Matthew Klam

Matthew Klam (born 1964) is an American fiction writer and magazine journalist.

Matthew Klam
Matthew Klam, author
Matthew Klam, author
Born1964 (age 58–59)
OccupationNovelist, short story writer
NationalityAmerican
Website
matthewklam.com

Early life

Matthew Klam graduated from the University of New Hampshire, where he studied Philosophy, and he later received an MA from Hollins College. In 1999 The New Yorker named him one of the 25 best fiction writers under 40.[1]

Career

Short stories and essays

In 2000 he published his first book, a collection of short stories entitled Sam the Cat and Other Stories.[2] Publishers Weekly wrote of the work that, "Throughout the collection, Klam demonstrates his mastery of the fine art of irony, exposing the nerve endings of his complex, often tormented, sometimes funny, characters, while allowing the reader to make his or her own judgments."[3] The New York Times called the work a "smart, absorbing collection".[4] The book received the Pen Robert Bingham Prize.[5]

Following its publication, Klam's work has appeared in a variety of publications, including The Wall Street Journal,[6] Vulture,[7] The New Yorker,[8] Esquire,[9] GQ,[10] Harper's, and The New York Times Magazine.[1]

Teaching

Between 2009 and 2017 he took a hiatus from publishing in order to assume a tenure-track professorship at Johns Hopkins University in the creative writing department. Fellow Johns Hopkins professor Alice McDermott noted that Klam's work at the university showed a "tremendous enthusiasm" as she commented on the "energy he brings to his reading: to the work of his students, but also to the published work of his contemporaries." He remained at Johns Hopkins until 2016.[2] He has also taught at American University, the University of Michigan, Stockholm University, and St. Albans School. In 2023 he was a Visiting Associated Professor at Stony Brook Southampton in the Creative Writing and Literature Department.[11]

First novel

In 2017 he published his second book, a novel entitled Who is Rich?. Vulture said of the work that it was "very funny, very frank, and often shocking book … a book-long meditation on the nature of a marriage under the stress of children and financial pressures."[2] The book was named to the Notable Books list of The New York Times[12] and the Washington Post,[13] as well as a Book of the Year by Vogue magazine.[14] The New York Times called his writing in Who is Rich?, "Funny, maddening and defiantly original", noting that Klam was "gifted at discussing complicated themes."[15] The New Yorker said it was "a gem within the canon of infidelity literature."[16] The Washington Post said of the work that it was, "an irresistible comic novel that pumps blood back into the anemic tales of middle-aged white guys."[17] The book was nominated for the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize.[18]

Recognition

In 2008 Klam was the recipient of a Guggenheim fellowship for fiction writing.[19] He has also been a recipient of a grant from the National Endowment of the Arts,[20] a Whiting Award[21] and an O. Henry Award.[2]

Personal life

Klam lives in Washington, D.C., with his wife Lara Cox and their daughter.[2] He serves on the Advisory Board of the Writers Studio in NYC.[22]

Selected bibliography

Books

Stories and articles
  • "European Wedding" (May 1, 2000, The New Yorker)[23]
  • "Experiencing Ecstasy" (January 21, 2001, The New York Times Magazine)[24]
  • "Fear and Laptops on the Campaign Trail" (September 26, 2004, The New York Times Magazine)[25]
  • "Adina, Astrid, Chipewee, Jasmine" (May 15, 2006, The New Yorker)[26]
  • "The Other Party" (December 19, 2022, The New Yorker)[8]
  • "Henry Winkler Breaks the Curse of Stardom" (April 27, 2022, The New York Times Magazine)[27]

References
  1. Curran, Colleen (August 2001). "Interview with Matthew Klam". Pif Magazine.
  2. Brodesser-Akner, Taffy (July 5, 2017). "Matthew Klam's New Book Is Only 17 Years Overdue". Vulture.
  3. "Sam the Cat: And Other Stories by Matthew Klam". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved 2023-04-24.
  4. Max, D. T. (June 11, 2000). "Geek-O-Rama". archive.nytimes.com.
  5. "PEN/Robert W. Bingham Prize for Debut Short Story Collection". pen.org. June 10, 2020.
  6. Klam, Matthew (June 29, 2017). "How to Get Over an Aversion to Whiskey". WSJ.
  7. Fitz-Gerald, Sean (January 24, 2016). "Ken Kratz, the Making a Murderer Prosecutor, Is Writing a Book Now". Vulture.
  8. Klam, Matthew (December 12, 2022). "The Other Party". The New Yorker.
  9. Potter, Maximillian (June 1, 2017). "Garry Kasparov". Esquire.
  10. Klam, Matthew (April 1, 2008). "The Man in the Irony Mask". GQ.
  11. "Faculty and Visiting Faculty". stonybrook.edu. Retrieved May 24, 2023.
  12. "100 Notable Books of 2017". The New York Times. November 22, 2017.
  13. "50 notable works of fiction in 2017". The Washington Post. November 15, 2017.
  14. "These Were the Best Books We Read All Year". Vogue. December 14, 2017.
  15. Schaub, Michael (July 13, 2017). "A Comic Novel of Infidelity Grapples With Sex and Money". The New York Times.
  16. Tolentino, Jia (July 7, 2017). ""Who Is Rich?" and the Literature of Infidelity". The New Yorker.
  17. Charles, Ron (July 3, 2017). "Sex and the middle-aged man". The Washington Post.
  18. "2017 First Novel Prize". The Center for Fiction.
  19. "Matthew Klam - John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation". Archived from the original on 2011-06-04. Retrieved 2009-10-13.
  20. "2002 GRANT AWARDS - Literature Fellowships (Prose)". Archived from the original on 2010-04-10. Retrieved 2009-12-07.
  21. "Past Recipients of the Whiting Writers' Awards | MRS. Giles Whiting Foundation". Archived from the original on 2008-02-18. Retrieved 2008-02-17.
  22. "Leadership". The Writers Studio.
  23. Klam, Matthew (May 1, 2000). "European Wedding". The New Yorker.
  24. Klam, Matthew (January 21, 2001). "Experiencing Ecstasy". The New York Times.
  25. Klam, Matthew (September 26, 2004). "Fear and Laptops on the Campaign Trail". The New York Times.
  26. Klam, Matthew (May 8, 2006). "Adina, Astrid, Chipewee, Jasmine". The New Yorker.
  27. Klam, Matthew (April 27, 2022). "Henry Winkler Breaks the Curse of Stardom". The New York Times.
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