John Gregory Brown (July 31, 1960 - ) 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 ...

Background and education

Brown was born on July 31, 1960 in

New Orleans, Louisiana New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

. He received his

B.A. Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four yea ...

from

Tulane University Tulane University, officially the Tulane University of Louisiana, is a private university, private research university in New Orleans, Louisiana. Founded as the Medical College of Louisiana in 1834 by seven young medical doctors, it turned into ...

in 1982, and his

M.A. 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 ...

from

Johns Hopkins University Johns Hopkins University (Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private university, private research university in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1876, Johns Hopkins is the oldest research university in the United States and in the western hem ...

in 1988. He is Director of Creative Writing and the Julia Jackson Nichols Professor of English at Sweet Briar College,

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

, where he lives with his wife, fellow novelist Carrie Brown and two dogs Murphy Brown and James Brown. After spending the 2015-2016 academic year teaching at Deerfield Academy, he returned to Sweet Briar College.

Work

Brown's first novel, ''Decorations in a Ruined Cemetery'' (1994), received broad critical acclaim. In ''

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 ...

'', Margo Jefferson praised the book's "seductive rhythmic murmur" In

The Los Angeles Times ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

, Charles Solomon noted the writer's "great sensitivity.". Reviewing the book for the ''

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television ar ...

'', Charles Larson called the book a "triumph...much of its magnificence is the result of the author's decision to create imaginative voices other than his own," concluding "John Gregory Brown is both the beneficiary of and a worthy successor to our finest Southern writers." The novel received both the 1994

Lillian Smith Book Award Jointly presented by the Southern Regional Council and the University of Georgia Libraries, the ''Lillian Smith Book Awards honor those authors who, through their outstanding writing about the American South, carry on Lillian Smith's legacy of elu ...

and the United Kingdom's 1996 Steinbeck Award, for the year's best novel by a writer under forty years of age. ''The Wrecked, Blessed Body of Shelton Lafleur'', Brown's second book, was published in 1996.

called the novel "John Gregory Brown's gift of grace to us," and ''

The Dallas Morning News ''The Dallas Morning News'' is a daily newspaper serving the Dallas–Fort Worth area of Texas, with an average print circulation of 65,369. It was founded on October 1, 1885 by Alfred Horatio Belo as a satellite publication of the ''Galvesto ...

'' wrote, "John Gregory Brown is a strong new voice in American—not just Southern—fiction, and his work deserves the widest possible audience. Reviewing Brown's third novel, ''Audubon's Watch'' (2002), in ''

'', novelist Stewart O'Nan praised Brown's "ambition and achievement," concluding, "This is a brazen performance that few authors would have the skill or the courage to risk." The novel received the 2002 Louisiana Endowment for The Humanities Award. His latest book, "A Thousand Miles from Nowhere," was released in June 2016.

Honors

* 2002 Louisiana Endowment for The Humanities 2002 Book of the Year for ''Audubon’s Watch''. * 1998 George A. And Eliza Gardner Howard Foundation Fellowship. * 1996 Steinbeck Award for Decorations in a Ruined Cemetery, U.K. (Awarded for the year's best novel published in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

by a writer under forty years old.) * 1996

Granta ''Granta'' is a literary magazine and publisher in the United Kingdom whose mission centres on its "belief in the power and urgency of the story, both in fiction and non-fiction, and the story’s supreme ability to describe, illuminate and ma ...

magazine Best Young American Novelists competition, Southern Region. * 1994 The

for ''Decorations in a Ruined Cemetery''. * 1993 Lyndhurst Fellowship.

References

External links

Interview with John Gregory Brown

Author Page

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brown, John Gregory 1960 births Living people Writers from New Orleans Tulane University alumni Johns Hopkins University alumni Sweet Briar College faculty