, 1982, and follows them during their first year post-graduation.-Reception:The novel was...
was published in October, 2011.
Life and career
Eugenides was born in Detroit, MichiganDetroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
, of Greek and Irish descent. He attended Grosse Pointe's
Grosse Pointe, Michigan
Grosse Pointe is a suburban city bordering Detroit in Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The city covers just over one square mile, and had a population of 5,421 at the 2010 census. It is bordered on the west by Grosse Pointe Park, on the north by Detroit, on the east by Grosse Pointe...
private University Liggett School
University Liggett School
University Liggett School, also known as ULS and Liggett, is a private, secular school inGrosse Pointe Woods, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1878, it is Michigan's oldest independent coeducational day school....
. He took his undergraduate degree at Brown University
Brown University
Brown University is a private, Ivy League university located in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1764 prior to American independence from the British Empire as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations early in the reign of King George III ,...
, graduating in 1983. He later earned an M.A.
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
in Creative Writing from Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
.
In 1986 he received the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is a professional honorary organization dedicated to the advancement of the arts and sciences of motion pictures...
Nicholl Fellowship for his story "Here Comes Winston, Full of the Holy Spirit." His 1993 novel, The Virgin Suicides
The Virgin Suicides
The Virgin Suicides is the 1993 debut novel by American writer Jeffrey Eugenides. The story, which is set in Grosse Pointe, Michigan during the 1970s, centers on the suicides of five sisters. The Lisbon girls' suicides fascinate their community as their neighbors struggle to find an explanation for...
, gained mainstream interest with the 1999 film adaptation directed by Sofia Coppola
Sofia Coppola
Sofia Carmina Coppola is an American screenwriter, film director, actress, and producer.In 2003 she received the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for Lost in Translation, and became the third woman to be nominated for an Academy Award for Directing...
. The novel was reissued in 2009.
Eugenides is reluctant to disclose details about his private life, except through Michigan-area book signings in which he details the influence of Detroit and his high-school experiences on his writings. He has said that he has "a perverse love" of his birthplace. "I think most of the major elements of American history are exemplified in Detroit, from the triumph of the automobile and the assembly line to the blight of racism, not to mention the music, Motown, the MC5
MC5
The MC5 is an American rock band formed in Lincoln Park, Michigan and originally active from 1964 to 1972. The original band line-up consisted of vocalist Rob Tyner, guitarists Wayne Kramer and Fred "Sonic" Smith, bassist Michael Davis, and drummer Dennis Thompson...
, house, techno." He also says he has been haunted by the decline of Detroit.
He lives in Princeton, New Jersey
Princeton, New Jersey
Princeton is a community located in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. It is best known as the location of Princeton University, which has been sited in the community since 1756...
, with his wife, Karen Yamauchi, and their daughter, Georgia. In the fall of 2007, Eugenides joined the faculty of Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
's Program in Creative Writing.
His 2002 novel, Middlesex
Middlesex (novel)
Middlesex is a Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Jeffrey Eugenides published in 2002. The book is a bestseller, with more than three million copies sold as of May 2011. Its characters and events are loosely based on aspects of Eugenides' life and observations of his Greek heritage. It is...
, won the 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 fiction and the Ambassador Book Award
Ambassador Book Award
The Ambassador Book Award is awarded annually by the English Speaking Union. It recognizes important literary works that contribute to the understanding and interpretation of American life and culture. Winners of the award are considered literary ambassadors who provide, in the best contemporary...
. Part of it was set in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, where Eugenides lived
German Academic Exchange Service
The German Academic Exchange Service or DAAD is the largest German support organisation in the field of international academic co-operation....
from 1999 to 2004, but it was chiefly concerned with the Greek-American immigrant experience in the United States, against the rise and fall of Detroit. It explores the experience of the intersex
Intersex
Intersex, in humans and other animals, is the presence of intermediate or atypical combinations of physical features that usually distinguish female from male...
ed in the USA. Eugenides wrote a lecture titled "On Obstacles and Omens: The Writing of 'Middlesex'", in which he discussed the numerous omens he experienced while working on Middlesex. In one omen, Eugenides based Cal's grandparents on his own grandparents, whom he recalled through an ancient, furled snapshot he had seen many years prior. As he finished a character sketch of Cal's grandparents one day, Eugenides received from the post office a parcel from his mother. It contained the photograph of his grandparents, now unfurled and framed, that Eugenides had been recalling. In another omen, Eugenides wrote about the adolescent Calliope's intimate relations with a girl she names the Obscure Object. The name was derived from the nickname of a captivating woman he had met in university. The same day he completed the novel, he attended a dinner hosted at the American Academy in Berlin
American Academy in Berlin
The American Academy in Berlin is a research and cultural institution in Berlin whose stated mission is to foster a greater understanding and dialogue between the people of the United States and the people of Germany.The American Academy was founded in September 1994 by a group of prominent...
, where he conversed with a faintly recognizable woman. After talking with her briefly, he suddenly recognized that she was the Obscure Object whom he had not seen for two decades.
Eugenides has also published short stories, primarily in The New Yorker
The New Yorker
The New Yorker is an American magazine of reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons and poetry published by Condé Nast...
. His 1996 story "Baster" became the basis for the 2010 romantic comedy The Switch.
His third novel, The Marriage Plot
The Marriage Plot
The Marriage Plot is a 2011 novel by American writer Jeffrey Eugenides.-Summary:The story concerns three college friends from Brown University—Madeleine, Leonard, and Mitchell—beginning in their senior year, 1982, and follows them during their first year post-graduation.-Reception:The novel was...
(Farrar, Straus and Giroux, October 2011 ), has been called by Carlin Romano
Carlin Romano
Carlin Romano is a critic-at-large for the The Chronicle of Higher Education and a lecturer in Philosophy and Media Theory at the University of Pennsylvania's Annenberg School for Communication...
in the Chronicle of Higher Education "the most entertaining campus novel since Wolfe
Tom Wolfe
Thomas Kennerly "Tom" Wolfe, Jr. is a best-selling American author and journalist. He is one of the founders of the New Journalism movement of the 1960s and 1970s.-Early life and education:...
's I Am Charlotte Simmons
I Am Charlotte Simmons
I Am Charlotte Simmons is a 2004 novel by Tom Wolfe, concerning sexual and status relationships at the fictional Dupont University, closely modeled after Duke University, the University of Pennsylvania and Stanford University...
". The novel begins on graduation day at Brown University
Brown University
Brown University is a private, Ivy League university located in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1764 prior to American independence from the British Empire as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations early in the reign of King George III ,...
in 1982.
Eugenides announced at a 2011 Washington, DC reading for "The Marriage Plot" that his next project would be book of self-written short stories.
Eugenides is the editor of the collection of short stories titled My Mistress's Sparrow is Dead. The proceeds of the collection go to the writing center 826 Chicago
826 National
826 National is a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping students, ages 6–18, with expository and creative writing at eight locations across the USA...
, established to encourage young people's writing.
Novels
- The Virgin SuicidesThe Virgin SuicidesThe Virgin Suicides is the 1993 debut novel by American writer Jeffrey Eugenides. The story, which is set in Grosse Pointe, Michigan during the 1970s, centers on the suicides of five sisters. The Lisbon girls' suicides fascinate their community as their neighbors struggle to find an explanation for...
(1993) (ISBN 0-446-67025-1) - MiddlesexMiddlesex (novel)Middlesex is a Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Jeffrey Eugenides published in 2002. The book is a bestseller, with more than three million copies sold as of May 2011. Its characters and events are loosely based on aspects of Eugenides' life and observations of his Greek heritage. It is...
(2002) (ISBN 0-374-19969-8) - Pulitzer Prize for fictionPulitzer Prize for FictionThe Pulitzer Prize for Fiction has been awarded for distinguished fiction by an American author, preferably dealing with American life. It originated as the Pulitzer Prize for the Novel, which was awarded between 1918 and 1947.-1910s:... - The Marriage PlotThe Marriage PlotThe Marriage Plot is a 2011 novel by American writer Jeffrey Eugenides.-Summary:The story concerns three college friends from Brown University—Madeleine, Leonard, and Mitchell—beginning in their senior year, 1982, and follows them during their first year post-graduation.-Reception:The novel was...
(October 2011)
External links
- Jeffrey Eugenides, Princeton University Creative Writing Program
- Articles by Jeffrey Eugenides on the 5th Estate blog
- "Great Experiment", The New Yorker, 31 March 2008
- Read "Extreme Solitude" story in New Yorker
Interviews
- Video of Eugenides with Salman Rushdie, "LIVE", New York Public Library, June 27, 2008
- Video of Eugenides with Daniel Kehlmann, PEN World Voices, May 4, 2008
- Fresh Air, "Interview with Terry Gross", WHYY, aired on 2002-09-24
- "Interview", 3am Magazine, 2003
- Salon.com interview
- "Interview", Guardian Unlimited Books