Michael Dirda (born 1948) is a book critic for the ''

Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

''. He has been a

Fulbright Fellow The Fulbright Program, including the Fulbright–Hays Program, is one of several United States Cultural Exchange Programs with the goal of improving intercultural relations, cultural diplomacy, and intercultural competence between the people of ...

and won a

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 ...

in 1993.

Career

Having studied at

Oberlin College Oberlin College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college and conservatory of music in Oberlin, Ohio. It is the oldest Mixed-sex education, coeducational liberal arts college in the United S ...

for his undergraduate degree in 1970, Dirda took an M.A. in 1974 and

Ph.D. A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is ...

in 1977 from

Cornell University Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to teach an ...

comparative literature Comparative literature is an academic field dealing with the study of literature and cultural expression across linguistic, national, geographic, and disciplinary boundaries. Comparative literature "performs a role similar to that of the study ...

. In 1978 Dirda started writing for the ''Washington Post''; in 1993 he won the

for his criticism. Currently, he is a book columnist for the ''Post''. In 2002, Dirda was invested as a member of

The Baker Street Irregulars The Baker Street Irregulars is an organization of Sherlock Holmes enthusiasts founded in 1934 by Christopher Morley. The nonprofit organization currently numbers some 300 individuals worldwide. The group has published '' The Baker Street Journa ...

Works

Two collections of Dirda's literary journalism have been published: * ''Readings: Essays and Literary Entertainments'' (Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2000) * ''Bound to Please'' (New York: W. W. Norton, 2005) He has also written: * ''An Open Book: Coming of Age in the Heartland'' (New York: W. W. Norton, 2003) (autobiography) * ''Book by Book: Notes on Reading and Life'' (New York: Henry Holt, 2005) * ''Classics for Pleasure'' (Orlando: Harcourt, 2007) * ''

On Conan Doyle; or, The Whole Art of Storytelling ''On Conan Doyle; or, The Whole Art of Storytelling'' is a 2011 book about Arthur Conan Doyle by Michael Dirda. Published by Princeton University Press Princeton University Press is an independent publisher with close connections to Princet ...

'' (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2011) * ''Browsings: A Year of Reading, Collecting, and Living with Books'' (New York: Pegasus, 2015) ''On Conan Doyle'' was awarded the 2012

Edgar Award The Edgar Allan Poe Awards, popularly called the Edgars, are presented every year by the Mystery Writers of America, based in New York City. Named after American writer Edgar Allan Poe (1809–1849), a pioneer in the genre, the awards honor the bes ...

in the Best Critical/Biographical category. (Reviewer

Darrell Schweitzer Darrell Charles Schweitzer (born August 27, 1952) is an American writer, editor, and critic in the field of speculative fiction. Much of his focus has been on dark fantasy and horror fiction, horror, although he does also work in science fictio ...

lauds the book in ''

The New York Review of Science Fiction ''The New York Review of Science Fiction'' is a monthly literary magazine of science fiction that was established in 1988. It includes works of science fiction criticism, essays, and in-depth critical reviews of new works of fiction and scholarsh ...

''.)

Family

Dirda lives in

Silver Spring, Maryland Silver Spring is a census-designated place (CDP) in southeastern Montgomery County, Maryland, United States, near Washington, D.C. Although officially unincorporated, in practice it is an edge city, with a population of 81,015 at the 2020 ce ...

, with his wife, Marian Peck Dirda, a prints and drawings conservator at the

National Gallery of Art The National Gallery of Art, and its attached Sculpture Garden, is a national art museum in Washington, D.C., United States, located on the National Mall, between 3rd and 9th Streets, at Constitution Avenue NW. Open to the public and free of char ...

. They have three sons: Christopher (b. 1984), Michael (b. 1987), and Nathaniel (b. 1990).

References

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 ...

'' *
"Book Shopping with the Best-Read Man in America"
''The Paris Review'', November 7, 2012 {{DEFAULTSORT:Dirda, Michael 1948 births Living people Cornell University alumni Oberlin College alumni American literary critics Edgar Award winners Pulitzer Prize for Criticism winners The Washington Post people

Career

Works

Family

See also

References

External links