Anthony Doerr is an American author of novels and short stories. He gained widespread recognition for his 2014 novel '' All the Light We Cannot See'', which won the

Pulitzer Prize for Fiction The Pulitzer Prize for Fiction is one of the seven American Pulitzer Prizes that are annually awarded for Letters, Drama, and Music. It recognizes distinguished fiction by an American author, preferably dealing with American life, published during ...

Early life and education

Doerr grew up in

Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–United States border, Canada–U.S. maritime border ...

, He attended

University School University School, commonly referred to as US, is an all-boys, private, Junior Kindergarten–12 school with two campus locations in the Greater Cleveland area of Ohio. The campus located in Shaker Heights serves junior kindergarten through ...

in Hunting Valley, an eastern Cleveland suburb, graduating in 1991. He majored in history at

Bowdoin College Bowdoin College ( ) is a Private college, private liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Brunswick, Maine. It was chartered in 1794. The main Bowdoin campus is located near Casco Bay and the Androscoggin River. In a ...

Brunswick, Maine Brunswick is a New England town, town in Cumberland County, Maine, United States. Brunswick is included in the Lewiston-Auburn, Maine metropolitan New England city and town area. The population was 21,756 at the 2020 United States Census. Part o ...

southwest of Augusta, graduating in 1995. He earned an MFA from

Bowling Green State University Bowling Green State University (BGSU) is a Public university, public research university in Bowling Green, Ohio, United States. The main academic and residential campus is south of Toledo, Ohio. The university has nationally recognized progr ...

Bowling Green A bowling green is a finely laid, close-mown and rolled stretch of turf for playing the game of bowls. Before 1830, when Edwin Beard Budding of Thrupp, near Stroud, UK, invented the lawnmower, lawns were often kept cropped by grazing sheep ...

Career

Doerr's first book was a collection of short stories called ''The Shell Collector'' (2002). His first novel, ''About Grace'', was released in 2004. His memoir, ''Four Seasons in Rome'', was published in 2007, and his second collection of short stories, ''Memory Wall,'' was published in 2010. Doerr's second novel, '' All the Light We Cannot See'', is set in occupied

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

and was published in 2014. He laboriously worked on writing it for a decade in his

downtown Boise Downtown Boise is the central business district of Boise, Idaho, Boise, Idaho, located north of the Boise River. It is the largest city center in the U.S. state of Idaho. Economy Largest private sector employers * Note: this list only includes ...

office. It received significant critical acclaim and was a finalist for the

National Book Award for Fiction The National Book Award for Fiction is one of five annual National Book Awards, which recognize outstanding literary work by United States citizens. Since 1987, the awards have been administered and presented by the National Book Foundation, bu ...

. The book was a ''New York Times'' bestseller, and was named by the newspaper as a notable book of 2014. It won the

in 2015. It was the runner-up for the 2015 Dayton Literary Peace Prize for Fiction and won the 2015 Ohioana Library Association Book Award for Fiction. “It’s hard to think that I really belong on that list (he's the first Idahoan to win but a handful of writers including

Ernest Hemingway Ernest Miller Hemingway ( ; July 21, 1899 – July 2, 1961) was an American novelist, short-story writer and journalist. Known for an economical, understated style that influenced later 20th-century writers, he has been romanticized fo ...

and

Toni Morrison Chloe Anthony Wofford Morrison (born Chloe Ardelia Wofford; February 18, 1931 – August 5, 2019), known as Toni Morrison, was an American novelist and editor. Her first novel, ''The Bluest Eye'', was published in 1970. The critically accl ...

have ties to

Idaho Idaho ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest and Mountain states, Mountain West subregions of the Western United States. It borders Montana and Wyoming to the east, Nevada and Utah to the south, and Washington (state), ...

),” he told the ''Idaho Statesman''. “I really haven’t had a chance to understand what this means. It’s so overwhelming. My editor worked with a bunch of great writers and told me that when Frank McCourt (‘ Angela’s Ashes’ in 1997) won he told her, ‘Now you know the first line of my obituary.’ ... that’s true. It’s this thing that will be forever attached to my name. You know, ‘Pulitzer Prize-winner Tony Doerr does something stupid at a BSU football game.’ ...Can’t do that anymore.” Doerr writes a column on science books for ''

The Boston Globe ''The Boston Globe,'' also known locally as ''the Globe'', is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes. ''The Boston Globe'' is the oldest and largest daily new ...

'' and is a contributor to '' The Morning News'', an online magazine. From 2007 to 2010, he was the Writer in Residence for the state of Idaho. Doerr's third novel, '' Cloud Cuckoo Land'', has three story lines, scattered throughout time: 13-year-old Anna and Omeir, an orphaned seamstress and a cursed boy, on opposite sides of formidable city walls during the 1453 siege of Constantinople; teenage idealist Seymour and octogenarian Zeno in an attack on a public library in present-day Idaho; and Konstance, decades from now, who turns to the oldest stories to guide her community in peril. ''Cloud Cuckoo Land'' was released September 28, 2021. It was shortlisted for the 2021

Personal life

Doerr lives in the highlands of

Boise Boise ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Idaho. As of the 2020 census, there were 235,685 people residing in the city. Located on the Boise River in southwestern Idaho, it is east of the Oregon border and nor ...

with his wife Shauna Eastman and their two twin sons. He has coached

flag football Flag football is a variant of gridiron football (American football or Canadian football depending on location) where, instead of Tackle (football move)#Gridiron football, tackling players to the ground, the defensive team must remove a flag or ...

and he and his sons ski and hike.

Bibliography

Novels

*''About Grace'' (2004) *'' All the Light We Cannot See'' (2014) *'' Cloud Cuckoo Land'' (2021)

Short fiction

;Collections * ''The Shell Collector'' (2002) * ''Memory Wall'' (2010) ;Anthologies edited * '' The Best American Short Stories 2019'' (Editor)

Memoirs

* ''Four Seasons in Rome: On Twins, Insomnia, and the Biggest Funeral in the History of the World'' (2007)

Essays and reporting

* *

Critical studies and reviews of Doerr's work

;''Cloud cuckoo land'' * Online version is titled "Anthony Doerr's optimism engine". ——————— ;Notes

Awards

* 2002: Barnes & Noble Discover Prize, for ''The Shell Collector'' * 2002: O. Henry Prize for "The Hunter's Wife" * 2003: Young Lions Fiction Award for ''The Shell Collector'' * 2003: O. Henry Prize for "The Shell Collector" * 2005:

Rome Prize The Rome Prize is awarded by the American Academy in Rome, in Rome, Italy. Approximately thirty scholars and artists are selected each year to receive a study fellowship at the academy. Recipients must be American citizens. Prizes have been aw ...

in Literature from the

American Academy in Rome The American Academy in Rome is a research and arts institution located on the Gianicolo in Rome, Italy. The academy is a member of the Council of American Overseas Research Centers. History 19th century In 1893, a group of American architect ...

* 2005, 2011: Ohioana Book Award for ''About Grace'' and ''Memory Wall'', respectively * 2008: O. Henry Prize for "Village 113" (Short story) * 2010:

Guggenheim Fellowship Guggenheim Fellowships are Grant (money), grants that have been awarded annually since by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, endowed by the late Simon Guggenheim, Simon and Olga Hirsh Guggenheim. These awards are bestowed upon indiv ...

* 2011: The Story Prize for ''Memory Wall'' * 2011: ''Sunday Times'' Short Story Award for "The Deep" * 2012: O. Henry Prize for "The Deep" * 2014:

finalist for '' All the Light We Cannot See'' * 2015:

for '' All the Light We Cannot See'' * 2021: O. Henry Prize for "The Master’s Castle"

References

External links

* * Video: with

Yiyun Li Yiyun Li (Chinese: 李翊雲 - ''Li Yiyun'') (born November 4, 1972) is a Chinese-born writer and professor who has lived and worked in the United States since entering graduate school. She writes exclusively in English. Her short stories and no ...

and Suzanne Rivecca. March 2, 2011. {{DEFAULTSORT:Doerr, Anthony American columnists 21st-century American novelists Bowdoin College alumni Living people Poets laureate of Idaho American male novelists Novelists from Ohio 21st-century American poets American male poets American male short story writers Pulitzer Prize for Fiction winners 21st-century American short story writers 21st-century American male writers 21st-century American non-fiction writers American male non-fiction writers 1973 births University School alumni Poets from Ohio Writers from Cleveland