Ulysses S. Grant: The Unlikely Hero (Eminent Lives)

MichaelChabonAlthoughhisnovelsandshortstorieshavevariedinsetting--fromthe1940sNewYorkofthePulitzerPrize-winningTheAmazingAdventuresofKavalier&ClaytothecontemporaryPittsburghofTheMysteriesofPittsburgh--allofMichaelChabon’swittyandunderstatedbooksfeaturememorable,deftly-drawncharacterstryingtofindtheirplaceintheworld.BiographyIn1987,at24,MichaelChabonwaslivingagraduatestudent'sdream.HismastersthesisforthewritingprogramatUCIrvine,anovelcalledTheMysteriesofPittsburgh,wasnotonlypublished--itwaspublishedtothetuneofa$155,000advance,asix-figurefirstprinting,amoviedeal,andaplaceonthebestsellerlists.Mysteries,acoming-of-agestoryaboutamancaughtbetweenromanceswithamanononeside,awomanontheother,andtheshadowofhisgangsterfatheroveritall,drewreaderswithitselegantproseandanirresistiblycoolcharacter,ArtBechstein,racingthroughalong,hotsummer.Followingthisauspiciousdebut,Chabonpennedafollow-upshortstorycollection,thenhitaserioussnag.Afterfiveyearsoffitsandstarts,heabandonedatroublesomeworkinprogressandbeganworkonanothernovel,awry,smartbookabout,natch,anauthorhoplesslystuckwritinghisendless,shapelessnovel!With1995'sWonderBoysanditssuccessfulfilmadaptationbyCurtisHanson,Chabonfoundbothcriticalpraiseandawideraudience.Intheyear2000,Chabonrosetothechallengeofattemptingsomethingonamoreepicscale.ThatsomethingwasTheAmazingAdventuresofKavalier&Clay,thestoryoftwoyoung,Jewishcomicbookartistsinthe1940s.LikeChabon'sotherbooks,itexploredarelationshipbetweentwomenanddealtwiththeirmaturation.Butunlikehisotherbooks,thenovelwasgranderinscopeandtheme,blendingtheworldofcomicbooks,theimpactofWorldWarII,andthelivesofhischaracters.ItwonaPulitzer,andsecuredChabon'splaceasanAmericantalentunafraidtopaintbroadlandscapeswithminutedetailandachingemotion.Chabon'sabilitytocapturemodernangstinfunny,intelligentlyplottedstorieshasearnedhimcomparisonstoeveryonefromFitzgeraldtoDeLillo,buthehasfearlesslywanderedoutsidetheconventionsofthenoveltowritescreenplays,children'sbooks,comics,andpulpadventures.Clearly,MichaelChabonviewshishighlypraisedtalentasastorythathasn'tyetreacheditsclimax.GoodToKnowChabonusuallywritesfrom10p.m.to3a.m.Hehasasideinterestintelevisionwriting,havingwrittenapilotforCBS(HouseofGold)thatdidnotgetpickedup,andasecondoneforTNT.Chabonalsohasaninterestinscreenwriting;hewasattachedtoX-MenbutdroppedfromtheprojectwhendirectorBryanSingersignedon.NowheisadaptingTheAmazingAdventuresofKavalierandClayforthebigscreen.AfterslavingforfiveyearsonabookcalledFountainCity(partsofwhichcanbereadonhiswebsite),Chabonfinallydecideditwasnotgoingtojellandabandonedit.Atalowpoint,heswitchedgearsandbeganWonderBoys,thestory(ofcourse)ofanauthorhopelesslystuckwritinghisendless,shapelessnovel.Hometown:Berkeley,CaliforniaDateofBirth:五月24,1963PlaceofBirth:Washington,D.C.Education:B.A.,UniversityofPittsburgh;M.F.A.,UniversityofCaliforniaatIrvineWebsite:http://www.michaelchabon.com/