Mischa Berlinski (born 1973 in New York, United States) is an American

author An author is the writer of a book, article, play, mostly written work. A broader definition of the word "author" states: "''An author is "the person who originated or gave existence to anything" and whose authorship determines responsibility f ...

. His first novel, '' Fieldwork'', was a finalist for the 2007

National Book Award The National Book Awards are a set of annual U.S. literary awards. At the final National Book Awards Ceremony every November, the National Book Foundation presents the National Book Awards and two lifetime achievement awards to authors. The Nat ...

. In 2008 Berlinski won a $50,000 Whiting Award, given to writers showing early promise in their careers.

Life

Berlinski is the son of author and academic David Berlinski and cellist

Toby Saks Toby Saks (January 8, 1942 – August 1, 2013) was an American cellist, the founder of the Seattle Chamber Music Society and a member of the New York Philharmonic. Music history Born in New York City to an immigrant family, Saks began music less ...

, the grandson of composer and musicologist Herman Berlinski, and the brother of journalist Claire Berlinski. Berlinski is a

UC Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant uni ...

graduate, and has worked as a

journalist A journalist is an individual that collects/gathers information in form of text, audio, or pictures, processes them into a news-worthy form, and disseminates it to the public. The act or process mainly done by the journalist is called journalis ...

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...

Tim Rutten Tim Rutten is an American journalist with the '' Los Angeles Daily News''. He worked for the ''Los Angeles Times'' for nearly 40 years between 1971 and 2011. Education A native of San Bernardino, California, he majored in political science at Cali ...

"Faith and Reason in Thailand"
''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the U ...

'', February 7, 2007;

Awards

* 2007

Fiction Finalist * 2008 Whiting Award * 2013

American Academy of Arts and Letters The American Academy of Arts and Letters is a 300-member honor society whose goal is to "foster, assist, and sustain excellence" in American literature, music, and art. Its fixed number membership is elected for lifetime appointments. Its headqu ...

’ Addison M. Metcalf Award

Works

Books

* '' Fieldwork'', (

Farrar, Straus & Giroux Farrar, Straus and Giroux (FSG) is an American book publishing company, founded in 1946 by Roger Williams Straus Jr. and John C. Farrar. FSG is known for publishing literary books, and its authors have won numerous awards, including Pulitzer ...

) 2007 * ''Peacekeeping: A Novel'', Sarah Crichton Books, 2016

Articles

* * (Reprinted online by Epic Magazine)

Reviews

''Fieldwork'' received widespread attention when renowned author Stephen King's review of it, called "How to Bury a Book," was published in ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cu ...

''. While King lauds, at length, the novel's complexity, "narrative voice full of humor and sadness," and suspense, he issues a scathing attack on its publisher,

Farrar, Straus and Giroux Farrar, Straus and Giroux (FSG) is an American book publishing company, founded in 1946 by Roger Williams Straus Jr. and John C. Farrar. FSG is known for publishing literary books, and its authors have won numerous awards, including Pulitzer ...

, for poor marketing choices: King's review resulted in increased sales of ''Fieldwork.'' When Berlinski won the Whiting Award, he attributed it to his "luck" that "Stephen King, the most famous writer in the world, picked up my book because he didn't like the cover." In 2007, ''

The New York Review of Books ''The New York Review of Books'' (or ''NYREV'' or ''NYRB'') is a semi-monthly magazine with articles on literature, culture, economics, science and current affairs. Published in New York City, it is inspired by the idea that the discussion of i ...

'' published a positive review of ''Fieldwork'' from

Hilary Mantel Dame Hilary Mary Mantel ( ; born Thompson; 6 July 1952 – 22 September 2022) was a British writer whose work includes historical fiction, personal memoirs and short stories. Her first published novel, '' Every Day Is Mother's Day'', was relea ...

References

External links

Profile at The Whiting Foundation
* ttp://www.nybooks.com/articles/23657 Port-au-Prince: The Momentby Mischa Berlinski from ''

'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Berlinski, Mischa 1973 births Living people 21st-century American novelists American people of German-Jewish descent Jewish American novelists University of California, Berkeley alumni Journalists from New York City American male novelists 21st-century American male writers Novelists from New York (state) 21st-century American non-fiction writers American male non-fiction writers 21st-century American Jews Berlinski family