Anthony Doerr (born October 27, 1973) is an American author of novels and short stories. He gained widespread recognition for his 2014 novel ''

All the Light We Cannot See ''All the Light We Cannot See'' is a 2014 war novel that was written by American author Anthony Doerr. The novel is set during World War II and centers around the characters Marie-Laure Leblanc, a blind French girl who takes refuge in her unc ...

'', which won the

Pulitzer Prize for Fiction The Pulitzer Prize for Fiction is one of the seven American Pulitzer Prizes that are annually awarded for Letters, Drama, and Music. It recognizes distinguished fiction by an American author, preferably dealing with American life, published durin ...

Early life and education

Raised in

Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S ...

, Doerr attended the nearby

University School University School, commonly referred to as US, is an all-boys, private, Junior Kindergarten–12 school with two campus locations in the Greater Cleveland area of Ohio. The campus located in Shaker Heights serves junior kindergarten through eigh ...

, graduating in 1991. He then majored in history at

Bowdoin College Bowdoin College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Brunswick, Maine. When Bowdoin was chartered in 1794, Maine was still a part of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The college offers 34 majors and 36 minors, as well as several joint eng ...

Brunswick, Maine Brunswick is a town in Cumberland County, Maine, United States. The population was 21,756 at the 2020 United States Census. Part of the Portland-South Portland-Biddeford metropolitan area, Brunswick is home to Bowdoin College, the Bowdoin Intern ...

, graduating in 1995. He earned an MFA from

Bowling Green State University Bowling Green State University (BGSU) is a public research university in Bowling Green, Ohio. The main academic and residential campus is south of Toledo, Ohio. The university has nationally recognized programs and research facilities in the ...

Career

Doerr's first book was a collection of short stories called ''The Shell Collector'' (2002). Many of the stories take place in countries within Africa and New Zealand, where he has worked and lived. His first novel, ''About Grace'', was released in 2004. His memoir, ''Four Seasons in Rome'', was published in 2007, and his second collection of short stories, ''Memory Wall,'' was published in 2010. Doerr's second novel, ''

'', is set in occupied

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

and was published in 2014. It received significant critical acclaim and was a finalist for the

National Book Award for Fiction The National Book Award for Fiction is one of five annual National Book Awards, which recognize outstanding literary work by United States citizens. Since 1987 the awards have been administered and presented by the National Book Foundation, but ...

. The book was a ''New York Times'' bestseller, and was named by the newspaper as a notable book of 2014. It won the

in 2015. It was runner-up for the 2015

Dayton Literary Peace Prize The Dayton Literary Peace Prize is an annual United States literary award "recognizing the power of the written word to promote peace" that was first awarded in 2006. Awards are given for adult fiction and non-fiction books published at some point ...

for Fiction and won the 2015 Ohioana Library Association Book Award for Fiction. Doerr writes a column on science books for ''

The Boston Globe ''The Boston Globe'' is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes, and has a total circulation of close to 300,000 print and digital subscribers. ''The Boston Glob ...

'' and is a contributor to '' The Morning News'', an online magazine. From 2007 to 2010, he was the Writer in Residence for the state of Idaho. Doerr's third novel, ''

Cloud Cuckoo Land Cloud cuckoo land is a state of absurdly, over-optimistic fantasy or an unrealistically idealistic state of mind where everything appears to be perfect. Someone who is said to "live in cloud cuckoo land" is a person who thinks that things that ...

'', follows three story lines, scattered throughout time: Thirteen-year-old Anna and Omeir, an orphaned seamstress and a cursed boy, on opposite sides of formidable city walls during the 1453 siege of Constantinople; teenage idealist Seymour and octogenarian Zeno in an attack on a public library in present-day Idaho; and Konstance, decades from now, who turns to the oldest stories to guide her community in peril. ''Cloud Cuckoo Land'' was released September 28, 2021. It was shortlisted for the 2021

Personal life

Doerr is married, has twin sons and lives in

Boise Boise (, , ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Idaho and is the county seat of Ada County. On the Boise River in southwestern Idaho, it is east of the Oregon border and north of the Nevada border. The downtown area' ...

Idaho Idaho ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. To the north, it shares a small portion of the Canada–United States border with the province of British Columbia. It borders the states of Monta ...

Bibliography

Novels

''About Grace''
(2004) *''

'' (2014) *''

'' (2021)

Short story collections

''The Shell Collector''
(2002)
''Memory Wall''
(2010) * '' The Best American Short Stories 2019'' (Editor)

Memoirs

''Four Seasons in Rome: On Twins, Insomnia, and the Biggest Funeral in the History of the World''
(2007)

Awards

* 2002: Barnes & Noble Discover Prize, for ''The Shell Collector'' * 2002:

O. Henry Prize The O. Henry Award is an annual American award given to short stories of exceptional merit. The award is named after the American short-story writer O. Henry. The ''PEN/O. Henry Prize Stories'' is an annual collection of the year's twenty best ...

for "The Hunter's Wife" (Short story) * 2003:

New York Public Library The New York Public Library (NYPL) is a public library system in New York City. With nearly 53 million items and 92 locations, the New York Public Library is the second largest public library in the United States (behind the Library of Congress) ...

's Young Lions Fiction Award, winner, ''The Shell Collector'' * 2003: O. Henry Prize for "The Shell Collector" (Short story) * 2005:

Rome Prize The Rome Prize is awarded by the American Academy in Rome, in Rome, Italy. Approximately thirty scholars and artists are selected each year to receive a study fellowship at the academy. Prizes have been awarded annually since 1921, with a hiatus ...

in Literature from the

American Academy in Rome The American Academy in Rome is a research and arts institution located on the Gianicolo (Janiculum Hill) in Rome. The academy is a member of the Council of American Overseas Research Centers. History In 1893, a group of American architects, ...

* 2005, 2011: Ohioana Book Award for ''About Grace'' and ''Memory Wall'', respectively * 2008: O. Henry Prize for "Village 113" (Short story) * 2010:

Guggenheim Fellowship Guggenheim Fellowships are grants that have been awarded annually since by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation to those "who have demonstrated exceptional capacity for productive scholarship or exceptional creative ability in the art ...

* 2011:

The Story Prize The Story Prize is an annual book award established in 2004 that honors the author of an outstanding collection of short fiction with a $20,000 cash award. Each of two runners-up receives $5,000. Eligible books must be written in English and first p ...

, winner, ''Memory Wall'' * 2011: Sunday Times EFG Private Bank Short Story Award, winner, "The Deep" * 2012: O. Henry Prize for "The Deep" (Short story) * 2014: finalist for the

* 2015:

Pulitzer Prize The Pulitzer Prize () is an award for achievements in newspaper, magazine, online journalism, literature, and musical composition within the United States. It was established in 1917 by provisions in the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made ...

for ''

'' * 2021: O. Henry Prize for "The Master’s Castle" (Short story)

References

External links

Official website
* Video
The Story Prize reading
with

Yiyun Li Yiyun Li (born November 4, 1972) is a Chinese-born writer and professor in the United States. Her short stories and novels have won several awards, including the PEN/Hemingway Award and Guardian First Book Award for ''A Thousand Years of Good Pra ...

and Suzanne Rivecca. March 2, 2011.
Best Selling Books by Anthony Doerr from Local Library
{{DEFAULTSORT:Doerr, Anthony American columnists 21st-century American novelists Bowdoin College alumni 1973 births Living people Poets Laureate of Idaho American male novelists Novelists from Ohio 21st-century American poets American male poets American male short story writers Pulitzer Prize for Fiction winners 21st-century American short story writers 21st-century American male writers 21st-century American non-fiction writers American male non-fiction writers