My Autobiography of Carson McCullers

Last updated
My Autobiography of Carson McCullers
My Autobiography of Carson McCullers.jpg
Author Jenn Shapland
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Genre Memoir, Biography
PublishedFebruary 4, 2020
Publisher Tin House Books
Media typePrint (paperback, hardcover)
ISBN 9781947793286

My Autobiography of Carson McCullers is a memoir by Jenn Shapland, published April 2, 2020 by Tin House Books. In 2021, the book won the Judy Grahn Award for Lesbian Nonfiction, [1] the Lambda Literary Award for Lesbian Memoir, [2] and the Phi Beta Kappa Christian Gauss Award. [3] Along with being longlisted for the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Nonfiction, [4] it was a finalist for the National Book Award for Nonfiction [5] and a Stonewall Book Award Honor Book. [6]

Contents

Reception

Reviews

Prior to publication, My Autobiography of Carson McCullers was named one of the most anticipated queer books of the year by Lit Hub, [7] Buzzfeed, [8] Forbes , [9] Electric Literature , [10] [11] and Oprah Magazine . [12]

Following publication, the book received positive reviews from Booklist, [13] Kirkus Reviews , [14] The New York Times Book Review , [15] The A.V. Club , [16] Los Angeles Review of Books , [17] The Times , [18] Full Stop, [19] The New York Review of Books , [20] The Georgia Review , [21] Star Tribune , [22] The Rumpus , [23] Lambda Literary, [24] Autostraddle , [25] Library Journal , [26] The New Yorker , [27] and Open Letters Review. [28]

In various reviews, the book was called "revelatory", [29] "stimulating", [15] "gorgeous, brilliant", and "a moving record of love at the margins". [27] The New York Review of Books referred to it as "part fan letter, part detective story, and part steely corrective". [15]

The Los Angeles Times [30] and The New Republic [31] offered mixed reviews.

The Guardian 's Rachel Cook provided a poor review, saying, "My Autobiography of Carson McCullers, as its too-clever-by-half-sounding title implies, is neither memoir nor biography... such a declaration cannot disguise the fact that her (over) identification with McCullers takes us nowhere that is very productive." [32] In a similarly disappointed review, Publishers Weekly said, "Shapland’s intermingled autobiography and biography of McCullers’s life unsatisfyingly blurs what is real and what is imagined." [33]

Awards

YearAwardResultRef.
2020 National Book Award for Nonfiction Finalist [5] [34]
2021 Lambda Literary Award for Lesbian Memoir Winner [2]
Stonewall Book Award Honor [6]
Publishing Triangle Judy Grahn Award for Lesbian NonfictionWinner [1]
Phi Beta Kappa Christian Gauss AwardWinner [3]
Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Nonfiction Longlist [35]
Over the Rainbow Book ListTop 10 [4]
Reading the West Book AwardHonor [36]
Southern Book Prize Finalist [37]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carson McCullers</span> American writer (1917–1967)

Carson McCullers was an American novelist, short-story writer, playwright, essayist, and poet. Her first novel, The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter (1940), explores the spiritual isolation of misfits and outcasts in a small town of the Southern United States. Her other novels have similar themes and most are set in the Deep South.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sarah Schulman</span> American writer (born 1958)

Sarah Miriam Schulman is an American novelist, playwright, nonfiction writer, screenwriter, gay activist, and AIDS historian. She holds an endowed chair in nonfiction at Northwestern University and is a fellow of the New York Institute for the Humanities. She is a recipient of the Bill Whitehead Award and the Lambda Literary Award.

Melissa Febos is an American writer and professor. She is the author of the critically acclaimed memoir, Whip Smart (2010), and the essay collections, Abandon Me (2017) and Girlhood (2021).

The Judy Grahn Award is an annual literary award, presented by Publishing Triangle to honour works of non-fiction of relevance to the lesbian community. First presented in 1997, the award was named in memory of American poet and cultural theorist Judy Grahn.

The Lambda Literary Award for Gay Fiction is an annual literary award, presented by the Lambda Literary Foundation to a work of fiction on gay male themes. As the award is presented based on themes in the work, not the sexuality or gender of the writer, women and heterosexual men may also be nominated for or win the award.

The Lambda Literary Award for Lesbian Fiction is an annual literary award, presented by the Lambda Literary Foundation to a work of fiction on lesbian themes. As the award is presented based on themes in the work, not the sexuality or gender of the writer, men and heterosexual women may also be nominated for or win the award.

The Lambda Literary Award for Drama is an annual literary award, presented by the Lambda Literary Foundation to an LGBT-related literary or theatrical work. Most nominees are plays, or anthologies of plays; however, non-fiction works on theatre or drama have also sometimes been nominated for the award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Myriam Gurba</span> American novelist

Myriam Gurba Serrano is an American author, editor, and visual artist. She is best known for her true crime memoir, Mean, and her review, in Tropics of Meta, of American Dirt. She is a co-founder of the grassroots campaign #DignidadLiteraria which "greater inclusion of Chicanx and Latinx authors, editors, and executives, and to combat the exclusion and erasure of Latinx and Chicanx literature within the publishing industry in the USA".

<i>Let the Record Show</i> (Schulman book) 2021 oral history of ACT UP by Sarah Schulman

Let the Record Show: A Political History of ACT UP New York, 1987–1993 is a 2021 oral history written by former ACT UP activist Sarah Schulman. Using 188 interviews conducted as part of the ACT UP Oral History Project, Schulman shows how the activist group was successful, due to its decentralized, dramatic actions, and emphasizes the contributions of people of color and women to the movement.

<i>A History of My Brief Body</i> 2020 memoir by Billy-Ray Belcourt

A History of My Brief Body is an autobiographical series of essays by Billy-Ray Belcourt, published July 14, 2020 by Penguin Canada.

<i>Punch Me Up to the Gods</i> 2021 memoir by Brian Broome

Punch Me Up to the Gods is a memoir, written by Brian Broome and published May 18, 2021 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. The book won the Kirkus Prize for Nonfiction (2021), as well as the Lambda Literary Award for Gay Memoir or Biography (2022).

The Lambda Literary Award for Lesbian Memoir/Biography is an annual literary award established in 1994, presented by the Lambda Literary Foundation, to a memoir, biography, autobiography, or works of creative nonfiction by or about lesbians. Works published posthumously and/or written with co-authors are eligible, but anthologies are not.

Jenn Shapland is an American writer and archivist. Her essay "Finders, Keepers" won a Pushcart Prize in 2017, and her memoir, My Autobiography of Carson McCullers, won the Lambda Literary Award for Lesbian Memoir in 2021.

The Lambda Literary Award for Bisexual Literature is an annual literary award, presented by the Lambda Literary Foundation, that awards books with bisexual content. The award can be separated into three categories: bisexual fiction, bisexual nonfiction, and bisexual poetry. Awards are granted based on literary merit and bisexual content, and therefore, the writer may be homo-, hetero-, or asexual.

The Lambda Literary Award for Anthology is an annual literary award, presented by the Lambda Literary Foundation, that awards "[c]ollections of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry" with LGBT content. The award has been included since the first Lambda Literary Award ceremony but has included different iterations.

The Jeanne Córdova Prize for Lesbian/Queer Nonfiction, established in 2018, is an annual literary award presented by the Lambda Literary Foundation to honor Jeanne Córdova. The award is granted to "lesbian/queer-identified women and trans/gender non-conforming nonfiction authors ... committed to nonfiction work that captures the depth and complexity of lesbian/queer life, culture, and/or history." Winners must have "published at least one book and show promise in continuing to produce groundbreaking and challenging work." Winners receive a $2,500 cash prize.

The Lambda Literary Award for Gay Memoir/Biography is an annual literary award, presented by the Lambda Literary Foundation, to a memoir, biography, autobiography, or works of creative nonfiction by or about gay men. Works published posthumously and/or written with co-authors are eligible, but anthologies are not.

The Lambda Literary Award for Nonfiction is an annual literary award, presented by the Lambda Literary Foundation, that awards LGBT-themed nonfiction books whose intended audience is "general readers, as opposed to those targeted primarily to scholarly audiences." Anthologies and memoirs are not included as they have their own categories.

The Lambda Literary Award for Gay Romance is an annual literary award, presented by the Lambda Literary Foundation, to a novel, novella, or short story collection "by a single author that focus on a central love relationship between two or more characters."

Hugh Ryan is a historian and non-fiction writer focusing on the LGBT history of New York City. He wrote The Women's House of Detention: A Queer History of a Forgotten Prison and When Brooklyn Was Queer.

References

  1. 1 2 "The Judy Grahn Award for Lesbian Nonfiction". The Publishing Triangle. Retrieved 2022-01-10.
  2. 1 2 Gentes, Brian (2021-06-02). "2021 Lambda Literary Award Winners Announced". Lambda Literary. Retrieved 2022-01-10.
  3. 1 2 "Phi Beta Kappa Book Awards". Phi Beta Kappa. Retrieved 2022-01-10.
  4. 1 2 Chapman, Monica (2021-02-02). "2021 Over the Rainbow Book List features 48 titles for adult readers". American Library Association News and Press Center. Retrieved 2022-01-10.
  5. 1 2 "National Book Awards 2020 shortlists announced". Books+Publishing. 7 October 2020. Retrieved 2022-01-10.
  6. 1 2 Chapman, Monica (2021-02-02). "2021 Barbara Gittings Literature Award and Israel Fishman Non-Fiction Award of the Stonewall Book Awards Announced". American Library Association News and Press Center. Retrieved 2022-01-10.
  7. ↑ "Lit Hub's Most Anticipated Books of 2020". Literary Hub. 2020-01-14. Retrieved 2022-01-10.
  8. ↑ Rebolini, Arianna (2020-01-07). "83 Books To Keep On Your Radar In 2020". BuzzFeed News. Retrieved 2022-01-10.
  9. ↑ Bussel, Rachel Kramer (2019-12-19). "The 10 Most Anticipated Books Of 2020, According To Independent Bookstores". Forbes. Retrieved 2022-01-10.
  10. ↑ Vitcavage, Adam (2019-12-09). "Get Ready for the 20 Most Anticipated Debuts of Early 2020". Electric Literature. Retrieved 2022-01-10.
  11. ↑ Neilson, Sarah (2019-10-24). "11 Highly-Anticipated Queer Books Coming Out This Winter". Electric Literature. Retrieved 2022-01-10.
  12. ↑ Hart, Michelle (2020-10-29). "These Are the 42 Must-Read LGBTQ Books of 2020". Oprah Daily. Retrieved 2022-01-10.
  13. ↑ Bostrom, Annie (2020-01-01). My Autobiography of Carson McCullers . Retrieved 2022-01-10– via Booklist.
  14. ↑ "My Autobiography of Carson McCullers". Kirkus Reviews. 2019-09-29. Retrieved 2022-01-10.
  15. 1 2 3 O’Grady, Megan (2020-02-04). "She Found Carson McCullers's Love Letters. They Taught Her Something About Herself". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2022-01-10.
  16. ↑ Waite, Kelsey J. (2020-02-03). "An affecting new memoir frees Carson McCullers—and its writer—from the closet". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 2022-01-10.
  17. ↑ Duke, Ellie (2020-02-04). "Rewriting McCullers". Los Angeles Review of Books. Retrieved 2022-01-10.
  18. ↑ Reid, Melanie (2021-04-24). "My Autobiography of Carson McCullers by Jenn Shapland review — freed from the closet at last". The Times . ISSN   0140-0460 . Retrieved 2022-01-10.
  19. ↑ Martins, Julia Irion (2020-08-06). "My Autobiography of Carson McCullers – Jenn Shapland" . Retrieved 2022-01-10.
  20. ↑ Marler, Regina (2021-05-02). "A Connoisseur of Yearning". ISSN   0028-7504 . Retrieved 2022-01-10.
  21. ↑ Enszer, Julie R. (Fall 2020). "on My Autobiography of Carson McCullers by Jenn Shapland". The Georgia Review. Retrieved 2022-01-10.
  22. ↑ Hewitt, Chris (2021-01-03). "REVIEW: 'My Autobiography of Carson McCullers,' by Jenn Shapland". Star Tribune. Retrieved 2022-01-10.
  23. ↑ Possanza, Amelia (2020-04-22). "Queer Logic: Females and My Autobiography of Carson McCullers". The Rumpus.net. Retrieved 2022-01-10.
  24. ↑ Neilson, Sarah (2020-02-05). "My Autobiography of Carson McCullers by Jenn Shapland". Lambda Literary. Retrieved 2022-01-10.
  25. ↑ Gorton, Kate (2020-01-07). "Jenn Shapland Names What Needs Naming in "My Autobiography of Carson McCullers"". Autostraddle. Retrieved 2022-01-10.
  26. ↑ Kingsbury, Pam (2020-01-01). "My Autobiography of Carson McCullers". Library Journal. Retrieved 2022-01-10.
  27. 1 2 "Briefly Noted Book Reviews". The New Yorker. 2020-05-20. Retrieved 2022-01-10.
  28. ↑ Joyner, Hannah. "My Autobiography of Carson McCullers by Jenn Shapland". Open Letters Review. Retrieved 2022-01-10.
  29. ↑ Shapl, Jenn (2019-12-20). "This Famous Author's Secret Love Letters Helped Me Realize Who I Am". Oprah Daily. Retrieved 2022-01-10.
  30. ↑ "Review: Queer authors reinvent the artist biography as revisionist memoir". Los Angeles Times. 2020-04-10. Retrieved 2022-01-10.
  31. ↑ Alam, Rumaan (2020-02-21). "Finding Carson McCullers". The New Republic. ISSN   0028-6583 . Retrieved 2022-01-10.
  32. ↑ Cooke, Rachel (2021-05-02). "My Autobiography of Carson McCullers review – identity parade". the Guardian. Retrieved 2022-01-10.
  33. ↑ Shapland, Jenn (2020). Nonfiction Book Review: My Autobiography of Carson McCullers by Jenn Shapland. Tin House, $22.95 (288p). ISBN   978-1-947793-28-6 . Retrieved 2022-01-10.{{cite book}}: |website= ignored (help)
  34. ↑ "My Autobiography of Carson McCullers". National Book Foundation. Retrieved 2022-01-10.
  35. ↑ "2021 Winners". Reference & User Services Association (RUSA). 2020-10-18. Retrieved 2022-01-10.
  36. ↑ "Reading the West Book Award Winners". Reading the West. Retrieved 2022-01-10.
  37. ↑ "2021 Southern Book Prize Finalists". Southern independent Booksellers Alliance. Retrieved 2022-01-10.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.