Tama Janowitz

Last updated

Tama Janowitz
Born (1956-04-12) April 12, 1956 (age 68)
San Francisco, California, U.S. [1]
Occupation Writer
Education Barnard College (BA)
Hollins College (MA)
Columbia University School of the Arts (MFA)
GenreFiction

Tama Janowitz (born April 12, 1956) is an American novelist and a short story writer. She is often referenced as one of the main "brat pack" authors, along with Bret Easton Ellis and Jay McInerney. [2] Her novel-in-stories Slaves of New York (1986) was adapted into the movie of the same name in 1989.

Contents

Life and career

Her parents, psychiatrist Julian Janowitz and Phyllis Janowitz (née Winer), [3] a literature professor at Cornell University, divorced when she was ten. She and her brother David grew up with her mother in Massachusetts, [4] and, for two years in the late 1960s, in Israel. [5]

Janowitz graduated from Barnard College with a B.A. in 1977 and from Hollins College with an M.A. in 1979.[ citation needed ] In 1985 she received an M.F.A from the Columbia University School of the Arts.

Upon settling in New York City, Janowitz started writing about life there, becoming well-known in Manhattan literary and social circles. [6] She began socializing with pop artist Andy Warhol through her relationship with artist Ronnie Cutrone. [7] [8] Janowitz's collection of short stories, Slaves of New York , brought her wider fame in 1986. [6] [9] Publishers Weekly described the book as seven stories featuring a woman named Eleanor, "a diffident young woman who gains entree to the arty milieu of lower Manhattan, which seems to combine elements of Oz and Never-Never-Land with Dante's Inferno." [10] Warhol mentioned in his diary that the characters Eleanor and Stash in the stories are based on Janowitz and Cutrone. [11] The book was adapted into the 1989 film Slaves of New York , which was directed by James Ivory and starring Bernadette Peters. Janowitz wrote the screenplay and also appeared, playing Peters' friend.

Janowitz has published seven novels, one collection of stories and one work of nonfiction. She left Manhattan to live in Brooklyn with her British husband and art-gallery owner, Tim Hunt, [12] [13] and their daughter. [14] She now lives near Ithaca, New York. [15]

Her memoir, Scream: A Memoir of Glamour and Dysfunction, was published in August 2016 to reviews both positive and negative. In The New York Times Book Review , Ada Calhoun noted Janowitz's deadpan, almost careless way of looking at her own life and the glamor of hanging out with Andy Warhol and dancing at Studio 54. The review also addressed the concern with material goods and financial security that drives many of Janowitz's novels and led her to appear in ads for Amaretto and other products. Calhoun wrote, "This memoir—which spans her childhood (partly spent in 1968 Israel, where her family was booted from a hotel for not paying), her adventuresome youth (she had a fling with a 63-year-old Lawrence Durrell when she was 19), her career struggles and successes, and her more recent life as caretaker to her dying mother — shows that she comes by her obsession with money honestly." [16]

Awards

Publications

Fiction

Nonfiction

Related Research Articles

<i>By the Shores of Gitchee Gumee</i> 1996 satirical novel by Tama Janowitz

By the Shores of Gitchee Gumee (1996) is a satirical novel by Tama Janowitz about the Slivenowiczes, a trailer park trash family who are forced to leave their home in a polluted swamp area in upstate New York and who beg, steal and borrow their way across the United States until they end up in Hollywood. The characters' hyper-intelligent witty repartee, reminiscent of New Yorkers in a Tama Janowitz novel, highlights the tragedy of the family's social and economic descent.

Exposures, also known as Andy Warhol's Exposures, is a 1979 book by the American artist Andy Warhol and his collaborator Bob Colacello. The first edition of the book was published by Andy Warhol Books, an imprint of Grosset & Dunlap.

<i>Flesh</i> (1968 film) 1968 film by Paul Morrissey

Flesh is a 1968 American film directed by Paul Morrissey and starring Joe Dallesandro as a hustler working on the streets of New York City. It highlights various Warhol superstars, in addition to being the film debuts of both Jackie Curtis and Candy Darling. Also appearing are Geraldine Smith as Joe's wife and Patti D'Arbanville as her lover.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christopher Makos</span> American photographer (b. 1948)

Christopher Makos is an American photographer and visual artist. Makos is known for his photographs of queer icons and pop stars, and of the male body. Makos apprenticed with photographer Man Ray, and assisted and collaborated with artist Andy Warhol.

<i>Slaves of New York</i> 1989 film by James Ivory

Slaves of New York is a 1989 American comedy-drama Merchant Ivory Productions film. Directed by James Ivory and produced by Ismail Merchant, it stars Bernadette Peters, Adam Coleman Howard, Chris Sarandon, Mary Beth Hurt, Mercedes Ruehl, Madeleine Potter, and Steve Buscemi.

"Slaves of New York" is a collection of short stories by Tama Janowitz. Its premise is that finding an apartment in Manhattan is so expensive and hard to do that people in the fringes of the art scene, both male and female, end up with undesirable partners simply to have a place to live. Several stories feature Eleanor, who lives with a psychologically abusive visual artist whose work is obviously derivative of cartoons. The title story was published in The New Yorker.

Robert "Bobby" Houston is an American filmmaker and actor. He made his acting debut in The Hills Have Eyes (1977) before becoming a film director and screenwriter. His films include Shogun Assassin (1980) and Bad Manners (1984). Later in his career, Houston became a successful documentarian. He won an Emmy Award for the film Mighty Times: The Legacy of Rosa Parks (2002) and an Academy Award for the film Mighty Times: The Children's March (2004) in 2005.

Julio Galán was a Mexican artist and architect. Galán was one of Latin America's neo-expressionist painters of the end of the last century and the beginning of this one.. His paintings and collages are full of elements that usually represent his life.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ronnie Cutrone</span> American painter

Ronnie Cutrone was an American Neo-pop painter and nightclub impresario. He began his career as Pop Artist Andy Warhol's assistant before becoming known for his own paintings of cartoon characters. He was a performer with Warhol's Exploding Plastic Inevitable that also featured The Velvet Underground. Cutrone also helped run the New York City nightclub Mudd Club and later operated his own short term bar/dance club/cabaret space/tapas lounge nightclub called The Rubber Monkey at 279 Church Street in TriBeCa. His memories play a part in the history of punk rock book Please Kill Me: The Uncensored Oral History of Punk by Legs McNeil and Gillian McCain.

<i>Popism</i> 1980 memoir by Andy Warhol

POPism: The Warhol '60s is a 1980 memoir by the American artist Andy Warhol. It was first published by Harcourt Brace Jovanovich. The book was co-authored by Warhol's frequent collaborator and friend, Pat Hackett.

<i>The Andy Warhol Diaries</i> Memoir published 1989

The Andy Warhol Diaries is the dictated memoir of the American artist Andy Warhol and edited by his longtime friend and collaborator Pat Hackett. The book was published posthumously by Warner Books with an introduction by Hackett.

Regine's was a nightclub at 69 East 59th Street in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It was operated by Régine Zylberberg from 1976 to 1991. She also opened a bistro alongside the nightclub called Cafe Reginette.

<i>Mixed Blood</i> (1985 film) 1985 film directed by Paul Morrissey

Mixed Blood is a 1985 black comedy film directed by Paul Morrissey and John Leguizamo's film debut.

Jane Forth is an American actress and model She is best known for having been one of the Warhol superstars, starring in the films Trash (1970) and L'Amour (1972). She was also one of “Antonio’s Girls”, models and muses of fashion illustrator Antonio Lopez.

Pamela Strobel also known as Princess Pamela is a chef and cookbook author. She is best known for her authentic Southern cooking served in her New York City restaurant The Little Kitchen. Strobel also published a cookbook in 1969, Princess Pamela's Soul Food Cookbook that was featured in the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History's exhibit, "Food: Transforming the American Table 1950-2000."

Martin Burgoyne was a British-born artist. Burgoyne was part of the downtown New York art scene in the 1980s. He befriended singer Madonna before she was famous and he was a key figure in her early career. He managed her first club tour and designed the cover for her 1983 single "Burning Up."

<i>Jean-Michel Basquiat</i> (Warhol) 1982 painting by Andy Warhol

Jean-Michel Basquiat is a painting created by American artist Andy Warhol in 1982. Warhol made multiple silkscreen portraits of artist Jean-Michel Basquiat using his "piss paintings."

Vincent Fremont is an American art magazine publishing executive, documentary director, and producer. Vincent was the one-time manager of Andy Warhol's studio The Factory, and a co-founder and former co-head of the Andy Warhol Foundation as was proscribed for in the pop artist's will. He was also a member of the Andy Warhol Art Authentication Board.

Paige Powell is an American photographer, curator, art consultant, and animal rights activist. Powell was the public affairs director of the Portland Zoo before she moved to New York City in 1980. Between 1982 and 1994, she worked at Interview magazine. She started out selling advertising and eventually became the associate publisher. As Andy Warhol's close friend and confidante, she became immersed in the 1980s New York City art scene. Since returning to her native Portland in 1994, she has split her time between working on art projects and supporting animal charities.

Geri Miller is an American former go-go dancer and actress. She was a dancer at New York's Peppermint Lounge in the 1960s and appeared in sexploitation films before becoming part of pop artist Andy Warhol's Factory crowd. As a Warhol Superstar, she appeared in the films Flesh (1968), Trash (1970), and Women in Revolt (1971). She also starred in Warhol's play Pork (1971). A self-described "super groupie," Miller was linked to various musicians, including Ringo Starr, Jimi Hendrix, David Bowie, and James Brown.

References

  1. ↑ "Tama Janowitz, Born 04/12/1956 in California | CaliforniaBirthIndex.org". www.californiabirthindex.org. Retrieved April 13, 2021.
  2. ↑ Wyatt, Edward (August 7, 2005). "Bret Easton Ellis: The Man in the Mirror". New York Times.
  3. ↑ "Phyllis Winer Janowitz (1930-2014) - Find A Grave..." www.findagrave.com. Retrieved April 13, 2021.
  4. ↑ "She'll Take Manhattan", New York Magazine, July 14, 1986
  5. ↑ Fulton, Alice. "Phyllis Janowitz" (PDF). blogs.cornell.edu. Cornell University. Retrieved September 5, 2016.
  6. 1 2 "Penguin Random House". PenguinRandomhouse.com. Retrieved January 20, 2019.
  7. ↑ Warhol, Andy; Hackett, Pat (1989). The Andy Warhol Diaries. New York: Warner Books. p. 627. ISBN   978-0-446-51426-2Entry date: January 12, 1985{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: postscript (link)
  8. ↑ Trebay, Guy (August 2, 2013). "Ronnie Cutrone, a Man of Another, Cooler City". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved May 15, 2024.
  9. ↑ "Current Biography Yearbook" is about the 1989 year, Tama Janowitz's biography is on page 278.
  10. ↑ "Fiction Book Review: Slaves of New York by Tama Janowitz, Author Washington Square Press $6.95 (0p) ISBN 978-0-671-63678-4". www.publishersweekly.com. Retrieved August 24, 2019.
  11. ↑ Warhol, Andy; Hackett, Pat (1989). The Andy Warhol diaries. New York: Warner Books. p. 685. ISBN   978-0-446-51426-2Entry date: October 15, 1985{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: postscript (link)
  12. ↑ Hunt, Timothy. "Timothy Hunt". linkedln.com. Linkedin. Retrieved September 5, 2016.
  13. ↑ "Tama Janowitz, Writer, Slaves of New York & Tim Hunt, Andy Warhol Foundation". vimeo.com. Vimeo, Inc. Retrieved September 5, 2016.
  14. ↑ Grigoriadis, Vanessa (August 9, 1999). "Tama Janowitz, Unchained". Nymag.com. Retrieved August 7, 2010.
  15. ↑ Batya Ungar-Sargon (October 10, 2013). "Something Really Bad Is Always Happening to Former Literary 'It Girl' Tama Janowitz". Tablet Magazine.
  16. ↑ Calhoun, Ada (August 19, 2016). "Tama Janowitz Grows Up" . Retrieved January 20, 2019– via NYTimes.com.
  17. ↑ "Scream - Tama Janowitz - E-book". HarperCollins Publishers: World-Leading Book Publisher. Retrieved January 20, 2019.
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.