Blake Butler (born 1979) is an American writer and editor. He edits the literature blog HTMLGIANT, and two journals: ''Lamination Colony'', and concurrently with co-editor

Ken Baumann Kenneth Robert Tuff Baumann (born August 8, 1989) is an American actor, writer, publisher and book designer. He became most known for playing Ben Boykewich on ''The Secret Life of the American Teenager''. He is the author of numerous novels, n ...

, ''No Colony''. His other writing has appeared in '' Birkensnake'', '' The Believer'', ''Unsaid'', ''Fence'', ''Willow Springs'', ''

The Lifted Brow The Lifted Brow is both the name of an Australian not-for-profit literary organisation (also less well known as the TLB Society Inc.), and the quarterly print literary magazine/journal it publishes. It also publishes its books through its Brow B ...

'', ''

Opium Magazine ''Opium'' is a journal featuring fiction, comics, poetry and humor. Founded by Todd Zuniga, the magazine first appeared online in 2001 and in print in 2005. It was based in San Francisco and later, it is headquartered in New York City. It feature ...

'', '' Gigantic'' and ''

Black Warrior Review ''Black Warrior Review (BWR)'' is a non-profit American literary magazine founded in 1974 and based at the University of Alabama. It is the oldest continuously run literary journal by graduate students in the United States. Published in print bi ...

''. He also wrote a regular column for Vice Magazine. Butler attended

Georgia Tech The Georgia Institute of Technology, commonly referred to as Georgia Tech or, in the state of Georgia, as Tech or The Institute, is a public research university and institute of technology in Atlanta, Georgia. Established in 1885, it is part of ...

, where he majored in multi-media design. He went on to

Bennington College Bennington College is a private liberal arts college in Bennington, Vermont. Founded in 1932 as a women's college, it became co-educational in 1969. It claims to be the first college to include visual and performing arts as an equal partner in ...

for his

Master of Fine Arts A Master of Fine Arts (MFA or M.F.A.) is a terminal degree in fine arts, including visual arts, creative writing, graphic design, photography, filmmaking, dance, theatre, other performing arts and in some cases, theatre management or arts admini ...

Commentary on his works

Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of B ...

'' has called him "an endlessly surprising, funny, and subversive writer". About ''There Is No Year'', ''

Library Journal ''Library Journal'' is an American trade publication for librarians. It was founded in 1876 by Melvil Dewey. It reports news about the library world, emphasizing public libraries, and offers feature articles about aspects of professional prac ...

'' says, "This artfully crafted, stunning piece of nontraditional literature is recommended for contemporary literature fans looking for something out of the ordinary. Butler integrates unusual elements into his novel, such as interview-style monologs and in later chapters poetry-like stanzas. Also recommended for students of literature, psychology, and philosophy, as the distinctive writing style and creative insight into the minds of one family deserve analysis. ''

Kirkus Reviews ''Kirkus Reviews'' (or ''Kirkus Media'') is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus (1893–1980). The magazine is headquartered in New York City. ''Kirkus Reviews'' confers the annual Kirkus Prize to authors of fic ...

'' says, "For those who like their prose fresh out of a cleaner and more traditional wellspring, Blake's writing can prove tedious at best and arduous at worst. But for those who lean toward writing that is more visceral, taxing or outright demanding of the reader, this might be the right cup of tea..."

Bibliography

*''Ever'' (novella) (

Calamari Press This is a list of book distributors, companies that act as distributors for book publishers, selling primarily to the book trade. The list includes defunct and merged/acquired companies, and distributors whose primary business is not books, such as ...

, 2009) *''Scorch Atlas'' (novel-in-stories) (

Featherproof Books Featherproof Books is a small, independent publisher based in Chicago, Illinois. It was founded in 2005 by Jonathan Messinger and Zach Dodson. They publish perfect bound novels, short story collections and other works, and offer "mini-books" of s ...

, 2010) *''There Is No Year'' (novel) (

Harper Perennial Harper Perennial is a paperback imprint of the publishing house HarperCollins Publishers. Overview Harper Perennial has divisions located in New York, London, Toronto, and Sydney. The imprint is descended from the Perennial Library imprint foun ...

, 2011) *''Nothing: A Portrait of Insomnia'' (memoir) (

, 2011) *''Sky Saw'' (novel) (

Tyrant Books Tyrant Books is an independent book publisher based in Rome, Italy and New York, New York. It was created in 2009 by Giancarlo DiTrapano as an offshoot of ''New York Tyrant Magazine'', which was also founded by DiTrapano, in 2006. History Tyr ...

, 2012) *''One'' (novel) (Roof Books, 2012) *''300,000,000'' (novel) (

, 2014) *''

Alice Knott ''Alice Knott'' is a 2020 novel by American author Blake Butler. The novel concerns the theft and destruction of a painting collection and its impact on the painting's original owner, the titular Alice Knott. In ''The Nation'', Brooks Sterritt wro ...

'' (novel) (

Penguin Random House Penguin Random House LLC is an Anglo-American multinational corporation, multinational conglomerate (company), conglomerate publishing company formed on July 1, 2013, from the merger of Penguin Group and Random House. On April 2, 2020, Bertels ...

, 2020) *''Aannex'' (novel) (Apocalypse Party, 2022) *''Molly'' (memoir) ( Archway Editions, 2023) *''UXA.GOV'' (novel) (Inside the Castle, 2024)

References

External links

Butler's weblog "Gilles Deleuze Committed Suicide and So Will Dr. Phil"

{{DEFAULTSORT:Butler, Blake 21st-century American novelists Living people 1979 births Georgia Tech alumni American male novelists 21st-century American male writers Bennington College alumni