Madison Smartt Bell
Encyclopedia
Madison Smartt Bell is an American
novelist. He was raised Nashville, and lived in New York
, and London
before settling in Baltimore, Maryland.
He is a graduate of Princeton University
, where he won the Ward Mathis Prize and the Francis Leymoyne Page award, and Hollins University
, where he won the Andrew James Purdy fiction award.
Bell has taught in various creative writing programs, including the Iowa Writers' Workshop
, the Poetry Center of the 92nd Street Y
, and the Johns Hopkins University Writing Seminars. Bell is married to the poet Elizabeth Spires
and is a professor at Goucher College
in Towson, Maryland
.
In addition he has written essays and reviews for Harper's, The New York Review of Books
, the New York Times Book Review, The Village Voice
.
His papers are held at Princeton.
, the 1996 PEN/Faulkner Award
, and won the 1996 Anisfield-Wolf Award for the best book of the year dealing with matters of race.
He won a Strauss Living Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
novelist. He was raised Nashville, and lived in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, and London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
before settling in Baltimore, Maryland.
He is a graduate 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....
, where he won the Ward Mathis Prize and the Francis Leymoyne Page award, and Hollins University
Hollins University
Hollins University is a four-year institution of higher education, a private university located on a campus on the border of Roanoke County, Virginia and Botetourt County, Virginia...
, where he won the Andrew James Purdy fiction award.
Bell has taught in various creative writing programs, including the Iowa Writers' Workshop
Iowa Writers' Workshop
The Program in Creative Writing, more commonly known as the Iowa Writers' Workshop, at the University of Iowa in Iowa City, Iowa, is a highly regarded graduate-level creative writing program in the United States...
, the Poetry Center of the 92nd Street Y
92nd Street Y
92nd Street Y is a multifaceted cultural institution and community center located on the Upper East Side of Manhattan in New York City, United States, at the corner of E. 92nd Street and Lexington Avenue. Its full name is 92nd Street Young Men's and Young Women's Hebrew Association...
, and the Johns Hopkins University Writing Seminars. Bell is married to the poet Elizabeth Spires
Elizabeth Spires
-Life:She was raised in Circleville. She graduated from Vassar College and Johns Hopkins University.Her poems have appeared in The New Yorker, Poetry, American Poetry Review, The New Criterion, The Paris Review, and in many other literary magazines and anthologies, She lives in Baltimore with her...
and is a professor at Goucher College
Goucher College
Goucher College is a private, co-educational, liberal arts college located in the northern Baltimore suburb of Towson in unincorporated Baltimore County, Maryland, on a 287 acre campus. The school has approximately 1,475 undergraduate students studying in 31 majors and six interdisciplinary...
in Towson, Maryland
Towson, Maryland
Towson is an unincorporated community and a census-designated place in Baltimore County, Maryland, United States. The population was 55,197 at the 2010 census...
.
In addition he has written essays and reviews for Harper's, The New York Review of Books
The New York Review of Books
The New York Review of Books is a fortnightly magazine with articles on literature, culture and current affairs. Published in New York City, it takes as its point of departure that the discussion of important books is itself an indispensable literary activity...
, the New York Times Book Review, The Village Voice
The Village Voice
The Village Voice is a free weekly newspaper and news and features website in New York City that features investigative articles, analysis of current affairs and culture, arts and music coverage, and events listings for New York City...
.
His papers are held at Princeton.
Awards
His eighth novel, All Souls' Rising, was a finalist for the 1995 National Book AwardNational Book Award
The National Book Awards are a set of American literary awards. Started in 1950, the Awards are presented annually to American authors for literature published in the current year. In 1989 the National Book Foundation, a nonprofit organization which now oversees and manages the National Book...
, the 1996 PEN/Faulkner Award
PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction
The PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction is awarded annually by the PEN/Faulkner Foundation to the authors of the year's best works of fiction by living American citizens. The winner receives US $15,000 and each of four runners-up receives US $5000. The foundation brings the winner and runners-up to...
, and won the 1996 Anisfield-Wolf Award for the best book of the year dealing with matters of race.
He won a Strauss Living Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters.
External links
- "Bell's 'Stone' caps acclaimed Haiti trilogy", Times Union, KEVIN LANAHAN, November 14, 2004
- Interview: Madison Smartt Bell Interview from KeepWriting.org