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John Barrett "Jay" McInerney Jr. (; born January 13, 1955) is an American
novelist A novelist is an author or writer of novels, though often novelists also write in other genres of both fiction and non-fiction. Some novelists are professional novelists, thus make a living writing novels and other fiction, while others aspire to ...
,
screenwriter A screenplay writer (also called screenwriter, scriptwriter, scribe or scenarist) is a writer who practices the craft of screenwriting, writing screenplays on which mass media, such as films, television programs and video games, are based. ...
, editor, and
columnist A columnist is a person who writes for publication in a series, creating an article that usually offers commentary and opinions. Column (newspaper), Columns appear in newspapers, magazines and other publications, including blogs. They take the fo ...
. His novels include '' Bright Lights, Big City'', ''Ransom'', '' Story of My Life'', ''
Brightness Falls ''Brightness Falls'' is a 1992 novel written by Jay McInerney John Barrett "Jay" McInerney Jr. (; born January 13, 1955) is an American novelist, screenwriter, editor, and columnist. His novels include ''Bright Lights, Big City (novel), Bri ...
'', and ''The Last of the Savages''. He edited ''The Penguin Book of New American Voices'', wrote the screenplay for the 1988 film adaptation of ''Bright Lights, Big City'', and co-wrote the screenplay for the television film ''
Gia ''Gia'' is a 1998 American biographical drama television film about the life and times of one of the first supermodels, Gia Carangi. The film stars Angelina Jolie as Gia and Faye Dunaway as Wilhelmina Cooper, with Mercedes Ruehl and Elizabeth M ...
'', which starred
Angelina Jolie Angelina Jolie (; born Angelina Jolie Voight; June 4, 1975) is an American actress, filmmaker, humanitarian and former Special Envoy to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. The recipient of numerous accolades, including an Academy Award ...
. He was the wine columnist for '' House & Garden'' magazine, and his essays on wine have been collected in ''Bacchus & Me'' (2000) and ''A Hedonist in the Cellar'' (2006). His most recent novel is titled '' Bright, Precious Days'', published in 2016. From April 2010 he was a wine columnist for ''
The Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' is an American business-focused, international daily newspaper based in New York City, with international editions also available in Chinese and Japanese. The ''Journal'', along with its Asian editions, is published ...
''. In 2009, he published a book of short stories which spanned his entire career, titled ''How It Ended'', which was named one of the 10 best books of the year by
Janet Maslin Janet R. Maslin (born August 12, 1949) is an American journalist, best known as a film and literary critic for ''The New York Times''. She served as a ''Times'' film critic from 1977 to 1999 and as a book critic from 2000 to 2015. In 2000 Maslin ...
of ''
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 ...
''.


Early life and education

McInerney was born in 1955 in
Hartford, Connecticut Hartford is the capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It was the seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960. It is the core city in the Greater Hartford metropolitan area. Census estimates since the ...
, the son of Marilyn Jean (Murphy) and John Barrett McInerney Sr., a corporate executive. He graduated from
Williams College Williams College is a Private college, private liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Williamstown, Massachusetts. It was established as a men's college in 1793 with funds from the estate of Ephraim Williams, a col ...
in 1976. At
Syracuse University Syracuse University (informally 'Cuse or SU) is a Private university, private research university in Syracuse, New York. Established in 1870 with roots in the Methodist Episcopal Church, the university has been nonsectarian since 1920. Locate ...
, he earned a
Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...
in English and studied writing with
Raymond Carver Raymond Clevie Carver Jr. (May 25, 1938 – August 2, 1988) was an American short story writer and poet. He contributed to the revitalization of the American short story during the 1980s. Early life Carver was born in Clatskanie, Oregon, a mil ...
.


Career

After working as a fact-checker at ''
The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American weekly magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Founded as a weekly in 1925, the magazine is published 47 times annually, with five of these issues ...
'', McInerney achieved fame with his first published novel, ''Bright Lights, Big City''. Published in 1984, the novel was unique at the time for its depiction of
cocaine Cocaine (from , from , ultimately from Quechuan languages, Quechua: ''kúka'') is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant mainly recreational drug use, used recreationally for its euphoria, euphoric effects. It is primarily obtained from t ...
culture in
second-person narrative 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 ...
. The title is taken from a 1961
blues Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the Afr ...
song by
Jimmy Reed Mathis James Reed (September 6, 1925 – August 29, 1976) was an American blues musician and songwriter. His particular style of electric blues was popular with blues as well as non-blues audiences. Reed's songs such as "Honest I Do" (1957), " ...
. The novel established McInerney's reputation as part of a new generation of writers. Labelled the 'literary
brat pack The ''Brat Pack'' is a nickname given to a group of young actors who frequently appeared together in teen-oriented coming-of-age films in the 1980s. First mentioned in a 1985 ''New York'' magazine article, it is now usually defined as the cast ...
' in a 1987 article in the ''
Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture paper, known for being the country's first alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf, Ed Fancher, John Wilcock, and Norman Mailer, the ''Voice'' began as a platform for the cr ...
'', McInerney,
Bret Easton Ellis Bret Easton Ellis (born March 7, 1964) is an American author, screenwriter, short-story writer, and director. Ellis was first regarded as one of the so-called literary Brat Pack and is a self-proclaimed satirist whose trademark technique, as a ...
and
Tama Janowitz 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. Life Her parents, psychiatrist Julian Janow ...
were presented as the new face of literature: young, iconoclastic and fresh. Five novels followed in rapid succession: ''Ransom'', '' Story of My Life'', ''
Brightness Falls ''Brightness Falls'' is a 1992 novel written by Jay McInerney John Barrett "Jay" McInerney Jr. (; born January 13, 1955) is an American novelist, screenwriter, editor, and columnist. His novels include ''Bright Lights, Big City (novel), Bri ...
'', ''The Last of the Savages'' and ''Model Behavior''. After the success of '' Bright Lights, Big City'', publishers started looking for similar works about young people in urban settings. Ellis's '' Less than Zero'', published in 1985, was promoted as following McInerney's example. McInerney, Ellis and Janowitz were based in New York City and their lives there were regular literary themes chronicled by New York media. Ellis used McInerney's character, Alison Poole (''Story of My Life''), in his novels '' American Psycho'' and ''
Glamorama ''Glamorama'' is a 1998 novel by American writer Bret Easton Ellis. ''Glamorama'' is set in and satirizes the 1990s specifically celebrity culture and consumerism. ''Time'' describes the novel as "a screed against models and celebrity". Develop ...
''. McInerney revealed that the character of Alison Poole is based upon his former girlfriend,
Rielle Hunter Rielle Hunter (born Lisa Jo Druck; March 20, 1964, also known as Lisa Hunter, Lisa Jo Hunter, and Rielle Jaya James Druck)roman à clef ''Roman à clef'' (, anglicised as ), French for ''novel with a key'', is a novel about real-life events that is overlaid with a façade of fiction. The fictitious names in the novel represent real people, and the "key" is the relationship be ...
opened a prescient glimpse into the notorious
horse murders The show jumping horse killings scandal refers to cases of insurance fraud in the United States in which expensive horses, many of them show jumpers, were insured against death, accident, or disease, and then killed to collect the insurance money. ...
scandal, which did not become known to the public until 1992, when ''
Sports Illustrated ''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellence twic ...
'' magazine published a confession from the man who had murdered Lisa Druck's horse at her father's behest, in order to claim the insurance on its life. McInerney also has a cameo role in Ellis's '' Lunar Park'', attending the Halloween party Bret hosts at his house. It was later revealed that McInerney was not pleased with his representation in the novel. Throughout his career, McInerney has struggled against the image of himself as both the author and protagonist of ''Bright Lights, Big City.'' In 2009, McInerney said in an interview, "Obviously, I'm no longer a 25-year-old ''bon vivant'', but
hat A hat is a head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorporate mecha ...
gave me what I always wanted: the opportunity to be a full-time writer. It hasn't been entirely fair to my other books, and I've had to deal with a lot of idiocy on the part of the critics and the cultural commentators." He appeared at Williams College as the Commencement speaker for the Class of 2010.


Personal life

His first wife was fashion model Linda Rossiter. His second wife was writer Merry Reymond. For four years he lived with fashion model Marla Hanson.Barber, Lynn, ''The Observer'' (September 10, 2000
Interview: Jay McInerney "The beautiful and the damned"
/ref> His third marriage, to Helen Bransford, lasted nine years, and the couple had
fraternal twin Twins are two offspring produced by the same pregnancy.MedicineNet > Definition of TwinLast Editorial Review: 19 June 2000 Twins can be either ''monozygotic'' ('identical'), meaning that they develop from one zygote, which splits and forms two e ...
children, John Barrett McInerney III and Maisie Bransford McInerney. In 2006, he married
Anne Hearst Anne Randolph Hearst (born July 29, 1955) is an American socialite, philanthropist, and publishing heiress."Weddings and Celebrations: Anne Hearst, Jay McInerney", ''The New York Times'', 3 December 2006"The Randolph Hearsts Are Bitter", ''The N ...
.


Bibliography


Novels

*'' Bright Lights, Big City'' (1984) *''Ransom'' (1985) *'' Story of My Life'' (1988) *''The Last of the Savages'' (1997) *''Model Behavior'' (1998) ;The Calloway trilogy *''
Brightness Falls ''Brightness Falls'' is a 1992 novel written by Jay McInerney John Barrett "Jay" McInerney Jr. (; born January 13, 1955) is an American novelist, screenwriter, editor, and columnist. His novels include ''Bright Lights, Big City (novel), Bri ...
'' (1992) *'' The Good Life'' (2006) *'' Bright, Precious Days'' (2016)


Short fiction

;Collections * * ;Stories


Nonfiction

*''Bacchus and Me: Adventures in the Wine Cellar'' (2000) *''A Hedonist in the Cellar: Adventures in Wine'' (2006) *''The Juice: Vinous Veritas'' (2012)


Critical studies and reviews of McInerney's work

*


Film

* McInerney wrote the screenplay for the 1988 film adaptation of '' Bright Lights, Big City''. Directed by
James Bridges James Bridges (February 3, 1936June 6, 1993) was an American screenwriter, film director, producer, and actor. He is a two-time Oscar nominee: once for Best Original Screenplay for '' The China Syndrome'' and once for Best Adapted Screenplay fo ...
, it stars
Michael J. Fox Michael Andrew Fox (born June 9, 1961), known professionally as Michael J. Fox, is a Canadian-American retired actor. Beginning his career in the 1970s, he rose to prominence portraying Alex P. Keaton on the NBC sitcom ''Family Ties'' (1 ...
,
Kiefer Sutherland Kiefer William Sutherland (born 21 December 1966) is a British-Canadian actor and musician. He is best known for his starring role as Jack Bauer in the Fox drama series '' 24'' (2001–2010, 2014), for which he won an Emmy Award, a Golden Glo ...
, and
Phoebe Cates Phoebe Belle Cates Kline (born July 16, 1963) is an American former actress, known primarily for her roles in films such as ''Fast Times at Ridgemont High'' (1982), ''Gremlins'' (1984) and ''Drop Dead Fred'' (1991). Early life Cates was born ...
.


Television

*''
Gossip Girl ''Gossip Girl'' is an American teen drama television series based on the novel series of the same name written by Cecily von Ziegesar. The series, developed for television by Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage, ran on The CW network for six sea ...
'' as the fictional novelist Jeramiah Harris, mentor to aspiring writer
Dan Humphrey Daniel Randolph Humphrey is a fictional character in the bestselling Gossip Girl (novel series), ''Gossip Girl'' novel series. He is one of the central male characters in ''Gossip Girl'', where he is portrayed by Penn Badgley. Dan Humphrey is th ...
*''
Hotel Room A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Facilities provided inside a hotel room may range from a modest-quality mattress in a small room to large suites with bigger, higher-quality beds, a dresser, a re ...
'', television series for HBO, created by David Lynch; McInerney wrote the second episode "Getting Rid Of Robert", which was directed by
James Signorelli James Signorelli is an American film director and cinematographer. He was the film segment producer for more than 400 episodes of ''Saturday Night Live'' from 1976 until 2011.Archived aGhostarchiveand thWayback Machine He has produced many of th ...
. *''
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
Sincerely
F. Scott Fitzgerald Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald (September 24, 1896 – December 21, 1940) was an American novelist, essayist, and short story writer. He is best known for his novels depicting the flamboyance and excess of the Jazz Age—a term he popularize ...
''; McInerney presented a documentary on writer
F. Scott Fitzgerald Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald (September 24, 1896 – December 21, 1940) was an American novelist, essayist, and short story writer. He is best known for his novels depicting the flamboyance and excess of the Jazz Age—a term he popularize ...
for the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
.


References

;Notes ;Citations


External links

*
Jay McInerney: why Gatsby is so greatJay McInerney and Anne Margaret Daniel discuss The Great Gatsby with Harriett Gilbert
nbsp;–
World Book Club ''World Book Club'' is a radio programme on the BBC World Service. Each edition of the programme, which is broadcast on the first Saturday of the month with repeats into the following Monday, features a famous author discussing one of his or her ...
 –
BBC World Service The BBC World Service is an international broadcasting, international broadcaster owned and operated by the BBC, with funding from the Government of the United Kingdom, British Government through the Foreign Secretary, Foreign Secretary's o ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:McInerney, Jay 1955 births 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American novelists 21st-century American male writers 21st-century American novelists American male novelists Living people Novelists from Connecticut Novelists from New York (state) The New Yorker people Williams College alumni Writers from Hartford, Connecticut Writers from New York City