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Anthony Marra

アンソニー・マーラ

Anthony Marra

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
Washington, D.C.
Nationality
United States
Languages
English
Residence History
Bethesda, Maryland → Eastern Europe (lived for a period) → Oakland, California

Career

Occupations
Writer, Fiction writer
Active Years
2009-
Affiliations
Stanford University (Stegner Fellow, Jones Lecturer)

Education

Landon School
Country: United States
Attended high school in Bethesda
University of Southern California
Creative writing
Degree: Bachelor of Arts
Country: United States
Earned a bachelor's degree in creative writing
Iowa Writers' Workshop
Creative writing (MFA)
Degree: MFA
Country: United States
Received a Master of Fine Arts degree

Awards

Pushcart Prize
2010
Work: Chechnya
Organization: Pushcart Press
Result: Winner
Narrative Prize
2010
Organization: Narrative Magazine
Result: Winner
Whiting Award
2012
Organization: Whiting Foundation
Result: Winner
Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers Award
2013
Work: A Constellation of Vital Phenomena
Category: Fiction
Organization: Barnes & Noble
Result: Winner
California Book Award (First Fiction)
2013
Work: A Constellation of Vital Phenomena
Category: First Fiction
Organization: Commonwealth Club of California
Result: Winner
Goodreads Choice Award (Nominee)
2013
Work: A Constellation of Vital Phenomena
Category: Fiction
Organization: Goodreads
Result: Nominee
National Book Award
2013
Work: A Constellation of Vital Phenomena
Category: Fiction
Organization: National Book Foundation
Result: Nominee
National Book Critics Circle (John Leonard Prize)
2013
Work: A Constellation of Vital Phenomena
Category: John Leonard Prize
Organization: National Book Critics Circle
Result: Winner
Booklist Editors' Choice
2013
Category: Adult Books
Organization: Booklist
Result: Selection
New York Times Notable Book of the Year
2013
Work: A Constellation of Vital Phenomena
Organization: The New York Times
Result: Selection
Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence (Longlist)
2014
Work: A Constellation of Vital Phenomena
Category: Fiction
Organization: Reference & User Services Association (RUSA)
Result: Longlist
Anisfield-Wolf Book Award
2014
Work: A Constellation of Vital Phenomena
Category: Fiction
Organization: Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards
Result: Winner
Carla Furstenberg Cohen Fiction Award
2014
Work: A Constellation of Vital Phenomena
Category: Fiction
Organization: Carla Furstenberg Cohen Prize
Result: Winner
Dayton Literary Peace Prize
2014
Work: A Constellation of Vital Phenomena
Category: Fiction
Organization: Dayton Literary Peace Prize
Result: Finalist
Indies Choice Book Award
2014
Work: A Constellation of Vital Phenomena
Category: Adult Debut
Organization: American Booksellers Association
Result: Winner
PEN/Robert W. Bingham Prize (Shortlist)
2014
Work: A Constellation of Vital Phenomena
Organization: PEN America
Result: Shortlist
Young Lions Fiction Award (Finalist)
2014
Work: A Constellation of Vital Phenomena
Organization: The New York Public Library
Result: Finalist
International Dublin Literary Award (Longlist)
2015
Work: A Constellation of Vital Phenomena
Organization: Dublin Literary Award
Result: Longlist
National Magazine Award (Fiction)
2016
Work: The Grozny Tourist Bureau
Category: Fiction
Organization: American Society of Magazine Editors
Result: Winner
Granta's Best of Young American Novelists
2017
Organization: Granta
Result: Selection
Literature.gr Phrase of the Year Prize
2017
Work: The Tsar of Love and Techno
Organization: Literature.gr
Result: Winner
Simpson Family Literary Prize
2018
Organization: Simpson Family Literary Project
Result: Winner
Jeanette Haien Ballard Writer's Prize
Organization: Self / Jeanette Haien Ballard Prize
Result: Winner

Awards & Nominations

O. Henry Award 1 appearances
  1. Edition 103 (2025) Winner
    Work: Countdown

    "Countdown" is a short story selected for the O. Henry Prize 2025 anthology. In a compact sequence of scenes, it captures shifts in relationships and emotional tension.

    A sharp short story included in the O. Henry Prize 2025 anthology.

    short storyrelationshipsemotional tension

Works

Major Works

A Constellation of Vital Phenomena

2013 Historical fiction / Novel

Set against the Chechen wars, the novel weaves multiple characters' perspectives to explore family, violence, loss, and recovery. It garnered wide critical acclaim and multiple awards.

WarMemoryFamilyHealing and recovery

The Tsar of Love and Techno

2015 Short story collection / Fiction

A linked collection of short stories spanning Soviet-era to contemporary Russia, exploring love, art, and fate through interconnected episodes.

HistoryLoveArtFate

Mercury Pictures Presents

2022 Novel / Fiction

A novel centered on Hollywood and film production, broadening Marra's scope as a novelist after his earlier works.

CinemaCreationHuman relationships

Bibliography

  • A Constellation of Vital Phenomena (2013)
  • The Tsar of Love and Techno: Stories (2015)
  • Mercury Pictures Presents (2022)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Detailed description and multi-perspective narrationA style that emphasizes historical contextLyrical yet restrained observation
Recurring Motifs
War and its aftermathPersonal memory and storytellingFamily and bonds

Legacy

Anthony Marra received international recognition with his debut novel A Constellation of Vital Phenomena, and has since earned numerous awards and nominations for both short fiction and novels. His work, which often treats historical events through intimate portrayals of human connection and memory, has been praised by critics and readers alike.

Trivia

  • Attended Landon School in Bethesda.
  • Earned a bachelor's degree at University of Southern California and an MFA from the Iowa Writers' Workshop.
  • Served as a Stegner Fellow and Jones Lecturer at Stanford University.
  • Has received fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts.
  • Resides in Oakland, California.