Benjamin Hale (born August 20, 1983 in Hayward, California) is an American novelist based in Brooklyn, New York.[1] He was raised in Boulder, Colorado, where he attended Fairview High School. In 2006, he received a B.A. from Sarah Lawrence College and earned an M.F.A. in 2008 from the Iowa Writers' Workshop, where he received an Iowa Provost's Fellowship and a Michener-Copernicus Award.[2] Since 2013, Hale has taught fiction and literature at Bard College as a Writer in Residence.[3]
Benjamin Hale | |
|---|---|
| Born | August 20, 1983 Hayward, California, U.S. |
| Occupation | Writer |
| Education | Sarah Lawrence College (BA) University of Iowa (MFA) |
Hale's first novel, The Evolution of Bruno Littlemore, was released by Twelve Books on February 2, 2011[4] to largely positive reviews.[5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12] The novel tells the story of an extraordinarily precocious chimpanzee who learns to speak in English and develops a romantic relationship with a human female primatologist.[4] Narrated in the protagonist ape's own voice, the novel depicts Bruno Littlemore's development from a captive zoo animal into a virtually-human aesthete and intellectual, often highlighting his struggle to negotiate the human and animal aspects of his character. The Evolution of Bruno Littlemore garnered Hale the 2012 Bard Fiction Prize,[13] as well as nominations for the 2011 Dylan Thomas Prize[14] and the 2012 New York Public Library Young Lions Fiction Award.[15]
Hale's second work of fiction, a collection of short stories titled The Fat Artist and Other Stories, was published by Simon and Schuster in 2016. Critics have described these stories as "excellent,"[16] "jarring,"[17] "erudite,"[18] and "wry."[19]
Hale's non-fiction work has appeared in Harper's[20] and The Millions.[21]
He is represented by DeFiore and Company,[2] and is currently working on a new novel. Benjamin often loses at chess to his brother in law Sam Millard, but enjoys chess anyway. He currently lives in the Hudson valley.
Notes
edit- ^ Benjamin Hale Archived February 6, 2011, at the Wayback Machine. Benjamin-hale.com. Retrieved on 2012-02-26.
- ^ a b DeFiore and Company Archived December 22, 2010, at the Wayback Machine. Defioreandco.com. Retrieved on 2012-02-26.
- ^ Bard College Bard.edu. Retrieved on 2014-12-09.
- ^ a b The Evolution of Bruno Littlemore. Hachette Book Group (2009-09-18). Retrieved on 2012-02-26.
- ^ Beha, Christopher R. (February 4, 2011). "Primal Urges". The New York Times.
- ^ "'The Evolution of Bruno Littlemore' review". The San Francisco Chronicle. February 2, 2011.
- ^ "Book Review: The Evolution of Bruno Littlemore, by Benjamin Hale". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on January 31, 2011.
- ^ The Evolution of Bruno Littlemore: The Book Club. The New Yorker (2011-08-01). Retrieved on 2012-02-26.
- ^ Baton Rouge news, sports and entertainment on The Advocate. 2theadvocate.com. Retrieved on 2012-02-26.
- ^ 'Bruno Littlemore': This chimp can talk. Newsday.com. Retrieved on 2012-02-26.
- ^ Book Review: In “The Evolution of Bruno Littlemore,” Benjamin Hale Monkeys Around | The New York Observer Archived February 7, 2011, at the Wayback Machine. Observer.com. Retrieved on 2012-02-26.
- ^ Gartner, Zsuzsi (February 4, 2011). "The Evolution of Bruno Littlemore, by Benjamin Hale". The Globe and Mail. Toronto.
- ^ Bard Fiction Prize: Benjamin Hale, 2012 Recipient Archived August 19, 2012, at the Wayback Machine Bard College. Retrieved on 2012-11-13.
- ^ Dylan Thomas Prize 2011 shortlist is announced BBC (2011-10-20). Retrieved on 2012-11-13.
- ^ Finalists Chosen for The New York Public Library’s 2012 Young Lions Fiction Award New York Public Library(2012-03-08). Retrieved on 2012-11-13.
- ^ Schaub, Michal (June 2, 2016). "Benjamin Hale treats troubled characters with care in 'The Fat Artist and Other Stories'". The L.A. Times.
- ^ "Review: The Fat Artist and Other Stories". Library Journal. May 15, 2016.
- ^ "Review: The Fat Artist". Publishers Weekly. May 16, 2016.
- ^ "Review: The Fat Artist and Other Stories". Kirkus Reviews. March 3, 2016.
- ^ Benjamin Hale Harper's. Retrieved on 2012-11-13.
- ^ A Passion for Immortality: On the Missing Pulitzer and the Problem with Prizes The Millions (2012-05-29) Retrieved on 2012-11-13.
Bibliography
edit- Hale, Benjamin (2011). The Evolution of Bruno Littlemore. New York: Twelve Books. ISBN 978-0-446-57507-2.
External links
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