Walter Kirn
Encyclopedia
Walter Kirn is an American novelist, literary critic
, and essay
ist. His latest book is the 2009 memoir
Lost in the Meritocracy: The Undereducation of an Overachiever
.
, he has published a collection of short stories and several novels, including Thumbsucker
, which was made into a 2005 film featuring Keanu Reeves
and Vince Vaughn
; Up in the Air, a feature film directed by Jason Reitman
; and Mission to America
. In 2005, he took over pioneer blogger Andrew Sullivan
's shoes for a few weeks while Sullivan was on vacation. He has also written The Unbinding, an Internet-only novel that was published in Slate
magazine.
He has also reviewed books for New York Magazine and has written for The New York Times Book Review
and New York Times Sunday Magazine, and is a contributing editor of Time
, where he has received popularity for his entertaining and sometimes humorous first-person essays among other articles of interest. He also served as an American cultural correspondent for the BBC
.
In addition to teaching nonfiction writing at the University of Montana, Kirn was the 2008-09 Vare Nonfiction Writer in Residence at the University of Chicago
. He received his A.B. in English at Princeton University
in 1983, and obtained a second undergraduate degree in English Literature at Oxford University.
and novelist Thomas McGuane
, in 1995. Kirn was 32 at the time; McGuane was 19. The couple had two children, Masie and Charlie, and are now divorced.
Literary criticism
Literary criticism is the study, evaluation, and interpretation of literature. Modern literary criticism is often informed by literary theory, which is the philosophical discussion of its methods and goals...
, and essay
Essay
An essay is a piece of writing which is often written from an author's personal point of view. Essays can consist of a number of elements, including: literary criticism, political manifestos, learned arguments, observations of daily life, recollections, and reflections of the author. The definition...
ist. His latest book is the 2009 memoir
Memoir
A memoir , is a literary genre, forming a subclass of autobiography – although the terms 'memoir' and 'autobiography' are almost interchangeable. Memoir is autobiographical writing, but not all autobiographical writing follows the criteria for memoir set out below...
Lost in the Meritocracy: The Undereducation of an Overachiever
Lost in the Meritocracy: The Undereducation of an Overachiever
Lost in the Meritocracy: The Undereducation of an Overachiever is a 2009 memoir by Walter Kirn. It describes his own trip through the American education system from rural Minnesota to Princeton University....
.
Overview
A 1983 graduate of Princeton UniversityPrinceton 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....
, he has published a collection of short stories and several novels, including Thumbsucker
Thumbsucker (novel)
Thumbsucker is a 1999 novel by Walter Kirn. It was adapted into a film of the same name by Mike Mills in 2005.-Plot introduction:Kirn's novel tells the story of Justin Cobb, a Minnesota teenager whose family experiences a broad spectrum of dysfunction. Father Mike is a washed-up college football...
, which was made into a 2005 film featuring Keanu Reeves
Keanu Reeves
Keanu Charles Reeves is a Canadian actor. Reeves is perhaps best known for his roles in Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure, Speed, Point Break and the science fiction-action trilogy The Matrix...
and Vince Vaughn
Vince Vaughn
Vincent Anthony "Vince" Vaughn is an American film actor, screenwriter, producer and comedian. He began acting in the late 1980s, appearing in minor television roles before attaining wider recognition with the 1996 movie Swingers...
; Up in the Air, a feature film directed by Jason Reitman
Jason Reitman
Jason Reitman is a Canadian/American film director, screenwriter, and producer, best known for directing the films Thank You for Smoking , Juno , and Up in the Air . As of February 2, 2010, he has received three Academy Award nominations, two of which are for Best Director...
; and Mission to America
Mission to America
Mission to America is a novel by American novelist Walter Kirn.The novel is narrated by Mason LaVerle, a member of a tiny religious sect in rural Bluff, Montana, called the Aboriginal Fulfilled Apostles, whose complicated views involve a kind of highly incorporative theology and a strict dietary...
. In 2005, he took over pioneer blogger Andrew Sullivan
Andrew Sullivan
Andrew Michael Sullivan is an English author, editor, political commentator and blogger. He describes himself as a political conservative. He has focused on American political life....
's shoes for a few weeks while Sullivan was on vacation. He has also written The Unbinding, an Internet-only novel that was published in Slate
Slate (magazine)
Slate is a US-based English language online current affairs and culture magazine created in 1996 by former New Republic editor Michael Kinsley, initially under the ownership of Microsoft as part of MSN. On 21 December 2004 it was purchased by the Washington Post Company...
magazine.
He has also reviewed books for New York Magazine and has written for The New York Times Book Review
The New York Times Book Review
The New York Times Book Review is a weekly paper-magazine supplement to The New York Times in which current non-fiction and fiction books are reviewed. It is one of the most influential and widely read book review publications in the industry. The offices are located near Times Square in New York...
and New York Times Sunday Magazine, and is a contributing editor of Time
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
, where he has received popularity for his entertaining and sometimes humorous first-person essays among other articles of interest. He also served as an American cultural correspondent for the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
.
In addition to teaching nonfiction writing at the University of Montana, Kirn was the 2008-09 Vare Nonfiction Writer in Residence at the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
. He received his A.B. in English at 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....
in 1983, and obtained a second undergraduate degree in English Literature at Oxford University.
Personal life
Kirn's family joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints when he was twelve, but Kirn is no longer affiliated with the church. Kirn received the 2009 William Law X-Mormon of the Year award. Kirn married Maggie McGuane, a model and journalist and the daughter of actress Margot KidderMargot Kidder
Margaret Ruth "Margot" Kidder is a Canadian-born American actress. She is perhaps best known for playing Lois Lane in the four Superman movies opposite Christopher Reeve, a role that brought her to widespread recognition....
and novelist Thomas McGuane
Thomas McGuane
Thomas Francis McGuane III is an American author. His work includes ten novels, short fiction and screenplays, as well as three collections of essays devoted to his life in the outdoors.-Early life:...
, in 1995. Kirn was 32 at the time; McGuane was 19. The couple had two children, Masie and Charlie, and are now divorced.
Filmography
- ThumbsuckerThumbsucker (film)Thumbsucker is a 2005 American comedy-drama film directed by Mike Mills adapted from the Walter Kirn novel of the same name. The movie focuses on teenager Justin Cobb and how he copes with his thumb sucking problem, and his experiments with hypnosis, sex and drugs.-Plot:Justin Cobb is a shy...
(2005) - Up in the AirUp in the Air (film)Up in the Air is a 2009 American comedy-drama film directed by Jason Reitman and co-written by Reitman and Sheldon Turner. It is a film adaptation of the 2001 novel of the same name, written by Walter Kirn. The story is about a corporate downsizer Ryan Bingham and his travels...
(2009)
External links
- Larry Weissman, Interview with Walter Kirn, Random House.
- Terry Gross, Writer Walter Kirn, on a 'Mission to America', Fresh Air, NPR.
- Essay: The Autumn of the Multi-Taskers, The Atlantic Monthly, November 2007.
- Article: More Than a Numbers Game, The New York Times Magazine, May 2009.
- Essay: Lost in the Meritocracy, The Atlantic, January 2005.
- Profile: Poison IvyTime Out New York, May 14-20, 2009.
- Q&A with Walter Kirn, C-SPAN
- Walter Kirn on Twitter