Madison Smartt Bell (born August 1, 1957,

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...

) is an American novelist. While established as a writer by several early novels, he is especially known for his trilogy of novels about

Toussaint Louverture François-Dominique Toussaint Louverture (, ) also known as Toussaint L'Ouverture or Toussaint Bréda (20 May 1743 – 7 April 1803), was a Haitian general and the most prominent leader of the Haitian Revolution. During his life, Louvertu ...

and the

Haitian Revolution The Haitian Revolution ( or ; ) was a successful insurrection by slave revolt, self-liberated slaves against French colonial rule in Saint-Domingue, now the sovereign state of Haiti. The revolution was the only known Slave rebellion, slave up ...

, published 1995–2004.

Early life and education

Raised in Nashville, Bell is a graduate of

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial ...

, where he won the Ward Mathis Prize and the Francis LeMoyne Page award, and

Hollins University Hollins University is a private university in Hollins, Virginia, United States. Founded in 1842 as Valley Union Seminary in the historical settlement of Botetourt Springs, Virginia, Botetourt Springs, it is Timeline of women's colleges in the Un ...

, where he won the Andrew James Purdy fiction award. He later lived in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

and

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

before settling in

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the List of United States ...

Career

Bell is a Professor of English at

Goucher College Goucher College ( ') is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Towson, Maryland, United States. Founded in 1885 as a Nonsectarian, nonsecterian Women's colleges in the United States, ...

in Towson, Maryland, where he was Director of the Creative Writing Program from 1998 to 2004. He taught in various creative writing programs, including the

Iowa Writers' Workshop The Iowa Writers' Workshop, at the University of Iowa, is a graduate-level creative writing program. At 89 years, it is the oldest writing program offering a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) degree in the United States. Its acceptance rate is between 2 ...

, the Poetry Center of the 92nd Street Y, and the Johns Hopkins Writing Seminars. In addition, he has written essays and reviews for ''

Harper's ''Harper's Magazine'' is a monthly magazine of literature, politics, culture, finance, and the arts. Launched in New York City in June 1850, it is the oldest continuously published monthly magazine in the United States. ''Harper's Magazine'' has ...

'', ''

The New York Review of Books ''The New York Review of Books'' (or ''NYREV'' or ''NYRB'') is a semi-monthly magazine with articles on literature, culture, economics, science and current affairs. Published in New York City, it is inspired by the idea that the discussion of ...

'', and 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 ...

''. His papers are held at Princeton University and at East Carolina University. The latter contains papers related to novels and other writing early in his career, up to 1990.

Personal life

Bell is married to poet Elizabeth Spires, who also teaches at Goucher College. They have a daughter, Celia Dovell Bell.

Awards

* ''All Souls' Rising'', a novel about

and the

, was a finalist for the 1995

National Book Award The National Book Awards (NBA) 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. ...

and the 1996 PEN/Faulkner Award. It won the 1996

Anisfield-Wolf Award The Anisfield-Wolf Book Award is an American literary award dedicated to honoring written works that make important contributions to the understanding of racism and the appreciation of the rich diversity of human culture. Established in 1935 by Clev ...

for the best book of the year dealing with matters of race. * He won a Strauss Living Award from the

American Academy of Arts and Letters The American Academy of Arts and Letters is a 300-member honor society whose goal is to "foster, assist, and sustain excellence" in American literature, Music of the United States, music, and Visual art of the United States, art. Its fixed number ...

Works

Fiction

*''The Washington Square Ensemble'' (novel) (Viking Press, 1983) *''Waiting For The End Of The World'' (novel) (Ticknor & Fields, 1985) *''Straight Cut'' (novel) (Ticknor & Fields, 1986) *''Zero db'' (short fiction) (Ticknor & Fields, 1987) *''The Year Of Silence'' (novel) (Ticknor & Fields, 1987) *''Soldier's Joy'' (novel) (Ticknor & Fields, 1989) *''Barking Man'' (short fiction) (Ticknor & Fields, 1990) *''Doctor Sleep'' (novel) (Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1991) *''Save Me, Joe Louis'' (novel) (Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1993) *''All Souls' Rising'' (novel, Haiti Trilogy, part 1) (Pantheon, 1995) *''Ten Indians'' (novel) (Pantheon, 1996) *''Master of the Crossroads'' (novel, Haiti Trilogy, part 2) (Pantheon, 2000) *''Anything Goes'' (novel) (Pantheon, 2002) *''The Stone That the Builder Refused'' (novel, Haiti Trilogy, part 3) (Pantheon, 2004) * ''Devil's Dream'' (novel) (Pantheon, 2009) * ''The Color of Night'' (novel) (Vintage, 2011) * ''Zig Zag Wanderer'' (short fiction) (Concord Free Press, 2013) * ''Behind the Moon'' (novel) (City Lights Publishers, 2017)

Biography

*''Toussaint Louverture: A Biography'' (Pantheon, 2007) *''Child of Light: A Biography of Robert Stone'' (Doubleday, 2020)

Other nonfiction

*''Narrative Design: A Writer's Guide to Structure'' (textbook) (W.W. Norton, 1997) *''Narrative Design: Working with Imagination, Craft, and Form'' (Norton, 2000) *''Lavoisier in the Year One: The Birth of a New Science in an Age of Revolution'' (Norton, 2005) * ''Charm City: A Walk Through Baltimore'' (Crown, 2007)

References

External links

"Bell's 'Stone' caps acclaimed Haiti trilogy"
Albany.edu. Accessed March 22, 2024.
Stuart Wright Collection: Madison Smartt Bell Papers, 1922–1990 (#1169-001), East Carolina Manuscript Collection, J. Y. Joyner Library, East Carolina UniversityJeremy D. Popkin, "Madison Smartt Bell's Haitian Revolution Trilogy"
Fiction and Film for Scholars of France, H-France
''Close Your Eyes''
IMDb.com. Accessed March 22, 2024. * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bell, Madison Smartt 1957 births 20th-century American biographers 20th-century American essayists 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American novelists 20th-century American short story writers 21st-century American biographers 21st-century American essayists 21st-century American male writers 21st-century American novelists 21st-century American short story writers American male biographers American male essayists American male novelists American male short story writers Goucher College faculty and staff Hollins University alumni Iowa Writers' Workshop faculty Living people Novelists from Iowa Novelists from Maryland Novelists from Tennessee PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction winners Writers from Nashville, Tennessee Princeton University alumni Writers from Baltimore