Olen Steinhauer
Encyclopedia
Olen Steinhauer is an American
novelist who authored The Tourist
, a New York Times Best Seller.
, Maryland
, USA, and grew up in Virginia
. He attended university at Lock Haven, Pennsylvania
and The University of Texas, Austin
. He received an MFA
in Creative Writing
at Emerson College
in Boston
.
After graduation, Steinhauer received a yearlong Fulbright grant to write a novel in Romania
, about their 1989 revolution. It was called Tzara's Monocle, and when he moved to New York City
afterward, he used that manuscript to secure a literary agent
. However, it was with another book, the historical mystery set in Eastern Europe
, The Bridge of Sighs, that Steinhauer first found publication.
His 2009 CIA novel, The Tourist, received positive reviews and is being developed for a film by George Clooney
. A 2010 follow-up, The Nearest Exit has also been positively reviewed.
Since 2003, he has lived in Budapest
, Hungary
. During the winter of 2009/10, Steinhauer was the Picador Guest Professor for Literature at the University of Leipzig
's Institute for American Studies in Leipzig
, Germany.
He has two siblings, a brother Ian, and a sister, Katrina.
, with one book for each decade. Each book also focuses on a different main character.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
novelist who authored The Tourist
The Tourist (novel)
The Tourist is an espionage novel written by Olen Steinhauer in 2009, that was featured on The New York Times' list of best sellers. The story follows Milo Weaver, an agent with a secret branch of the CIA specializing in black ops known as the Tourists...
, a New York Times Best Seller.
Life
Steinhauer was born in BaltimoreBaltimore
Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
, Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
, USA, and grew up in Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
. He attended university at Lock Haven, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
and The University of Texas, Austin
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
. He received an MFA
Master of Fine Arts
A Master of Fine Arts is a graduate degree typically requiring 2–3 years of postgraduate study beyond the bachelor's degree , although the term of study will vary by country or by university. The MFA is usually awarded in visual arts, creative writing, filmmaking, dance, or theatre/performing arts...
in Creative Writing
Creative writing
Creative writing is considered to be any writing, fiction, poetry, or non-fiction, that goes outside the bounds of normal professional, journalistic, academic, and technical forms of literature. Works which fall into this category include novels, epics, short stories, and poems...
at Emerson College
Emerson College
Emerson College is a private coeducational university located in Boston, Massachusetts. Founded in 1880 by Charles Wesley Emerson as a "school of oratory," Emerson is "the only comprehensive college or university in America dedicated exclusively to communication and the arts in a liberal arts...
in Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
.
After graduation, Steinhauer received a yearlong Fulbright grant to write a novel in Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
, about their 1989 revolution. It was called Tzara's Monocle, and when he moved to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
afterward, he used that manuscript to secure a literary agent
Literary agent
A literary agent is an agent who represents writers and their written works to publishers, theatrical producers and film producers and assists in the sale and deal negotiation of the same. Literary agents most often represent novelists, screenwriters and major non-fiction writers...
. However, it was with another book, the historical mystery set in Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe is the eastern part of Europe. The term has widely disparate geopolitical, geographical, cultural and socioeconomic readings, which makes it highly context-dependent and even volatile, and there are "almost as many definitions of Eastern Europe as there are scholars of the region"...
, The Bridge of Sighs, that Steinhauer first found publication.
His 2009 CIA novel, The Tourist, received positive reviews and is being developed for a film by George Clooney
George Clooney
George Timothy Clooney is an American actor, film director, producer, and screenwriter. For his work as an actor, he has received two Golden Globe Awards and an Academy Award...
. A 2010 follow-up, The Nearest Exit has also been positively reviewed.
Since 2003, he has lived in Budapest
Budapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
, Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
. During the winter of 2009/10, Steinhauer was the Picador Guest Professor for Literature at the University of Leipzig
University of Leipzig
The University of Leipzig , located in Leipzig in the Free State of Saxony, Germany, is one of the oldest universities in the world and the second-oldest university in Germany...
's Institute for American Studies in Leipzig
Leipzig
Leipzig Leipzig has always been a trade city, situated during the time of the Holy Roman Empire at the intersection of the Via Regia and Via Imperii, two important trade routes. At one time, Leipzig was one of the major European centres of learning and culture in fields such as music and publishing...
, Germany.
He has two siblings, a brother Ian, and a sister, Katrina.
Work
The Bridge of Sighs was the first in a five-book series of thrillers chronicling the evolution of a fictional Eastern European country during the Cold WarCold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
, with one book for each decade. Each book also focuses on a different main character.
- The Bridge of Sighs (2003) — Emil Brod, 1948 (nominated for five awards)
- The Confession (2004) — Ferenc Kolyeszar, 1956
- 36 Yalta Boulevard (2005) — Brano Sev, 1966–1967
- Liberation Movements (2006) — Brano Sev, Katja Drdova, Gavra Noukas, 1968 & 1975 (nominated for the Edgar Award for Best Novel)
- Victory Square (2007) — The final book in the series, dealing with 1989, the end of communism, and the return to the main character of the first book, Emil Brod.
Post-series titles
- The TouristThe Tourist (novel)The Tourist is an espionage novel written by Olen Steinhauer in 2009, that was featured on The New York Times' list of best sellers. The story follows Milo Weaver, an agent with a secret branch of the CIA specializing in black ops known as the Tourists...
(2009) — The first in a projected trilogy of espionage novels focused on a central character, Milo Weaver. Reached #19 on the New York Times Best Seller ListNew York Times Best Seller listThe New York Times Best Seller list is widely considered the preeminent list of best-selling books in the United States. It is published weekly in The New York Times Book Review magazine, which is published in the Sunday edition of The New York Times and as a stand-alone publication...
.
- The Nearest Exit (2010) — The second Milo Weaver novel.
- An American Spy (2012) -- The third Milo Weaver novel will be released in March 2012, according to the author's official website.
External links
- Olen Steinhauer official website
- Olen Steinhauer official biography
- Contemporary Nomad (edited by Steinhauer)