World Literary Awards

← Back to Home

Ann Patchett

アン・パチェット

An Patchett

Profile

Gender
Female
Born
1963-12-02 （Los Angeles, California, U.S.）
Nationality
United States
Languages
English
Religion
Roman Catholic (background)
Residence History
Los Angeles, California, U.S. → Nashville, Tennessee, U.S.

Career

Occupations
novelist, essayist, non-fiction writer
Active Years
1992-2025
Memberships
American Academy of Arts and Letters

Education

Sarah Lawrence College
Degree: BA
Country: United States
BA; early publication in The Paris Review while a student
University of Iowa (Iowa Writers' Workshop)
Creative Writing
Degree: MFA
Country: United States
Attended the Iowa Writers' Workshop; lived with memoirist Lucy Grealy

Awards

PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction
2002
Work: Bel Canto
Organization: PEN/Faulkner
Result: winner
Orange Prize for Fiction (Women's Prize for Fiction)
2002
Work: Bel Canto
Organization: Orange Prize (UK)
Result: winner
Janet Heidinger Kafka Prize
1994
Work: Taft
Organization: Janet Heidinger Kafka Prize
Result: winner
National Book Critics Circle Award
2001
Work: Bel Canto
Organization: National Book Critics Circle
Result: finalist
Pulitzer Prize for Fiction
2020
Work: The Dutch House
Organization: Pulitzer Prize Board
Result: finalist
Guggenheim Fellowship
1995
Organization: John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation
Result: recipient
BookSense Book of the Year
2003
Work: Bel Canto
Organization: BookSense
Result: winner
Wellcome Trust Book Prize (shortlist)
2011
Work: State of Wonder
Organization: Wellcome Trust
Result: shortlist
Time 100
2012
Organization: Time
Result: honoree
Peggy V. Helmerich Distinguished Author Award
2014
Organization: Helmerich Foundation
Result: recipient
Kenyon Review Award for Literary Achievement
2014
Organization: Kenyon Review
Result: recipient
Elected to the American Academy of Arts and Letters
2017
Organization: American Academy of Arts and Letters
Result: elected
Carl Sandburg Literary Award
2024
Organization: Chicago Public Library Foundation
Result: recipient

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

The Patron Saint of Liars

1992 Literary fiction

Patchett's first novel follows a woman seeking a fresh start at a convent-like institution; her debut novel.

new beginningsfamilyidentity
Adaptations
  • [TV movie] The Patron Saint of Liars (TV movie) / Stephen Gyllenhaal (1998)

Taft

1994 Literary fiction

A novel set in a Midwestern town exploring relationships and the weight of the past.

past and presentcommunity

The Magician's Assistant

1997 Literary fiction

Follows a woman confronting her past after the death of a magician.

lossmemorylove

Bel Canto

2001 Literary fiction

A novel about a hostage situation that explores the bonds between international characters and the power of music; winner of the 2002 PEN/Faulkner Award and the Orange Prize.

musiccross-cultural encountershuman connection

Run

2007 Literary fiction

A multilayered family drama that includes the story of a boy brought from Brazil and raised in an American household.

familyadoptionforgiveness

State of Wonder

2011 Literary fiction

Set in the Amazon, the novel examines science, ethics, and personal quest; shortlisted for the 2011 Wellcome Trust Book Prize.

science and ethicsquestcross-cultural encounter

Commonwealth

2016 Literary fiction

A family saga containing autobiographical elements; Patchett called it her 'autobiographical first novel.'

family historywriting and memory

The Dutch House

2019 Literary fiction

A story of sibling relationships and family history; a finalist for the 2020 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.

siblingsfamily pastinheritance

Tom Lake

2023 Literary fiction

A novel about family, the past, and memories of acting; appeared on The New York Times Best Seller list.

memorytheatrefamily

Bibliography

  • The Patron Saint of Liars (1992)
  • Taft (1994)
  • The Magician's Assistant (1997)
  • Bel Canto (2001)
  • Run (2007)
  • State of Wonder (2011)
  • Commonwealth (2016)
  • The Dutch House (2019)
  • Tom Lake (2023)
  • Truth & Beauty: A Friendship (2004, memoir)
  • These Precious Days (2021, essays)

Adaptations

  • The Patron Saint of Liars (1998 TV movie)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
lyrical, careful prosecharacter-driven narrative focusing on interpersonal relationships
Recurring Motifs
family and memorymusic and the artsthe influence of the past

Legacy

Ann Patchett is an internationally recognized American author known for novels about family, memory, and cross-cultural encounters. She co-founded independent bookstore Parnassus Books and has been influential in both literary circles and reading communities.

Academic Societies

  • American Academy of Arts and Letters

In Popular Culture

  • Her co-founding of Nashville bookstore Parnassus Books influenced local reading culture and independent bookselling.

Quotes

  • Wouldn't it be lovely if people sat quietly for longer periods of time?... I do, because I write novels for a living... I do not watch television under any circumstances, I do not have a cell phone, and I participate in no form of social media.
    Source: BBC interview (2024) (2024)

Trivia

  • Co-founded the independent bookstore Parnassus Books in Nashville in 2011.
  • Her father was a Los Angeles police captain who is reported to have been involved in arrests of Charles Manson and Sirhan Sirhan.
  • Her work has been translated into more than 30 languages.
  • Known for not owning a cell phone and for not participating in social media.