The Story Prize
1 appearances
-
Edition 18 (2021) Winner
Brandon Taylor
ブランドン・テイラー
Burandon Teirā
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1989-06-01 （Prattville, Alabama）
- Nationality
- American
- Languages
- English
- Religion
- Baptist
- Residence History
- Prattville, Alabama → New York City
Career
- Occupations
- Writer
- Active Years
- 2020-2024
- Affiliations
- Electric Literature (Senior Editor of Recommended Reading), Literary Hub (Staff Writer), Unnamed Press (Acquiring Editor)
- Influenced By
- Mavis Gallant, André Aciman, Jane Austen, Alice Munro, Louise Glück, Elizabeth Bishop, Hilton Als, Pat Conroy, Ann Petry
- Nominations
- Booker Prize Shortlist (2020, Real Life), National Book Critics Circle Award John Leonard Prize Shortlist (2020), Young Lions Fiction Award Shortlist (2021)
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Auburn University Montgomery | — | — | — | — | United States |
| University of Wisconsin–Madison | — | Biochemistry | Graduate degree | ~2016 | United States |
| University of Iowa | — | Iowa Writers' Workshop | MFA | — | United States |
Auburn University Montgomery
Country:
United States
Undergraduate studies
University of Wisconsin–Madison
Biochemistry
Degree:
Graduate degree
Period:
~2016
Country:
United States
Graduate biochemistry program
University of Iowa
Iowa Writers' Workshop
Degree:
MFA
Country:
United States
Iowa Arts Fellow
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | The Story Prize | Filthy Animals | — | The Story Prize | Won |
| 2020 | Foyles Books of the Year | Real Life | Fiction | Foyles | Won |
The Story Prize
2022
Work:
Filthy Animals
Organization:
The Story Prize
Result:
Won
Foyles Books of the Year
2020
Work:
Real Life
Category:
Fiction
Organization:
Foyles
Result:
Won
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
Real Life
2020 NovelA campus novel from the perspective of a gay Black graduate student from a small town in Alabama navigating relationships and isolation.
LonelinessRacismQueernessRelationships
Adaptations
- [Film] / Unknown
Filthy Animals
2021 Short story collectionA collection of short stories exploring rogue appetites and nuanced portraits of relationships.
DesireHumanityEmpathy
The Late Americans
2023 NovelFollows a group of writers in Iowa City.
ArtFriendshipIdentity
Minor Black Figures
2025 NovelA gay Black painter navigating artistic ambitions in New York City and a relationship with a former Jesuit priest.
ArtQueernessRace
Bibliography
- Real Life (2020)
- Filthy Animals (2021)
- The Late Americans (2023)
- Minor Black Figures (2025)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- Precise psychological realismControlled roar of rage and painMeticulous irony
- Recurring Motifs
- Loneliness and desireIntersection of race and queernessCampus life
Legacy
Rising star in contemporary American literature, known for sharp portrayals of queer Black experiences and complex relationships, shortlisted for Booker Prize and winner of The Story Prize.
Quotes
-
I hope that it's a novel that challenges people to think about the ways that we fit together in our relationships with one another.
Source: Interview (2020)
Trivia
- Taught himself to read using his brother's textbooks from an illiterate family.
- Grew up in a conservative Baptist setting.
- Left graduate biochemistry program in 2016 to pursue writing.