Mark Costello (author)
Encyclopedia
Mark Costello, a native of Decatur, Illinois
, is the author of the story collections The Murphy Stories (University of Illinois Press, 1973), which won the St. Lawrence Award for Short Fiction, and Middle Murphy (University of Illinois Press
, 1991). The Murphy Stories has received praise and one of its stories, Murphy's Xmas was anthologized in several collections.
Costello taught for many years at the University of Illinois-Urbana as a creative writing instructor, and served as a visiting writer at many universities and college. He held the Endowed Chair in Creative Writing at the University of Alabama
at Tuscaloosa and was writer-in-residence at the University of Iowa
Writers Workshop for one year.
His story Room 601 has received praise. Costello is known for his careful, exacting use of language, and the introspective nature of his characters. The stories are set in central Illinois and feature a hard-drinking, hard-living character, Michael Murphy.
Costello's work has appeared in literary magazines and anthologies, including The Norton Anthology of Short Fiction, The Norton Anthology of Contemporary Fiction, and Best American Short Stories
.
Decatur, Illinois
Decatur is the largest city and the county seat of Macon County in the U.S. state of Illinois. The city, sometimes called "the Soybean Capital of the World", was founded in 1823 and is located along the Sangamon River and Lake Decatur in Central Illinois. In 2000 the city population was 81,500,...
, is the author of the story collections The Murphy Stories (University of Illinois Press, 1973), which won the St. Lawrence Award for Short Fiction, and Middle Murphy (University of Illinois Press
University of Illinois Press
The University of Illinois Press , is a major American university press and part of the University of Illinois system. Founded in 1918, the press publishes some 120 new books each year, plus 33 scholarly journals, and several electronic projects...
, 1991). The Murphy Stories has received praise and one of its stories, Murphy's Xmas was anthologized in several collections.
Costello taught for many years at the University of Illinois-Urbana as a creative writing instructor, and served as a visiting writer at many universities and college. He held the Endowed Chair in Creative Writing at the University of Alabama
University of Alabama
The University of Alabama is a public coeducational university located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States....
at Tuscaloosa and was writer-in-residence at the University of Iowa
University of Iowa
The University of Iowa is a public state-supported research university located in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. It is the oldest public university in the state. The university is organized into eleven colleges granting undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees...
Writers Workshop for one year.
His story Room 601 has received praise. Costello is known for his careful, exacting use of language, and the introspective nature of his characters. The stories are set in central Illinois and feature a hard-drinking, hard-living character, Michael Murphy.
Costello's work has appeared in literary magazines and anthologies, including The Norton Anthology of Short Fiction, The Norton Anthology of Contemporary Fiction, and Best American Short Stories
Best American Short Stories
The Best American Short Stories yearly anthology is a part of The Best American Series published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Since 1915, the BASS anthology has striven to contain the best short stories by some of the best-known writers in contemporary American literature.-Edward O'Brien:The...
.