Marianne Wiggins (born 1947) is an American author. According to ''The Cambridge Guide to Women's Writing in English'', Wiggins writes with "a bold intelligence and an ear for hidden comedy." She has won a Whiting Award, an

National Endowment for the Arts The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal ...

award and the

Janet Heidinger Kafka Prize The Janet Heidinger Kafka Prize is a literary award presented annually for the "best book-length work of prose fiction" by an American woman. The award has been given by the Susan B. Anthony Institute for Gender and Women's Studies and the Depar ...

. She was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in fiction in 2004 for her novel ''Evidence of Things Unseen''.

Biography

Wiggins was born on November 8, 1947, in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. She married Brian Porzak in 1965, with whom she had one daughter. The couple divorced in 1970. Wiggins lived in London for 16 years, and for brief periods in Paris,

Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...

, and

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

. In January 1988, she married novelist

Salman Rushdie Sir Ahmed Salman Rushdie (; born 19 June 1947) is an Indian-born British-American novelist. His work often combines magic realism with historical fiction and primarily deals with connections, disruptions, and migrations between Eastern and We ...

in London. On February 14, 1989, the Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini issued a '' Fatwa'' ordering Rushdie's assassination for alleged blasphemy in his book, ''

The Satanic Verses ''The Satanic Verses'' is the fourth novel of British-Indian writer Salman Rushdie. First published in September 1988, the book was inspired by the life of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. As with his previous books, Rushdie used magical realism ...

''. Although Wiggins had told Rushdie only five days prior that she wished to end their marriage, she nevertheless went into hiding along with him. In 1993, the two divorced. In 2016 Wiggins suffered a stroke, leaving her unable to read or write. She regained those abilities and completed her novel ''Properties of Thirst'' over the course of several years. She was assisted by her daughter Lara Porzak. Wiggins currently lives in Los Angeles, California, where she has been in the English department of the

University of Southern California , mottoeng = "Let whoever earns the palm bear it" , religious_affiliation = Nonsectarian—historically Methodist , established = , accreditation = WSCUC , type = Private research university , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $8.1 ...

since 2005.

Awards and honors

*1989 Whiting Award *1989

for ''John Dollar'' *2003 Finalist for the

National Book Award The National Book Awards are a set of annual U.S. literary awards. At the final National Book Awards Ceremony every November, the National Book Foundation presents the National Book Awards and two lifetime achievement awards to authors. The Nat ...

for ''Evidence of Things Unseen''National Book Award page
/ref> *2004 Finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for ''Evidence of Things Unseen''

Bibliography

Novels

* ''Babe'', 1975; the story of a single mother. * ''Went South'', 1980. * ''Separate Checks'', 1984; a short-story writer recovers from a nervous breakdown. :After this book was published, Wiggins was able to support herself and her daughter from her novels. * ''John Dollar'', 1989; eight girls, marooned on an island. :Won the

for best novel written by an American woman. * '' Eveless Eden'', 1995; the romance between a war correspondent and a photographer. :Story suggested by then-husband Salman Rushdie. :Shortlisted for 1996

Orange Prize The Women's Prize for Fiction (previously with sponsor names Orange Prize for Fiction (1996–2006 and 2009–12), Orange Broadband Prize for Fiction (2007–08) and Baileys Women's Prize for Fiction (2014–2017)) is one of the United Kingdom's m ...

. * ''Almost Heaven'', 1998. * ''Evidence of Things Unseen'', 2003; the dawn of the atomic age is seen through the eyes of Fos, an amateur chemist in

Kitty Hawk, North Carolina Kitty Hawk is a town in Dare County, North Carolina, United States, and is a part of what is known as North Carolina's Outer Banks. The population was 3,708 at the 2020 Census. It was established in the early 18th century as Chickahawk. History ...

, and Opal, a glassblower's daughter. : Nominated for 2003

. : Gold medal for 200
Commonwealth Club Prize
(fiction). : Finalist for 2004 Pulitzer Prize. * ''The Shadow Catcher'', 2007; a dual narrative threading early life of photographer

Edward Curtis Edward Sherriff Curtis (February 19, 1868 – October 19, 1952) was an American photographer and ethnologist whose work focused on the American West and on Native American people. Sometimes referred to as the "Shadow Catcher", Curtis traveled ...

and current life of "Marianne Wiggins." * ''Properties of Thirst'', 2022

Collections

* ''Herself in Love and Other Stories'', 1987. ** "Herself in Love," Originally published in ''Granta 17: While Waiting for a War'', August 1985 * ''Bet They'll Miss Us When We're Gone'', 1991.

References

External links

Profile at The Whiting Foundation

(1990 audio interview with Don Swaim)

''New York Times'', April 9, 1991 (review of ''Bet They'll Miss Us when We're Gone''). {{DEFAULTSORT:Wiggins, Marianne 20th-century American novelists 21st-century American novelists American expatriates in Belgium American expatriates in France American expatriates in Italy American expatriates in the United Kingdom American women novelists 1947 births Living people Writers from Lancaster, Pennsylvania 20th-century American women writers 21st-century American women writers Novelists from Pennsylvania