Joseph Olshan
Encyclopedia
Joseph Olshan is an award-winning American novelist.
He is the author of eight novels, most recently, The Conversion (St. Martin's Press, 2008). His first novel, Clara's Heart
, won the Times
/Jonathan Cape
Young Writers' Competition and went on to be made into a feature film starring Whoopi Goldberg
in 1988. In addition to his novels, he has written extensively for newspapers and magazines, including San Francisco Chronicle The New York Times
, The New York Times Magazine
, The Times, The Observer
, The Independent
, The Washington Post
, The Chicago Tribune, The New York Observer, Harper's Bazaar
, People Magazine, and Entertainment Weekly
. Between 1992 and 1994 he was a regular book reviewer for The Wall Street Journal
. For most of the 1990s he was a professor of Creative Writing at New York University
, where he taught both graduate and undergraduate courses. He was also the editor-in-chief of Delphinium Books until 2002.
Joseph Olshan is published in the U.S. by St. Martin's Press
and Berkley Books
and in United Kingdom by Bloomsbury Publishing and by Arcadia Books. His work has been translated into sixteen languages. He grew up in Harrison, New York
, and New York City and graduated from the University of California at Santa Barbara. He lives in Barnard, Vermont
.
He is the author of eight novels, most recently, The Conversion (St. Martin's Press, 2008). His first novel, Clara's Heart
Clara's Heart
Clara's Heart is a 1988 American film starring Whoopi Goldberg, Neil Patrick Harris, Kathleen Quinlan and Michael Ontkean. It was directed by Robert Mulligan and written by Mark Medoff, based on the acclaimed novel of the same name by Joseph Olshan.-Plot:...
, won the Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
/Jonathan Cape
Jonathan Cape
Jonathan Cape was a London-based publisher founded in 1919 as "Page & Co" by Herbert Jonathan Cape , formerly a manager at Duckworth who had worked his way up from a position of bookshop errand boy. Cape brought with him the rights to cheap editions of the popular author Elinor Glyn and sales of...
Young Writers' Competition and went on to be made into a feature film starring Whoopi Goldberg
Whoopi Goldberg
Whoopi Goldberg is an American comedian, actress, singer-songwriter, political activist, author and talk show host.Goldberg made her film debut in The Color Purple playing Celie, a mistreated black woman in the Deep South. She received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress and won...
in 1988. In addition to his novels, he has written extensively for newspapers and magazines, including San Francisco Chronicle The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, The New York Times Magazine
The New York Times Magazine
The New York Times Magazine is a Sunday magazine supplement included with the Sunday edition of The New York Times. It is host to feature articles longer than those typically in the newspaper and has attracted many notable contributors...
, The Times, The Observer
The Observer
The Observer is a British newspaper, published on Sundays. In the same place on the political spectrum as its daily sister paper The Guardian, which acquired it in 1993, it takes a liberal or social democratic line on most issues. It is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper.-Origins:The first issue,...
, The Independent
The Independent
The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
, The Washington Post
The Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
, The Chicago Tribune, The New York Observer, Harper's Bazaar
Harper's Bazaar
Harper’s Bazaar is an American fashion magazine, first published in 1867. Harper’s Bazaar is published by Hearst and, as a magazine, considers itself to be the style resource for “women who are the first to buy the best, from casual to couture.”...
, People Magazine, and Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
. Between 1992 and 1994 he was a regular book reviewer for The Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal is an American English-language international daily newspaper. It is published in New York City by Dow Jones & Company, a division of News Corporation, along with the Asian and European editions of the Journal....
. For most of the 1990s he was a professor of Creative Writing at New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
, where he taught both graduate and undergraduate courses. He was also the editor-in-chief of Delphinium Books until 2002.
Joseph Olshan is published in the U.S. by St. Martin's Press
St. Martin's Press
St. Martin's Press is a book publisher headquartered in the Flatiron Building in New York City. Currently, St. Martin's Press is one of the United States' largest publishers, bringing to the public some 700 titles a year under eight imprints, which include St. Martin's Press , St...
and Berkley Books
Berkley Books
Berkley Books is an imprint of Penguin Group that began as an independent company in 1955. It was established by Charles Byrne and Frederic Klein, who were working for Avon and formed "Chic News Company". They renamed it Berkley Publishing Co. in 1955. They soon found a niche in science fiction...
and in United Kingdom by Bloomsbury Publishing and by Arcadia Books. His work has been translated into sixteen languages. He grew up in Harrison, New York
Harrison, New York
Harrison is a village and town in Westchester County, New York, United States, located approximately northeast of Manhattan. The population was 27,472 at the 2010 census.-Establishment:...
, and New York City and graduated from the University of California at Santa Barbara. He lives in Barnard, Vermont
Barnard, Vermont
Barnard is a town in Windsor County, Vermont, United States. The population was 958 at the 2000 census.- History :The town was chartered on July 17, 1761 by a New Hampshire Grant and named after the second-listed grantee of the town Sir Francis Bernard, 1st Baronet and since 1760 Governor of the...
.
Novels
- The Conversion (St. Martin's Press, 2008)
- In Clara's Hands (Bloomsbury, 2003)
- Vanitas (Simon & Schuster, 1998)
- Nightswimmer (Simon & Schuster, 1994)
- The Sound of Heaven (Bloomsbury, 1992)
- The Waterline (Doubleday, 1989)
- A Warmer Season (Bloomsbury/McGraw-Hill, co-pub, 1987)
- Clara's Heart (Arbor House, 1985)
External links
- Joseph Olshan Official Website
- Audio: Vermont Public Radio > Interview with Author Joseph Olshan on The Conversion > Friday May 2, 2008 > By Neal Charnoff
- Bloomsbury > Joseph Olshan Bio
- Audio: NPR's All Things Considered> Book reviewer Alan Cheuse Examines The Conversion, by Joseph Olshan
- Audio: NPR's All Things Considered> Book reviewer Alan Cheuse Reviews Vanitas, by Joseph Olshan
- Review: Library Journal > Reivew by Jenn B. Stidham of The Conversion by Joseph Olshan