John Burnham Schwartz (born 1965) is an American

novelist A novelist is an author or writer of novels, though often novelists also write in other genres of both fiction and non-fiction. Some novelists are professional novelists, thus make a living writing novels and other fiction, while others asp ...

and screenwriter. Schwartz is best known for his novels ''Reservation Road'' (1998) and ''The Commoner'' (2008). His fifth novel, ''Northwest Corner'', a sequel to ''Reservation Road'', was published in 2011. He is an editor at large at

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 ...

Career

John Burnham Schwartz was born in 1965, in New York City, the son of Alan U. Schwartz, an entertainment attorney, and Paula Schwartz (née Dunaway), an editor and writer."John Burnham Schwartz." ''Contemporary Authors Online''. Detroit:

Gale A gale is a strong wind; the word is typically used as a descriptor in nautical contexts. The U.S. National Weather Service defines a gale as sustained surface winds moving at a speed of between 34 and 47 knots (, or ).W. S. Merwin William Stanley Merwin (September 30, 1927 – March 15, 2019) was an American poet who wrote more than fifty books of poetry and prose, and produced many works in translation. During the 1960s anti-war movement, Merwin's unique craft was thema ...

, and was known as Paula Merwin.Rich, Motoko (January 17, 2008).
How a Japanese Empress Inspired an American Literary Prince
. ''

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 d ...

''. nytimes.com. Retrieved 2018-04-07. Growing up in New York City, Schwartz attended the Manhattan Country School.MCS Alumni Spotlight: Matt Schwartz ’77 & John Burnham Schwartz ’79
. Manhattan Country School. manhattancountryschool.org. Retrieved 2018-04-07. He later attended Harvard College, where he majored in Japanese studies. After graduating in 1987, with a B.A. in East Asian Studies, Payne, Peggy (July 9, 1989).
'I am Alec. Please Look After Me'
(review of ''Bicycle Days''). ''The New York Times''. nytimes.com. Retrieved 2018-04-07. he initially accepted a position with a Wall Street investment bank, before finally turning the position down, after selling his first novel. That book, '' Bicycle Days'', a coming of age story about a young American man in Japan, was published in 1989 on his 24th birthday, and garnered strong reviews. In 1991 he was a recipient of a Lyndhurst Foundation Award. Schwartz's second novel ''Reservation Road'' (1998), about a family tragedy and its aftermath, was critically acclaimed, and in 2007 was made into a major motion picture. The film, starring

Joaquin Phoenix Joaquin Rafael Phoenix (; né Bottom; born October 28, 1974) is an American actor. He is known for playing dark and unconventional characters in independent films. He has received various accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academ ...

Mark Ruffalo Mark Alan Ruffalo (; born November 22, 1967) is an American actor and producer best known for playing Bruce Banner / Hulk since 2012 in the superhero franchise of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and in the television series '' She-Hulk: Attorne ...

, and

Jennifer Connelly Jennifer Lynn Connelly (born December 12, 1970) is an American actress. She began her career as a child model before making her acting debut in the 1984 crime film ''Once Upon a Time in America''. After having worked as a model for several year ...

, was directed by

Terry George Terence George (born 20 December 1952) is an Irish screenwriter and director. Much of his film work (e.g. ''The Boxer'', '' Some Mother's Son'', and ''In the Name of the Father'') involves "The Troubles" in Northern Ireland. He was nominated f ...

, based on a screenplay that was co-written by Schwartz and George. Schwartz went on to publish ''Claire Marvel'' (2002), a love story set in the

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and

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, and, in 2008, ''The Commoner'', a novel inspired by the life of Empress Michiko of Japan, the current empress and crown princess of Japan, and the first commoner to marry into the

Japanese imperial family The , also referred to as the Imperial Family or the House of Yamato, comprises those members of the extended family of the reigning Emperor of Japan who undertake official and public duties. Under the present Constitution of Japan, the Emperor i ...

. He was a co-writer, with

Sam Levinson Samuel Levinson (born January 8, 1985) is an American actor and filmmaker. He is the son of Academy Award-winning director Barry Levinson. In 2010, he received his first writing credit as a co-writer for the action comedy film '' Operation: Endg ...

and Samuel Baum, of the screenplay for ''

The Wizard of Lies ''The Wizard of Lies'' is a 2017 American television biopic film directed by Barry Levinson and written by Sam Levinson, Sam Baum, and John Burnham Schwartz, based on the 2011 non-fiction book of the same name by Diana B. Henriques. The film sta ...

'', a 2017 HBO movie about the disgraced financier Bernie Madoff, based on the non-fiction book of the same title by

Diana B. Henriques Diana Blackmon Henriques (born December 1948) is an American financial journalist and author working in New York City. Since 1989, she has been a reporter on the staff of ''The New York Times'' working on staff until December 2011 and under contrac ...

; the screenplay was a 2018 nominee for a Writers Guild of America Award, for an adapted long-form program.McNary, Dave; Nyren, Erin (February 12, 2018).
'Get Out', 'Call Me by Your Name', 'The Handmaid's Tale' win WGA awards
. ''

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television a ...

''. chicagotribune.com. Retrieved 2018-04-08. Schwartz has contributed articles to publications including ''

The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American weekly magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Founded as a weekly in 1925, the magazine is published 47 times annually, with five of these issues ...

'', ''

The New York Times Book Review ''The New York Times Book Review'' (''NYTBR'') is a weekly paper-magazine supplement to the Sunday edition of ''The New York Times'' in which current non-fiction and fiction books are reviewed. It is one of the most influential and widely rea ...

'', ''

The Boston Globe ''The Boston Globe'' is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes, and has a total circulation of close to 300,000 print and digital subscribers. ''The Boston Glob ...

'', and ''

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''. He has taught at Harvard, the

University of Iowa The University of Iowa (UI, U of I, UIowa, or simply Iowa) is a public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is organized into 12 col ...

Writers' Workshop, and Sarah Lawrence College. He is the Literary Director of the Sun Valley Writers' Conference, based in

Ketchum, Idaho Ketchum is a city in Blaine County, Idaho, located in the central part of the state. The population was 3,555 at the 2020 census, up from 2,689 in 2010. Located in the Wood River Valley, Ketchum is adjacent to Sun Valley and the communities sh ...

. He lives in

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

, New York, with his wife, screenwriter and food writer Aleksandra Crapanzano, and their son Garrick.John Burnham Schwartz: About the Author
. Penguin Random House. penguinrandomhouse.com. Retrieved 2018-04-08.

Novels

*'' Bicycle Days'' (1989) *''

Reservation Road ''Reservation Road'' is a 2007 American crime drama film directed by Terry George and based on the book of the same title by John Burnham Schwartz, who, along with George, adapted the novel for the screenplay. The film, starring Joaquin Phoenix a ...

'' (1998) *''Claire Marvel'' (2002) *''The Commoner'' (2008) *''Northwest Corner'' (2011) *''The Red Daughter'' (2019)

Filmography

* ''

'' (2017) – co-screenwriter, with Sam Levinson and Samuel Baum

Notes

External links

* *
A Writer Sees and Resees MCS, 1998 and 1978
, article by John Burnham Schwartz on the Manhattan Country School website, archived from th
original
on October 20, 2007 {{DEFAULTSORT:Schwartz, John Burnham 1965 births Living people 20th-century American novelists 21st-century American novelists American male novelists American male screenwriters Harvard University alumni Writers from Brooklyn 20th-century American male writers 21st-century American male writers Novelists from New York (state) Screenwriters from New York (state)