Thomas W. Christensen (born September 29, 1948) is an
American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
author, translator, and publisher. He is known for his publications on literature, history, and art; his literary translations from French and Spanish; and his work as an editor and publisher.
Biography
Born in
Myrtle Point, Oregon
Myrtle Point is a city in Coos County, Oregon, United States, established in 1887. The population was 2,514 at the 2010 census. Located in the Coquille River Valley, Myrtle Point is part of the Coos Bay/ North Bend/ Charleston Metropolitan Statist ...
, Christensen received advanced degrees in comparative literature from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. After travels in Latin America he relocated to the San Francisco Bay Area and worked as an editor and publishing executive at the independent trade book publishing companies
North Point Press
North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography.
Etymology
The word ''north'' is ...
and Mercury House. Married to translator Carol Christensen, he lives in the San Francisco Bay Area. "Thomas Christensen." ''Contemporary Authors Online.'' Detroit: Gale, 2013. Biography in Context. Web. 18 Nov. 2015. Retrieved 3/28/2016.
Publishing work
Christensen joined North Point Press in 1980, shortly after the press's founding, and worked there until 1989 as a senior editor. Among the authors he worked closely with were
Gina Berriault
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, and
Gary Snyder
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. He joined Mercury House in 1990 as executive director and editor-in-chief, serving in that capacity until 1999. At Mercury House he published such authors as
Harold Brodkey
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,
Leonard Michaels
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Lucille Eichengreen
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Jane Vandenburgh
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Biography
A fifth-generation Californian, she was born in Berkeley and grew up in Redondo Beach and in the San Fernando Valley. She holds a bachelor's degree in English literatu ...
, and
Lawrence Weschler
Lawrence Weschler (born 1952) is an author of works of creative nonfiction.
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Alejo Carpentier
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,
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* Louis (surname)
* Louis (singer), Serbian singer
* HMS Louis, HMS ''Louis'', two ships of the Royal Navy
See also
Derived or associated te ...
, and
Jose Angel Valente
Jose is the English transliteration of the Hebrew and Aramaic name ''Yose'', which is etymologically linked to ''Yosef'' or Joseph. The name was popular during the Mishnaic and Talmudic periods.
*Jose ben Abin
*Jose ben Akabya
* Jose the Galil ...
. He often collaborates with his wife, Carol Christensen. In 2000, he received an award for dedication to translation from the American Literary Translators Association and was short-listed for a PEN USA West Literary Award for Translation. His translations include: Author website. Retrieved 3/28/2016.
* ''Selected Poems of José Ángel Valente '' (translation from Spanish). Archipelago Press, Spring 2013
* ''Vida Clandestina: My Life in the Cuban Revolution '' by Enrique Oltuski (translation from Spanish), Jossey Bass, September 2002
* ''Nocturnal Butterflies of the Russian Empire '' by José Manuel Prieto (translation from Spanish) Grove Atlantic, November 2001*
* ''Ballets Without Music, Without Dancers, Without Anything '' by Louis-Ferdinand Céline (translation from French), Sun & Moon / Green Integer, January 2000 (finalist, PEN USA West 2000 Literary Awards)
* ''Like Water for Chocolate '' by Laura Esquivel (co-translator from Spanish), Anchor Doubleday, August 1992
* ''Galíndez '' by Manuel Vázquez Montalbán (co-translator from Spanish), Atheneum, June 1992
* ''Mexico the Beautiful Cookbook '' by Susana Palazuelos (co-translator from Spanish), Weldon Owen, August, 1991
* ''The Harp and the Shadow '' by Alejo Carpentier (co-translator from Spanish), Mercury House, June, 1990
* ''Constancia and Other Stories for Virgins '' by Carlos Fuentes (translation from Spanish), Farrar, Straus & Giroux, March 1990
* Cold Tales'' by Virgilio Piñera (editor/translator from Spanish), Eridanos Press, October 1988
* ''Around the Day in Eighty Worlds '' by Julio Cortázar (translation from Spanish), North Point Press, 1986.
Original writings
Christensen's writing has focused on literature, history, and art, often with an emphasis on globalism. An early work in this vein was ''The U.S.-Mexican War,'' which Carlos Fuentes called 'the clearest, most balanced and fully documented account' of the conflict. Author website. Retrieved 3/28/2016.
''1616: The World in Motion,'' a global study of one year in the early seventeenth century, is the author's most widely praised book. According to ''Contemporary Authors,''
Several critics praised the book as a lively, often surprising, yet substantial work of history. It 'is a delight, an adventure, a reading and visual treat of the first order,' with Christensen uncovering 'many unimagined and unprecedented connections,' remarked David Walton in the leveland Plain Dealer He added: 'The color art of this book is central, and catalyzes the art of digression. Richly, beautifully illustrated, with long, fascinating captions, this is a book to get lost in, hour by hour.' On the ForeWord Reviews website, Leia Menlove noted that 'Christensen manages to portray and connect disparate events with remarkable cogency,' in a style that 'is droll and at times hilarious.' A ublishers Weekly reviewer alled 616'a stunning overview of the nascent modern world,' and aclean's contributorBrian Bethune observed that 'Christensen shines ... in his tales of individuals incongruently ricocheting around this newly opened world.'
In April 2016 "1616" will provide the template for a three-day multidisciplinary symposium at Rhodes College in Memphis. Christensen will deliver the keynote address. Rhodes College 1616 Symposium website.
In 2014 Christensen published ''River of Ink: Literature, History, Art'', a collection of essays selected from across his career. According to a profile of the author in the San Jose Mercury News, "with dozens of full-color illustrations, the book is a dazzling cabinet of wonders for anyone seeking knowledge about the wider world." Georgia Rowe, "Tom Christensen's 'River of Ink' traces some of history's more obscure intertwinings," an Jose Mercury News Retrieved 3/28/2016.
Christensen's books include:
*''River of Ink: Literature, History, Art.'' Counterpoint Press, Fall 2014
*''1616: The World in Motion.'' Counterpoint Press, January 2012
*''New World/New Words: Translating Latin American Literature.'' Center for the Art of Translation, Winter 2006-2007
*''The Asian Art Museum of San Francisco.'' Art Spaces Series. Scala, 2004
*''Bridge to Understanding: The Art and Architecture of San Francisco's Asian Art Museum–Chong-Moon Lee Center for Asian Art and Culture.'' Asian Art Museum, March 2003
*''The U.S.–Mexican War.'' Co-author with Carol Christensen. Bay Books, February, 1998
*''In Few Words / En Pocas Palabras: A Compendium of Latino Folk Wit and Wisdom.'' By José Antonio Burciaga; credited editor (completed after the author's death). Mercury House, January 1997
*''The American Promise: Adventures in Grass-roots Democracy.'' Ghost written with co-editorial credit. KQED Books, October, 1995
*''The Discovery of America and Other Myths: A New World Reader.'' Co-editor with Carol Christensen. Chronicle Books, October 1992.