Despre Colson Whitehead

COLSON WHITEHEAD, dublu laureat al prestigiosului Pulitzer Prize, asemenea lui Faulkner si Updike, este una dintre vocile proeminente ale fictiunii americane actuale. S-a nascut la 6 noiembrie 1969 in New York. Dupa absolvirea studiilor la Harvard University in 1991, a lucrat la revista Village Voice, perioada in care a inceput sa-si scrie primele romane. In timp, a predat la Princeton University, New York University, Columbia University, Brooklyn College, Hunter College, Wesleyan University si a fost scriitor in rezidenta la Vassar College, University of Richmond si University of Wyoming. Din 2015 detine o rubrica despre limba in New York Times Magazine. Este autorul a sase romane si a doua volume de nonfictiune. Romanul sau de debut, din 1999, Intuitionista (The Intuitionist; Humanitas Fiction, 2019), a castigat Quality Paperback Book Club New Voices Award si a fost finalist la PEN/Hemingway Award. John Henry Days, din 2001, a primit Young Lions Fiction Award, fiind finalist la National Book Critics Circle Award, L.A. Times Fiction Award si Pulitzer Prize. Dupa volumul de eseuri The Colossus of New York din 2003, au urmat romanele: Apex Hides the Hurt in 2006, Sag Harbor in 2009, care a fost finalist la PEN/ Faulkner Award, si Zone One in 2011. Volumul de nonfictiune The Noble Hustle: Poker, Beef Jerky & Death a aparut in 2014. Romanul Ruta subterana (The Underground Railroad, 2016; Humanitas Fiction, 2017), tradus in peste 40 de tari, a acumulat un numar impresionant de premii si distinctii, printre care cele mai importante doua premii literare ale Americii — National Book Award 2016 si Pulitzer Prize 2017 —, precum si Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence 2017, la care se adauga, tot in 2017, prestigiosul premiu britanic Arthur C. Clarke. In 2019 a publicat romanul Baietii de la Nickel (The Nickel Boys), castigator al Pulitzer Prize 2020 si Orwell Prize 2020 si nominalizat la National Book Award. Eseurile si proza lui Colson Whitehead au aparut in New York Times, New Yorker, New York Magazine, Harper’s si Granta. In septembrie 2020, Whitehead devine cel mai tanar scriitor caruia i se decerneaza Library of Congress Prize for American Fiction.