Christopher Bollen (born November 26, 1975) is an American novelist and magazine writer/editor who lives in New York City. Describing his novels, ''

The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally. It was f ...

'' notes that "Bollen writes expansive, psychologically probing novels in the manner of Updike, Eugenides and Franzen, but he is also an avowed disciple of

Agatha Christie Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie, Lady Mallowan, (; 15 September 1890 – 12 January 1976) was an English writer known for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections, particularly those revolving around fiction ...

Early life

Bollen grew up in

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line w ...

, where he graduated from St. Xavier High School. He graduated

Phi Beta Kappa The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States, and the most prestigious, due in part to its long history and academic selectivity. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal ...

from

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

in 1998.

Career

Bollen was the editor-in-chief of ''

Interview An interview is a structured conversation where one participant asks questions, and the other provides answers.Merriam Webster DictionaryInterview Dictionary definition, Retrieved February 16, 2016 In common parlance, the word "interview" ...

'' from early 2008 to mid-2009, after serving as editor-in-chief of '' V''. After stepping down as editor-in-chief, he continued on as editor-at-large of ''Interview''. On May 21, 2018, the publication ceased operations completely after nearly 50 years. Bollen also writes about art and culture at other publications like ''

Artforum ''Artforum'' is an international monthly magazine specializing in contemporary art. The magazine is distinguished from other magazines by its unique 10½ x 10½ inch square format, with each cover often devoted to the work of an artist. Notably ...

'' and ''

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 ...

''.

Novels

Bollen published his first novel, ''

Lightning People ''Lightning People'' is a 2011 novel by Christopher Bollen. It is Bollen's debut novel, and was first published in the United States by Soft Skull Press on September 1, 2011. The book is set in New York City in the 2000s. Critical reception was ...

'', in 2011. ''Lightning People'' is about downtown New York City in 2007. His second novel is titled ''

Orient The Orient is a term for the East in relation to Europe, traditionally comprising anything belonging to the Eastern world. It is the antonym of '' Occident'', the Western World. In English, it is largely a metonym for, and coterminous with, the ...

,'' a thriller published in May 2015 by

HarperCollins HarperCollins Publishers LLC is one of the Big Five English-language publishing companies, alongside Penguin Random House, Simon & Schuster, Hachette, and Macmillan. The company is headquartered in New York City and is a subsidiary of News C ...

named after

Orient, New York Orient is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) in Suffolk County, Long Island, New York, United States. The CDP's population was 743 at the 2010 census. ''Orient'' and ''Orient Point'' are used almost interchangeably. However, Orient Point ...

(the tip of the North Fork of

Long Island Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United States and the 18 ...

). The ''

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 ...

'' writes that ''Orient'' "might well be this summer's most ambitious thriller or this summer's most thrilling work of literary fiction." The Times further describes it as a "juicy mystery at the tip of Long Island at summer's end, when the season's fleeting pleasures have blown away, revealing the fractured and fractious year-round community that remains behind when the casual visitors have returned to the relative safety of New York City." Bollen's third novel, '' The Destroyers'', was published on June 27, 2017, by

. It is set on the island of Patmos, Greece, where the Book of Revelation was thought to be written and was describing by 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 ...

'' as "evoking a seductive mood of longing mixed with regret." It was honoured with The Fitzgerald Award in France. His fourth novel, ''

A Beautiful Crime ''A Beautiful Crime'' is a 2020 crime fiction novel by the American writer and editor Christopher Bollen. It is Bollen's fourth novel and was written in 2018 during a residency in Paris. The novel was first published in the United States by H ...

'', was published in January 2020 by

. The novel deals with two young gay men involved in a heist in contemporary Venice, Italy. It was a Best Book of the year 2020 by ''

Oprah Magazine ''O, The Oprah Magazine'', also known simply as ''O'', is an American monthly magazine founded by talk show host Oprah Winfrey and Hearst Communications. Overview It was first published on April 19, 2000. , its average paid circulation was ...

''. The novel went on to be a finalist for the 2020 ''Los Angeles Times'' Book Prize. Bollen's short story "SWAJ", a queer retelling of Peter Benchley's ''

Jaws Jaws or Jaw may refer to: Anatomy * Jaw, an opposable articulated structure at the entrance of the mouth ** Mandible, the lower jaw Arts, entertainment, and media * Jaws (James Bond), a character in ''The Spy Who Loved Me'' and ''Moonraker'' * ...

'' published in the ''Brooklyn Rail'', was selected for inclusion in 2021's The Best American Mystery and Suspense.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bollen, Christopher Living people 1975 births 21st-century American novelists Journalists from New York City Writers from Cincinnati American magazine editors Columbia College (New York) alumni American male novelists American LGBT journalists American LGBT novelists American gay writers 21st-century American male writers Novelists from New York (state) 21st-century American non-fiction writers American male non-fiction writers 21st-century American LGBT people Vanity Fair (magazine) people St. Xavier High School (Ohio) alumni