This is a list of fiction set in

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

Books

*'' Afterimage'' by

Kathleen George Kathleen Elizabeth George (born July 7, 1943) is an American professor and writer best known for her series of crime novels set in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She teaches theatre arts at the University of Pittsburgh and fiction writing at the Chatha ...

*''All in Good Time'' by Carolyn Astfalk *''An American Childhood'' by

Annie Dillard Annie Dillard (born April 30, 1945) is an American author, best known for her narrative prose in both fiction and non-fiction. She has published works of poetry, essays, prose, and literary criticism, as well as two novels and one memoir. Her 19 ...

*''

American Rust ''American Rust'' is a novel by American writer Philipp Meyer, published in 2009. It is set in the 2000s, in the fictional town of Buell in Fayette County, Pennsylvania, which is in a rural region referred to as "the Valley" of dilapidated steel ...

'' by

Philipp Meyer Philipp Meyer is an American fiction writer, and is the author of the novels '' American Rust'' and '' The Son'', as well as short stories published in The New Yorker and other places. Meyer also created and produced the AMC television show ba ...

*'' Another Kind of Monday'' by William Coles *'' The Autobiography of My Body'' by David Guy *''

Blood on the Forge ''Blood on the Forge'' is a migration novel by the African-American writer William Attaway set in the steel valley of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, during 1919, a time when vast numbers of Black Americans moved northward. Attaway's own family was par ...

'' by

William Attaway William Alexander Attaway (November 19, 1911 – June 17, 1986) was an African-American novelist, short story writer, essayist, songwriter, playwright, and screenwriter. Biography Early life Attaway was born on November 19, 1911, in Greenvil ...

*''

The Book of Jonas ''The Book of Jonas'' is a 2012 debut literary novel by American writer Stephen Dau. The book was published in English on March 15, 2012 by Blue Rider Press, and in French as ''Le Livre de Jonas'' by Éditions Gallimard. The book takes its name f ...

'' by

Stephen Dau Stephen or Steven is a common English first name. It is particularly significant to Christians, as it belonged to Saint Stephen Stephen ( grc-gre, Στέφανος ''Stéphanos'', meaning "wreath, crown" and by extension "reward, honor, reno ...

*'' Burning Valley'' by Philip Bonosky *'' Captains and Kings'' by

Taylor Caldwell Janet Miriam Caldwell (September 7, 1900August 30, 1985) was a British-born American novelist and prolific author of popular fiction under the pen names Taylor Caldwell, Marcus Holland and Max Reiner. She was also known by a variation of her mar ...

*''

Christine Christine may refer to: People * Christine (name), a female given name Film * ''Christine'' (1958 film), based on Schnitzler's play ''Liebelei'' * ''Christine'' (1983 film), based on King's novel of the same name * ''Christine'' (1987 fil ...

'' by

Stephen King Stephen Edwin King (born September 21, 1947) is an American author of horror, supernatural fiction, suspense, crime, science-fiction, and fantasy novels. Described as the "King of Horror", a play on his surname and a reference to his high s ...

*'' Disquiet Heart'' by

Randall Silvis Randall Silvis is an American novelist, playwright, screenwriter, and teacher. Life Born in Madison Township, Clarion County, Pennsylvania, he was educated at Clarion University and Indiana University of Pennsylvania. In 2008, Silvis was awa ...

*''

Duffy's Rocks ''Duffy's Rocks'' is a 1974 young adult novel by the American writer Edward Fenton (1917–1995) set in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, during the Great Depression. It tells the story of fourteen-year-old Timothy Francis Brennan as he comes of ag ...

'' by Edward Fenton *'' East Pittsburgh Downlow'' by Dave Newman *'' Elfhome'' (series) by

Wen Spencer Wen Spencer (born 1963) is an American science fiction and fantasy writer whose books center on characters with unusual abilities. In 2003, she was the winner of the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer. Spencer was raised on a family farm ...

*'' Fallen'' by Kathleen George *'' Greenhorn on the Frontier'' by Ann Finlayson *'' Ghosts of the Golden Triangle'' by Mord McGhee *'' The Homewood Books'' by John Edgar Wideman *'' Iron City'' by

Lloyd L. Brown Lloyd Louis Brown (April 3, 1913 – April 1, 2003) was an American labor organizer, Communist Party activist, journalist, novelist, friend and editorial companion of Paul Robeson's, and a Robeson biographer. Early life Brown was born Lloyd Dig ...

*'' The King's Orchard'' by Agnes Sligh Turnbull (1963) *''

The Last Chicken in America Ellen Litman (born 1973) is an American novelist. She received the Rona Jaffe Foundation Writers' Award in 2006. Formative years Born in Moscow, Russia, Litman emigrated with her parents in 1992 to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She was educated at ...

'' by

Ellen Litman Ellen Litman (born 1973) is an American novelist. She received the Rona Jaffe Foundation Writers' Award in 2006. Formative years Born in Moscow, Russia, Litman emigrated with her parents in 1992 to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She was educated at ...

*'' The Leap Year Boy'' by Marc Simon (2013) *'' Lethal Legacy'' by Gerald Myers *'' A Little Girl in Old Pittsburg'' *''Looking For The General'' by Warren Miller *'' The Man Who Liked Slow Tomatoes'' by K.C. Constantine *''

The Memory Keeper's Daughter ''The Memory Keeper's Daughter'' is a novel by American author Kim Edwards that tells the story of a man who gives away his newborn daughter, who has Down syndrome, to one of the nurses. Published by Viking Press in June 2005, the novel garnered ...

'' *'' A Model World and Other Stories'' by Michael Chabon *'' Monongahela Dusk'' by John Hoerr *''

The Mysteries of Pittsburgh ''The Mysteries of Pittsburgh'' is a 1988 novel by American author Michael Chabon. It is a coming-of-age tale set during the early 1980s in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It was Chabon's first novel, which he began writing as a 21-year-old undergrad ...

'' by Michael Chabon *''Ornamental Graces''''Ornamental Graces''
/ref> by Carolyn Astfalk *''

Out of This Furnace ''Out of This Furnace'' is a historical novel and the best-known work of the American writer Thomas Bell. It was first published in 1941 by Little, Brown and Company. Description The novel is set in Braddock, Pennsylvania, a steel town just ...

'' by Thomas Bell *''

The Perks of Being a Wallflower ''The Perks of Being a Wallflower'' is a coming-of-age epistolary novel by American writer Stephen Chbosky, which was first published on February 1, 1999, by Pocket Books. Set in the early 1990s, the novel follows Charlie, an introverted and obs ...

'' by Stephen Chbosky *''

Remember the End ''Remember the End'' is the second novel by the American writer Agnes Sligh Turnbull (1888–1982) and it is set in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania from the 1890s to World War I. The protagonist Alex MacTay is a Scotsman who is called to be a poet, but ...

'' by Agnes Sligh Turnbull (1938) *''

Riot A riot is a form of civil disorder commonly characterized by a group lashing out in a violent public disturbance against authority, property, or people. Riots typically involve destruction of property, public or private. The property targete ...

'' by

William Trautmann William Ernst Trautmann (July 1, 1869 – November 18, 1940) was founding general-secretary of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) and one of 69 people who initially laid plans for the organization in 1904. He was born to German parents in ...

* ''Seducing Mr. Darcy'' by

Gwyn Cready Gwyn Cready (born January 17, 1962) is an American author of romance novels. Biography Personal life Cready was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She attended Mt. Lebanon High School, where she became close friends with novelist Teri Coyne and ...

(2008) *''

Sent for You Yesterday ''Sent for You Yesterday'' is a novel by the American writer John Edgar Wideman, first published in 1983 (in New York by Avon Books, and subsequently in London by Allison and Busby, 1984), set in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, during the 1970s. The n ...

'' by John Edgar Wideman *'' Settling Accounts: Drive to the East'' *'' She Gets the Girl'' by Rachael Lippincott and Alyson Derrick *'' Taken'' by Kathleen George *''

The Tempering ''The Tempering'' is a young adult novel by the American writer Gloria Skurzynski set in 1911 in the fictional mill town of Canaan (a parallel to the author's hometown of Duquesne, Pennsylvania, just south of Pittsburgh on the Monongahela Riv ...

'' by

Gloria Skurzynski Gloria Joan Skurzynski (born July 6, 1930) is an American writer of books for young people, including both fiction and non-fiction. Early life and education Gloria Joan Flister Skurzynski was born in Duquesne, Pennsylvania in 1930 to Aylmer Kear ...

*'' Three Golden Rivers'' by Olive Price *'' The Two Georges'' * ''

U.S.A. The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

'' by John dos Passos *''

Ukiah Oregon Wen Spencer (born 1963) is an American science fiction and fantasy writer whose books center on characters with unusual abilities. In 2003, she was the winner of the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer. Spencer was raised on a family farm ...

'' (series) *'' Watch Your Mouth'' by Daniel Handler *'' Wonder Boys'' by Michael Chabon

Comic books

*''

Firestorm the Nuclear Man Firestorm is the name of several fictional superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Ronnie Raymond and Martin Stein fused together debuted as the first incarnation in ''Firestorm, the Nuclear Man'' #1 (March 1978) ...

'' *'' The Pitt'' *''

Star Brand The Star Brand is the name of a number of similar objects of power in the world of the Marvel Comics. The name "Star Brand" is also often adopted by the wielders of these objects. Three of these Star Brands have been prominently featured in serie ...

Film

Plays

*The Pittsburgh Cycle - In 2005, August Wilson completed a ten-

play cycle A literary cycle is a group of stories focused on common figures, often (though not necessarily) based on mythical figures or loosely on historical ones. Cycles which deal with an entire country are sometimes referred to as matters. A fictional c ...

, nine of which are set in Pittsburgh, chronicling the African-American experience in the 20th century. These are: *1900s - ''

Gem of the Ocean ''Gem of the Ocean'' (2003) is a play by American playwright August Wilson. Although the ninth play produced, chronologically it is the first installment of his decade-by-decade, ten-play chronicle, ''The Pittsburgh Cycle'', dramatizing the Afri ...

'' (2003) *1910s - ''

Joe Turner's Come and Gone ''Joe Turner's Come and Gone'' is a play by American playwright August Wilson. It is the second installment of his decade-by-decade chronicle of the African-American experience, ''The Pittsburgh Cycle''. The play was first staged 1984 at the Euge ...

'' (1984) *1920s - '' Ma Rainey's Black Bottom'' (1982) - set in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

*1930s - ''

The Piano Lesson ''The Piano Lesson'' is a 1987 play by American playwright August Wilson. It is the fourth play in Wilson's ''The Pittsburgh Cycle''. Wilson began writing this play by playing with the various answers regarding the possibility of "acquir nga se ...

'' (1986) -

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 h ...

*1940s - '' Seven Guitars'' (1995) *1950s - ''

Fences A fence is a barrier enclosing or bordering a field, yard, etc., usually made of posts and wire or wood, used to prevent entrance, to confine, or to mark a boundary. Fence or fences may also refer to: Entertainment Music * Fences (band), an Amer ...

'' (1985) - Pulitzer Prize *1960s - ''

Two Trains Running ''Two Trains Running'' is a 1990 play by American playwright August Wilson, the sixth in his ten-part series ''The Pittsburgh Cycle''. The play takes place in 1968 in the Hill District, an African-American neighborhood in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. ...

'' (1990) *1970s - '' Jitney'' (1982) *1980s - '' King Hedley II'' (2001) *1990s - ''

Radio Golf Radio is the technology of signaling and communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 30 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmit ...

'' (2005)

Television shows

Movies

Music

* "

America The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

", written by

Paul Simon Paul Frederic Simon (born October 13, 1941) is an American musician, singer, songwriter and actor whose career has spanned six decades. He is one of the most acclaimed songwriters in popular music, both as a solo artist and as half of folk roc ...

and performed by

Simon & Garfunkel Simon & Garfunkel were an American folk rock duo consisting of the singer-songwriter Paul Simon and the singer Art Garfunkel. They were one of the best-selling music groups of the 1960s, and their biggest hits—including the electric remix of " ...

, includes the line "Kathy", I said, / As we boarded a Greyhound in Pittsburgh, / Michigan seems like a dream to me now." * "

Duquesne Whistle "Duquesne Whistle" is a song written by Bob Dylan and Grateful Dead lyricist Robert Hunter (lyricist), Robert Hunter that appears as the opening track on Dylan's 2012 studio album ''Tempest (Bob Dylan album), Tempest''. It was first released as a ...

," which appears on the

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...

album '' Tempest'', was co-written by Dylan and Robert Hunter. The song describes a train ride through

. NPR's Ann Powers speculates that this may be the same train described in Dylan's "Lo and Behold". * "

A Good Man Is Hard to Find ''A Good Man Is Hard to Find and Other Stories'' (published in the United Kingdom as ''The Artificial Nigger and Other Tales'') is a collection of short stories by American author Flannery O'Connor. The collection was first published in 1955. The ...

" by

Bruce Springsteen Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American singer and songwriter. He has released 21 studio albums, most of which feature his backing band, the E Street Band. Originally from the Jersey Shore, he is an originat ...

describes "It's cloudy out in Pittsburgh / It's raining in Saigon / Snow's falling across the Michigan line." * " I'm Not Dead (I'm in Pittsburgh)", which appears on the Frank Black album ''

Fast Man Raider Man ''Fast Man Raider Man'' is the eleventh studio album and a double-album by Frank Black released in 2006. Track listing All tracks are written by Frank Black, except where noted. Disc one Disc two Personnel Credits adapted from the album's ...

'', was co-written by Black and Pittsburgher

Reid Paley Reid Paley (born in Brooklyn, New York) is an American singer, songwriter, and musician who has been performing and recording both solo and with his trio since the mid-1990s. Early career In the 1980s, Paley was singer, front man, and writer f ...

. It draws upon Pittsburgh's historical connection with the

zombie A zombie (Haitian French: , ht, zonbi) is a mythological undead corporeal revenant created through the reanimation of a corpse. Zombies are most commonly found in horror and fantasy genre works. The term comes from Haitian folklore, in whic ...

genre. ::"I finally found a place to call my own / a place where all good sinners can get stoned / I'll keep my holy vision, you keep your stupid pride / You said I couldn't make it on my own / But I'm not dead (I'm in Pittsburgh) / And now I can't get out of town / But I'm not dead (I'm in Pittsburgh) / They've got me all strung, come cut me down." * " Life During Wartime," which appears on

Talking Heads Talking Heads were an American rock band formed in 1975 in New York City and active until 1991.Talkin ...

' ''

Fear of Music ''Fear of Music'' is the third studio album by American rock band Talking Heads, released on August 3, 1979, by Sire Records. It was recorded at locations in New York City during April and May 1979 and was produced by Brian Eno and Talking Heads. ...

'' and '' Stop Making Sense'', asks the listener in a post-apocalyptic landscape, "Heard about Houston? Heard about Detroit? Heard about Pittsburgh, PA?" Long-time Talking Heads drummer Chris Frantz grew up in Pittsburgh. * " Lo and Behold," which appears on ''

The Basement Tapes ''The Basement Tapes'' is the sixteenth album by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan and his second with the Band. It was released on June 26, 1975, by Columbia Records. Two-thirds of the album's 24 tracks feature Dylan on lead vocals backed b ...

'' by

and the Band, tells the story of the narrator recounting a train ride with "I come into Pittsburgh / At six-thirty flat / I found myself a vacant seat / An' I put down my hat." *" Sweet Little Sixteen", by Chuck Berry, rhymes "Pittsburgh, P.A." with " Frisco Bay." * " Six Days on the Road", written by Earl Green and Carl Montgomery, describes a trucker who says "Well, I pulled out of Pittsburgh", in describing life on the road. * Pittsburgher

Wiz Khalifa Cameron Jibril Thomaz (born September 8, 1987), better known by his stage name Wiz Khalifa, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and actor. He released his debut album, ''Show and Prove'', in 2006 and signed to Warner Bros. Records in 200 ...

often mentions the city in his music. *Pittsburgher

Mac Miller Malcolm James McCormick (January 19, 1992 – September 7, 2018), known professionally as Mac Miller, was an American rapper and record producer. Miller began his career in Pittsburgh's hip hop scene in 2007, at the age of fifteen. In 2010, h ...

often mentions his hometown in his music

Video games

*'' Fallout 3'' *''

The Last of Us ''The Last of Us'' is a 2013 action-adventure game developed by Naughty Dog and published by Sony Computer Entertainment. Players control Joel, a smuggler tasked with escorting a teenage girl, Ellie, across a post-apocalyptic United States. ' ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fiction Set In Pittsburgh * Pittsburgh-related lists