Donald Ray Pollock (born December 23, 1954) is an American writer. He first published his collection of short stories, ''Knockemstiff'', in 2008, based on his experiences growing up in

Knockemstiff, Ohio Knockemstiff, also known as Glenn Shade or Shady Glenn, is an unincorporated area located in northeastern Huntington Township, Ross County, Ohio, United States, to the southwest of Chillicothe. It sits at an elevation of . The Geographic Nam ...

. His

debut novel A debut novel is the first novel a novelist publishes. Debut novels are often the author's first opportunity to make an impact on the publishing industry, and thus the success or failure of a debut novel can affect the ability of the author to p ...

, ''

The Devil All the Time ''The Devil All the Time'' is the debut novel by American writer Donald Ray Pollock, published in 2011 by Doubleday. Its plot follows disparate characters in post-World War II Southern Ohio and West Virginia, including a disturbed war veteran, ...

'', was published in 2011 to critical acclaim. Pollock served as the

narrator Narration is the use of a written or spoken commentary to convey a story to an audience. Narration is conveyed by a narrator: a specific person, or unspecified literary voice, developed by the creator of the story to deliver information to the a ...

of the

film adaptation A film adaptation is the transfer of a work or story, in whole or in part, to a feature film. Although often considered a type of derivative work, film adaptation has been conceptualized recently by academic scholars such as Robert Stam as a dial ...

in 2020.

Biography

Born in 1954 and raised in

, Pollock has lived his entire adult life in

Chillicothe, Ohio Chillicothe ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Ross County, Ohio, United States. Located along the Scioto River 45 miles (72 km) south of Columbus, Chillicothe was the first and third capital of Ohio. It is the only city in Ross Count ...

, where he worked at the Mead Paper Mill as a laborer and truck driver until age 50. He is a graduate of Ohio University - Chillicothe. While there, Pollock published his debut short story collection, ''Knockemstiff'', and the ''New York Times'' regularly posted his election dispatches from southern Ohio throughout the 2008 campaign. ''The Devil All the Time'', his first novel, was published in 2011. His work has appeared in various literary journals, including ''Epoch'', ''Sou'wester'', ''Granta'', ''Third Coast'', ''River Styx'', ''The Journal'', ''Boulevard'', ''Tin House'', and ''PEN America''. His latest book, a novel called ''The Heavenly Table'', was published by Doubleday on July 12, 2016. It was awarded first place in the International category of the

Deutscher Krimi Preis The Deutscher Krimi Preis, or the ''German Crime Fiction Award'', is the oldest and most prestigious German literary prize for crime fiction. It has been awarded since 1985 by the Bochum Crime Archive. Unlike the Friedrich Glauser Prize, which is ...

in January, 2017.

Reception

Pollock's fiction has been referred to as "Hillbilly Gothic" and "Southern Ohio Gothic," and has received positive reviews from critics. ''Knockemstiff'' was awarded the PEN/Robert Bingham Prize, and has been published in France, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, Italy, and England. Discussing ''The Devil All The Time'', Vick Mickunas wrote in ''The Washington Independent Review of Books'' that "... there’s an otherness to Pollock’s characters that this reviewer finds strangely compelling. We might not be able to relate to the violence, but we comprehend the humanity — the flaws, the deceits, the crushed dreams, the hope that rises like a delicate flower from ashes." On the other hand,

Josh Ritter Josh Ritter (born October 21, 1976) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and author who performs and records with the Royal City Band. Ritter is known for his distinctive Americana style and narrative lyrics. In 2006, he was named one of ...

, an Americana folk singer who reviewed the novel for the ''New York Times Book Review'', was somewhat put off by the violence, but did speak highly of the prose. , the book has been translated into twenty-one languages.Ritter, Josh. (August 12, 2011).
A Good Man Is Impossible to Find
, ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

". Retrieved October 13, 2013.

Awards and honors

*2009 PEN/Robert W. Bingham Prize, ''Knockemstiff'', winner *2009 Devil's Kitchen Award in Prose (English Department of Southern Illinois University Carbondale), ''Knockemstiff'' *2012 ''

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 ...

'' Top Ten Books of the Year, ''The Devil All The Time'' *2012

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 ar ...

*2012 Thomas and Lillie D. Chaffin Award for Appalachian Writing (for ''The Devil All the Time'') *2012 Grand Prix de Littérature Policière (French award for ''The Devil All the Time'') *2013 Third Place International Category

(German award for ''The Devil All the Time')'' *2013 First Place

Prix Mystère de la critique The Prix Mystère de la critique was established in 1972 by ', published by from 1948 to 1976, and is one of the oldest French awards for a detective novel. It continues to be awarded each year by its founder, Georges Rieben and his team, and ha ...

(for ''The Devil All the Time'') (France) *2017 First Place International Category Deutscher Krimi Preis for ''The Heavenly Table'' (Germany)

Bibliography

*''Knockemstiff'' (2008) *''

'' (2011) *''The Heavenly Table'' (2016)

References

External links

Official Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pollock, Donald Ray 1954 births 21st-century American short story writers Novelists from Ohio Living people Ohio State University alumni People from Ross County, Ohio 21st-century American novelists American male novelists American male short story writers 21st-century American male writers