Paul Harding (author)

Last updated
Paul Harding
Born1967 (age 56–57)
Occupation Novelist
Education University of Massachusetts, Amherst (BA)
University of Iowa (MFA)
Genre Literary fiction
Notable works Tinkers (2009)
Notable awards 2010 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction
2010 PEN/Robert W. Bingham Prize

Paul Harding (born 1967) is an American musician and author, best known for his debut novel Tinkers (2009), which won the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction [1] and the 2010 PEN/Robert W. Bingham Prize, [2] among other honors. He is currently the director of the Creative Writing and Literature MFA program at Stony Brook Southampton, [3] as well as Interim Associate Provost of Stony Brook University's Lichtenstein Center. [4]

Contents

Life and career

Paul Harding grew up on the north shore of Boston in the town of Wenham, Massachusetts. As a youth, he spent a lot of time "knocking about in the woods," which he attributes to his love of nature. [5] His grandfather fixed clocks and he apprenticed under him, an experience that found its way into Harding's first novel, Tinkers. [6] Harding has a B.A. degree in English from the University of Massachusetts Amherst [7] and an MFA from the Iowa Writers' Workshop and has taught writing at Harvard University and the University of Iowa. [8]

After graduating from the University of Massachusetts, he spent time touring with his band Cold Water Flat in the US and Europe. He had always been a heavy reader, and recalls reading Carlos Fuentes' Terra Nostra and thinking "this is what I want to do". In that book, Harding "saw the entire world, all of history". When he next had time off from touring with the band he signed up for a summer writing class at Skidmore College in New York. His teacher was Marilynne Robinson and through her he learned about the Iowa Writers' Workshop writing program. There, he studied with Barry Unsworth, Elizabeth McCracken, and later Robinson. At some point,[ when? ] he realized some of the people he admired most were "profoundly religious", so he spent years reading theology, and was "deeply" influenced by Karl Barth and John Calvin. He considers himself a "self-taught modern New England transcendentalist". [5]

Musically, Harding admires jazz drummers and considers John Coltrane's drummer, Elvin Jones, the greatest. [5] Harding was the drummer in the band Cold Water Flat throughout its existence from 1990 to 1996. [9]

Harding's second novel, Enon (2013), concerns characters from his first novel, Tinkers, looking at the lives of George Crosby's grandson, Charlie Crosby, and his daughter Kate. [8] His third novel, This Other Eden , was shortlisted for the 2023 Booker Prize [10] and the 2023 National Book Award for Fiction. [11]

Harding lives near Boston with his wife and two sons. [8]

Awards and honors

YearTitleAwardCategoryResultRef
2009Tinkers Center for Fiction First Novel Prize —Shortlisted
Los Angeles Times Book Prize First Fiction (Art Seidenbaum Award)Finalist
2010 PEN/Robert W. Bingham Prize —Won
Pulitzer Prize Fiction Won
2011 International Dublin Literary Award —Longlisted
2012— Fernanda Pivano Award —Won
2014Enon Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence Fiction Longlisted
Jan Michalski Prize —First Selection
Maine Readers' Choice Award—Longlisted
2023This Other Eden Booker Prize —Longlisted
National Book Award Fiction Finalist
2024 Chautauqua Prize —Shortlisted
International Dublin Literary Award —Longlisted
Mark Twain American Voice in Literature Award—Finalist

Works

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References

  1. ↑ Forest, Rachel (October 2010). "From Drum Set to Pulitzer". SeaCoast Online. Archived from the original on 2014-07-14.
  2. ↑ Cohen, Patricia (September 23, 2010). "PEN American Center Names Award Winners". The New York Times . Retrieved 2024-03-11.
  3. ↑ "Paul Harding's Latest Novel is a National Book Award Finalist". SBU News. 3 October 2023.
  4. ↑ "Home Page". Lichtenstein Center.
  5. 1 2 3 Lydon, Christopher (May 7, 2009). "Paul Harding's Magical 'Tinkers'". Radio Open Source. Retrieved 2024-03-11.
  6. ↑ Jianan, Qian (2018-06-18). "Apply Aesthetic Pressure to the Language: An Interview with Paul Harding". The Millions . Retrieved 2018-08-27.
  7. ↑ Wragg, Carlin M. (December 2009). "The Literary Horologist: Paul Harding 'Tinkers' With Time". Open Loop Press. Archived from the original on 2010-06-19.
  8. 1 2 3 "2010 Pulitzer Prizes". The Pulitzer Prizes . 2010. Retrieved April 15, 2016.
  9. ↑ "Cold Water Flat". Allmusic.com.
  10. ↑ Anderson, Porter (2023-09-21). "In England: The Booker Prize for Fiction Names Its 2023 Shortlist". Publishing Perspectives. Retrieved 2023-09-22.
  11. ↑ Harris, Elizabeth A. (October 3, 2023). "Here Are the Finalists for the 2023 National Book Awards". The New York Times . Retrieved October 3, 2023.
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