Douglas Kennedy (writer)
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Douglas Kennedy (born January 1, 1955) is an American novelist. He is known for international bestsellers ''The Big Picture'', ''The Pursuit of Happiness'', ''Leaving the World'' and ''The Moment.''


Biography

Douglas Kennedy was born in New York City in 1955, the son of a commodities broker and a production assistant at
NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...
. He was educated at The Collegiate School and graduated with a
B.A. Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four yea ...
magna cum laude from Bowdoin College in 1976. He also spent a year studying at
Trinity College Dublin , name_Latin = Collegium Sanctae et Individuae Trinitatis Reginae Elizabethae juxta Dublin , motto = ''Perpetuis futuris temporibus duraturam'' (Latin) , motto_lang = la , motto_English = It will last i ...
. "I was a history major," Kennedy explained. "Retrospectively, I think the history major provides much better training for a novelist. So much of what I do in my own fiction is observational; is looking at behavior. By studying human history you really see how human folly endlessly repeats itself. In my work—in whatever form it takes—I am very much grappling with what it means to be American in this way." Kennedy married Grace Patricia Carley in 20 April 1985. He has two children, Max and Amelia. The couple divorced in 2009. In 2012, Kennedy married Christine Ury. They divorced in 2017.


Career

In 1977, he returned to
Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 c ...
and started a co-operative theatre company with a friend. He was later hired to run the
Abbey Theatre The Abbey Theatre ( ga, Amharclann na Mainistreach), also known as the National Theatre of Ireland ( ga, Amharclann Náisiúnta na hÉireann), in Dublin, Ireland, is one of the country's leading cultural institutions. First opening to the p ...
's second house, The Peacock. He also co-produced the 1983 Irish drama film ''
Attracta Athracht (Modern Irish ''Naomh Adhracht''; in Latin sources ''Attracta'') is the patron saint of the parish of Locha Techet (Lough Gara) and Tourlestrane, Co. Sligo, Ireland. She was a sister of Bishop Conal of Drumconnell. Her feast day is ...
'' starring
Wendy Hiller Dame Wendy Margaret Hiller, (15 August 1912 – 14 May 2003) was an English film and stage actress who enjoyed a varied acting career that spanned nearly 60 years. Writer Joel Hirschorn, in his 1984 compilation ''Rating the Movie Stars'', desc ...
. At the age of 28, he resigned from The Peacock to write full-time. After several radio plays for the BBC and one stage play, he decided to switch directions and wrote his first book, a narrative account of his travels in Egypt called Beyond the Pyramids, which was published in 1988. Kennedy and his then-wife moved to London that year, where Kennedy expanded his journalistic work, and wrote for ''
The Sunday Times ''The Sunday Times'' is a British newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of News UK, w ...
'', ''
The Sunday Telegraph ''The Sunday Telegraph'' is a British broadsheet newspaper, founded in February 1961 and published by the Telegraph Media Group, a division of Press Holdings. It is the sister paper of ''The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', kn ...
'', '' The Listener'', the ''
New Statesman The ''New Statesman'' is a British Political magazine, political and cultural magazine published in London. Founded as a weekly review of politics and literature on 12 April 1913, it was at first connected with Sidney Webb, Sidney and Beatrice ...
'', Le Monde, and the British editions of '' Esquire'' and '' GQ''. Kennedy is the author of seventeen novels, including the international bestsellers ''The Big Picture'', ''The Pursuit of Happiness'', ''Leaving the World'' and ''The Moment''. He is also the author of three highly praised travel books. More than 14 million copies of his books have been sold worldwide and his work has been translated into twenty-two languages. Kennedy's novels are often written in European landscapes, and have been particularly acclaimed and beloved in France; his novel, ''Five Days'', published by Atria in April 2013 and by Belfond in October 2013, became a #1 Bestseller in France, as did his earlier novels, ''The Moment'' and ''Leaving the World''. Kennedy received the French decoration Chevalier de l' Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in 2007. In November 2009, he received the first “Grand Prix du Figaro,” awarded by the newspaper ''
Le Figaro ''Le Figaro'' () is a French daily morning newspaper founded in 1826. It is headquartered on Boulevard Haussmann in the 9th arrondissement of Paris. The oldest national newspaper in France, ''Le Figaro'' is one of three French newspapers of r ...
''. After it was published in 2017 in France, "The Great Wide Open" was published in the US and the UK in 2019. Kennedy's last novel, "Afraid Of The Light" was published by
Penguin Random House Penguin Random House LLC is an Anglo-American multinational conglomerate publishing company formed on July 1, 2013, from the merger of Penguin Group and Random House. On April 2, 2020, Bertelsmann announced the completion of its purchase ...
in July 2021. Kennedy has also written three children's books in collaboration with french illustrator
Joann Sfar Joann Sfar (; born 28 August 1971) is a French comics artist, comic book creator, novelist, and film director. Life and career Sfar was born in Nice, the son of Lilou, a pop singer, who died when he was three, and André Sfar, a lawyer well kn ...
. The series of children's books are entitled "Les fabuleuses aventures d'Aurore" and depict the life of young girl with low verbal autism. In 2022, Kennedy was invited by President Macron of France to accompany him on his official state visit to Washington DC and New Orleans, including the opening ceremony at
The White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in 180 ...
and a State Department luncheon hosted by Vice President Harris and Secretary of State
Antony Blinken Antony John Blinken (born April 16, 1962) is an American government official and diplomat serving as the 71st United States secretary of state since January 26, 2021. He previously served as deputy national security advisor from 2013 to 2015 a ...
.


Works


Non-fiction

*''Beyond the Pyramids: Travels in Egypt'' (1988) *''In God's Country: Travels in the Bible Belt'' (1989) *''Chasing Mammon: Travels in the Pursuit of Money'' (1992)


Novels

*''The Dead Heart'' (1994) *''The Big Picture'' (1997) *''The Job'' (1998) *''The Pursuit of Happiness'' (2001) *''A Special Relationship'' (2003) *''State of the Union'' (2005) *''Temptation'' aka ''Losing It'' (2006) *''The Woman in the Fifth'' (2007) *''Leaving the World'' (2010) *''The Moment'' (2011) *''Five Days'' (2013) *''The Heat of Betrayal'' (2015) aka "The Blue Hour" *''The Pick-Up and Hit and Run/Drôle de Drague et Délit de Fuite'' (2016) *''La symphonie du hasard'' (2017) aka "The Great Wide Open" *''The Great Wide Open'' (2019) *''Isabelle in the Afternoon'' (2020) *''Afraid Of The Light'' (2021)


Children's Literature

*''Les fabuleuses aventures d'Aurore'' (2019) *''Aurore et le mystère de la chambre secrète'' (2020) *''Aurore et l'incroyable énigme de New York'' (2022)


Films

''The Dead Heart'' was the basis of the 1997 film ''
Welcome to Woop Woop ''Welcome to Woop Woop'' is a 1997 Australian comedy film directed by Stephan Elliott and starring Johnathon Schaech and Rod Taylor. The film was based on the novel ''The Dead Heart'' by Douglas Kennedy. " Woop Woop" is an Australian colloqui ...
''. Kennedy's second novel, '' The Big Picture'', a ''New York Times'' Bestseller, was a dark exploration of identity and self-entrapment set in Connecticut's suburbs. It was adapted as a French film ('' L'Homme qui voulait vivre sa vie'') and released in theaters in 2010, starring
Romain Duris Romain Duris (; born 28 May 1974) is a French actor. He is known for his role in Cédric Klapisch's ''Spanish Apartment'' trilogy, which consists of '' L'Auberge Espagnole'' (2002), '' Russian Dolls'' (2005), and ''Chinese Puzzle'' (2013). He al ...
and
Catherine Deneuve Catherine Fabienne Dorléac (born 22 October 1943), known professionally as Catherine Deneuve (, , ), is a French actress as well as an occasional singer, model, and producer, considered one of the greatest European actresses. She gained recogni ...
. '' The Woman in the Fifth'', the story of a beleaguered professor who falls in love with a strange woman who isn't the person she seems, was also adapted into film, and was released in November 2011, starring
Ethan Hawke Ethan Green Hawke (born November 6, 1970) is an American actor and film director. He has been nominated for four Academy Awards, two Golden Globe Awards and a Tony Award. Hawke has directed three feature films, three off-Broadway plays, and a doc ...
and Kristin Scott Thomas.


Critical reception

Being one of the best-selling novelists, Douglas Kennedy is widely known as "a master storyteller with a trademark genius for writing serious popular fiction." His books have received positive reviews. His first novel, The Dead Heart' was reviewed by Jason Cowley from ''
The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publish ...
'' and said, "This book is constantly capable of amusing us." According to
Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of ...
review of his best selling book The Pursuit of Happiness', "Kennedy tells his epic tale with a keen eye and brisk pace, confidently sweeping through historic events." Liadan Hynes from '' Irish Independent'' reviewed the book ''The Heat of Betrayal'' and said, "Douglas Kennedy manages to maintain a gripping pace and it's enjoyable for the reader." According to ''
The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publish ...
'' review of his book ''Leaving the World'', "Kennedy keeps us wanting to know what happens next. We can call this book manipulative, but this is exactly what we pay him to do." ''Publishers Weekly'' in their review of Kennedy's bestseller book ''The Big Picture'' said, "There is a lot of excitement in the air about this novel, and it is thoroughly justified."


References


External links


Douglas Kennedy - Official Author Website

Douglas Kennedy's top 10 books about grief ''The Guardian''

Douglas Kennedy: The Moment That Changed Me. A Man Had a Heart Attack And Died In My Arms ''The Guardian''



Douglas Kennedy: my five best books

Write Now with Douglas Kennedy



Douglas Kennedy's 'Five Days'

Author Interview: Bestselling Novelist Douglas Kennedy Talks About “Five Days”

Masterclass "Les secrets d'écriture de Douglas Kennedy"

Shelf Analysis - Episode 16 - Douglas Kennedy

Douglas Kennedy
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kennedy, Douglas American atheists 20th-century American novelists 21st-century American novelists American travel writers Bowdoin College alumni Collegiate School (New York) alumni American expatriates in the United Kingdom Naturalised citizens of Ireland Living people 1955 births American male novelists 20th-century American male writers 21st-century American male writers Novelists from New York (state) 20th-century American non-fiction writers 21st-century American non-fiction writers American male non-fiction writers