Michael Thomas (Man Gone Down author): Difference between revisions
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{{Infobox Writer |
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| name = Michael Thomas |
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| pseudonym = |
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| birthname = |
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| birthplace = [[Boston]], [[United States]] |
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| occupation = [[Author]] |
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| nationality = [[United States|American]] |
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| ethnicity = |
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| citizenship = |
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| education = [[Bachelor's degree]] |
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| alma_mater = [[Hunter College]] |
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| movement = |
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| notableworks = ''[[Man Gone Down]]'' |
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| spouse = Yes |
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| partner = |
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| children = Three |
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| relatives = |
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| influences = |
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| awards = [[International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award]] (2009)}} |
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'''Michael Thomas''' is an [[United States|American]] author. He won the 2009 [[International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award]] for his debut novel, ''Man Gone Down'', receiving a prize of [[Euro|€]]100,000. ''[[Man Gone Down]]'' is also recommended by ''[[The New York Times]]''. |
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==Early and personal life== |
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Thomas was born and raised in [[Boston]].<ref name="Debut novel by US writer wins Impac"/><ref name="'Man gone down' wins IMPAC Dublin Literary Award"/> He studied for a bachelor's degree at [[Hunter College]] in [[New York City]], where he now teaches, and for a master's degree at [[Warren Wilson College]].<ref name="Grove">[http://www.groveatlantic.com/grove/bin/wc.dll?groveproc~genauth~5177~0~bio Michael Thomas: ''Man Gone Down''] [[Grove Press]], author's biography.</ref> He currently lives in [[Brooklyn, New York]], with his wife and three children.<ref name="'Man gone down' wins IMPAC Dublin Literary Award">{{cite web|url=http://www.independent.ie/breaking-news/national-news/man-gone-down-wins-impac-dublin-literary-award-1770857.html|title='Man gone down' wins IMPAC Dublin Literary Award|date=2009-06-11|accessdate=2009-06-11|publisher=''[[Irish Independent]]''}}</ref><ref name="Debut novelist takes €100,000 Impac Dublin prize"/> |
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In addition to his professorship at Hunter College Thomas has worked in bars, restaurants, at construction sites, as a pizza delivery man, on film sets and as a taxi driver.<ref>Ibid.</ref> |
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==Writing career== |
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Prior to garnering international attention, Michael Thomas wrote poetry and performed in the capacity of a singer-songwriter.<ref name="Debut novelist takes €100,000 Impac Dublin prize"/> Later, while attending graduate school, he studied a fiction programme, with his thesis being a collection of short stories.<ref name="Debut novelist takes €100,000 Impac Dublin prize"/> One of these short stories became his debut novel.<ref name="Debut novelist takes €100,000 Impac Dublin prize"/> |
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===''Man Gone Down''=== |
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{{main article|Man Gone Down}} |
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{{Quote box | width=30% | align=right | quote= "One day I was doing my laundry and I realised the breaks were chapters, not pages, and I started writing a novel. I write to images, or lines, and the end came to me – the last two paragraphs, the last line. I was always writing to it. I had to get there."|source= <small>Thomas, on constructing ''Man Gone Down''.<ref name="Debut novelist takes €100,000 Impac Dublin prize"/> </small> }} |
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Thomas's debut novel, ''Man Gone Down'', won the 2009 International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award on 11 June 2009.<ref name="Debut novel by US writer wins Impac"/> The prize, which is the richest literary award in the world and is open to novels written in all languages,<ref name="Debut novelist takes €100,000 Impac Dublin prize"/> was €100,000 ([[Pound sterling|£]]85,000, [[United States dollar|US$]]140,000).<ref name="'Man gone down' wins IMPAC Dublin Literary Award"/><ref name="Debut novelist takes €100,000 Impac Dublin prize"/><ref name="African-American novel wins Irish literature prize"/> Thomas was the third author to win with their debut, following [[Andrew Miller]]'s ''[[Ingenious Pain]]'' (1999) and [[Rawi Hage]]'s ''[[De Niro's Game]]'' (2007).<ref name="Debut novelist takes €100,000 Impac Dublin prize"/> The book received praise from the judges, who included [[James Ryan]], for its "energy and warmth" and for being "tuned urgently to the way we live now".<ref name="Debut novel by US writer wins Impac"/> Thomas said he had been "feeling a little desperate" during the writing of it.<ref name="Debut novelist takes €100,000 Impac Dublin prize"/> |
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''Man Gone Down'' beat an international longlist of 147 titles from 41 countries, as well as seven other shortlisted nominations such as ''[[The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao]]'' by [[Junot Díaz]] and ''[[The Reluctant Fundamentalist]]'' by [[Mohsin Hamid]], as well as novels by established authors such as [[Doris Lessing]], [[Joyce Carol Oates]] and [[Philip Roth]].<ref name="Debut novel by US writer wins Impac"/><ref name="Debut novelist takes €100,000 Impac Dublin prize"/><ref name="African-American novel wins Irish literature prize"/> It was nominated by the [[National Library Service of Barbados]].<ref name="African-American novel wins Irish literature prize"/> In 2007, ''Man Gone Down'' was named in the top ten of a list by ''[[The New York Times]]''.<ref name="African-American novel wins Irish literature prize"/> Thomas attended the ceremony in [[Dublin]], saying he was "stunned" and "still waiting for the punch line".<ref name="Debut novelist takes €100,000 Impac Dublin prize"/> He expressed his disbelief that he had even made the shortlist – "or the longlist, for that matter".<ref name="Debut novelist takes €100,000 Impac Dublin prize"/> He expects to "pay some bills" with the money as well as "a mortgage, a half-built house".<ref name="Debut novelist takes €100,000 Impac Dublin prize">{{cite web|url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2009/jun/11/debut-novelist-impac-dublin-prize|title=Debut novelist takes €100,000 Impac Dublin prize|date=2009-06-11|accessdate=2009-06-11|publisher=''[[The Guardian]]''}}</ref> |
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The novel deals with an African-American man who is estranged from his white wife and their children. He must come up with a sum of money within four days to have them returned.<ref name="Debut novel by US writer wins Impac">{{cite web|url=http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2009/0611/breaking49.htm|title=Debut novel by US writer wins Impac|date=2009-06-11|accessdate=2009-06-11|publisher=''[[The Irish Times]]''}}</ref><ref name="Debut novelist takes €100,000 Impac Dublin prize"/> It focuses on an attempt to achieve the [[American Dream]].<ref name="African-American novel wins Irish literature prize">{{cite web|url=http://www.reuters.com/article/mediaNews/idUSLB71060020090611|title=African-American novel wins Irish literature prize|date=2009-06-11|accessdate=2009-06-11|publisher=[[Reuters]]}}</ref> Thomas describes ''Man Gone Down'' as having a "gallows humour".<ref name="African-American novel wins Irish literature prize"/> Thomas is currently working on his second book, intended to be non-fiction.<ref name="Debut novelist takes €100,000 Impac Dublin prize"/> |
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==References== |
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{{Reflist}} |
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Thomas, Michael}} |
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[[Category:American fiction writers]] |
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[[Category:American non-fiction writers]] |
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[[Category:Hunter College alumni]] |
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[[Category:Hunter College faculty]] |
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[[Category:Living people]] |
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[[Category:People from Boston, Massachusetts]] |
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[[Category:People from Brooklyn]] |
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[[fi:Michael Thomas]] |
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Revision as of 13:31, 13 June 2009
Michael Thomas | |
|---|---|
| Occupation | Author |
| Nationality | American |
| Education | Bachelor's degree |
| Alma mater | Hunter College |
| Notable works | Man Gone Down |
| Notable awards | International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award (2009) |
| Spouse | Yes |
| Children | Three |
Michael Thomas is an American author. He won the 2009 International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award for his debut novel, Man Gone Down, receiving a prize of €100,000. Man Gone Down is also recommended by The New York Times.
Early and personal life
Thomas was born and raised in Boston.[1][2] He studied for a bachelor's degree at Hunter College in New York City, where he now teaches, and for a master's degree at Warren Wilson College.[3] He currently lives in Brooklyn, New York, with his wife and three children.[2][4]
In addition to his professorship at Hunter College Thomas has worked in bars, restaurants, at construction sites, as a pizza delivery man, on film sets and as a taxi driver.[5]
Writing career
Prior to garnering international attention, Michael Thomas wrote poetry and performed in the capacity of a singer-songwriter.[4] Later, while attending graduate school, he studied a fiction programme, with his thesis being a collection of short stories.[4] One of these short stories became his debut novel.[4]
Man Gone Down
"One day I was doing my laundry and I realised the breaks were chapters, not pages, and I started writing a novel. I write to images, or lines, and the end came to me – the last two paragraphs, the last line. I was always writing to it. I had to get there."
Thomas, on constructing Man Gone Down.[4]
Thomas's debut novel, Man Gone Down, won the 2009 International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award on 11 June 2009.[1] The prize, which is the richest literary award in the world and is open to novels written in all languages,[4] was €100,000 (£85,000, US$140,000).[2][4][6] Thomas was the third author to win with their debut, following Andrew Miller's Ingenious Pain (1999) and Rawi Hage's De Niro's Game (2007).[4] The book received praise from the judges, who included James Ryan, for its "energy and warmth" and for being "tuned urgently to the way we live now".[1] Thomas said he had been "feeling a little desperate" during the writing of it.[4]
Man Gone Down beat an international longlist of 147 titles from 41 countries, as well as seven other shortlisted nominations such as The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Díaz and The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid, as well as novels by established authors such as Doris Lessing, Joyce Carol Oates and Philip Roth.[1][4][6] It was nominated by the National Library Service of Barbados.[6] In 2007, Man Gone Down was named in the top ten of a list by The New York Times.[6] Thomas attended the ceremony in Dublin, saying he was "stunned" and "still waiting for the punch line".[4] He expressed his disbelief that he had even made the shortlist – "or the longlist, for that matter".[4] He expects to "pay some bills" with the money as well as "a mortgage, a half-built house".[4]
The novel deals with an African-American man who is estranged from his white wife and their children. He must come up with a sum of money within four days to have them returned.[1][4] It focuses on an attempt to achieve the American Dream.[6] Thomas describes Man Gone Down as having a "gallows humour".[6] Thomas is currently working on his second book, intended to be non-fiction.[4]
References
- ^ a b c d e "Debut novel by US writer wins Impac". The Irish Times. 2009-06-11. Retrieved 2009-06-11.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ a b c "'Man gone down' wins IMPAC Dublin Literary Award". Irish Independent. 2009-06-11. Retrieved 2009-06-11.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ Michael Thomas: Man Gone Down Grove Press, author's biography.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o "Debut novelist takes €100,000 Impac Dublin prize". The Guardian. 2009-06-11. Retrieved 2009-06-11.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ Ibid.
- ^ a b c d e f "African-American novel wins Irish literature prize". Reuters. 2009-06-11. Retrieved 2009-06-11.