Whiting Awards
1 appearances
-
Edition 12 (1996) Winner
Christopher John Offutt
クリストファー・ジョン・オフット
Kurisutofā Jon Ofutto
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1958-08-24 （Lexington, Kentucky, United States）
- Nationality
- United States
- Languages
- English
- Residence History
- Haldeman (Rowan County), Kentucky → Lexington, Kentucky → Iowa (Iowa Writers' Workshop / residence for study/teaching) → Santa Monica, California (has lived) → Oxford, Mississippi (visiting faculty at University of Mississippi)
Career
- Occupations
- Writer, Novelist, Short story writer, Memoirist, Screenwriter, Professor (visiting)
- Active Years
- 1990-
- Affiliations
- Iowa Writers' Workshop (visiting faculty), University of Montana (visiting faculty), University of New Mexico (visiting faculty), Grinnell College (visiting faculty), Morehead State University (visiting faculty / alma mater), Mercer University (visiting faculty), University of Mississippi (visiting faculty)
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Morehead State University | — | Theater (minor in English) | — | — | United States |
| Iowa Writers' Workshop (University of Iowa) | — | Creative writing program | — | — | United States |
Morehead State University
Theater (minor in English)
Country:
United States
Reported degree in theater with a minor in English; year not specified
Iowa Writers' Workshop (University of Iowa)
Creative writing program
Country:
United States
Associated with the program; attendance/completion details not specified
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | Lannan Foundation Award | — | — | Lannan Foundation | 受賞 |
| — | Guggenheim Fellowship | — | — | John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation | 受賞 |
| — | Award/support from the American Academy of Arts and Letters | — | — | American Academy of Arts and Letters | 受賞/助成 |
| — | National Endowment for the Arts grant | — | — | National Endowment for the Arts | 助成 |
| — | Whiting Award (Fiction & Nonfiction) | — | — | Whiting Foundation | 受賞 |
| 1996 | Named one of Granta's Best of Young American Novelists | — | — | Granta | 選出 |
Lannan Foundation Award
Organization:
Lannan Foundation
Result:
受賞
Guggenheim Fellowship
Organization:
John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation
Result:
受賞
Award/support from the American Academy of Arts and Letters
Organization:
American Academy of Arts and Letters
Result:
受賞/助成
National Endowment for the Arts grant
Organization:
National Endowment for the Arts
Result:
助成
Whiting Award (Fiction & Nonfiction)
Organization:
Whiting Foundation
Result:
受賞
Named one of Granta's Best of Young American Novelists
1996
Organization:
Granta
Result:
選出
Awards & Nominations
Lannan Literary Awards
3 appearances
-
Edition 90 (2003) Winner
-
Edition 92 (2003, held 3 times in year) Fellowship
-
Edition 157 (2003, held 10 times in year) Fellowship
Works
Major Works
Kentucky Straight
1992 Short story collection / FictionA collection of stories set in the hills of Kentucky, exploring community, family, violence, and redemption.
AppalachiaFamilyPovertyViolence
The Same River Twice
1993 Memoir / NonfictionA memoir tracing experiences from childhood onward, detailing his relationship with his native region and his development as a writer.
HomecomingFamilySelf-exploration
The Good Brother
1997 Novel / FictionA novel centered on family secrets and brotherhood, revealing darker aspects of regional life.
FamilyGuilt and redemptionRegional community
Out of the Woods
1999 Short story collection / FictionA collection of short stories that explore relationships, the influence of the past, and the aftermath of violence.
MemoryViolenceBelonging
Country Dark
2018 Novel / Southern noirA novel depicting a small town and its inhabitants, driven by dark pasts and violence.
Southern noirSecretsViolence
The Killing Hills (Mick Hardin series)
2021 Crime novel / SuspenseFirst in the Mick Hardin series, where local crimes intersect with personal histories.
CrimeSearch for truthLocal community
Bibliography
- Kentucky Straight: Stories (1992)
- The Same River Twice: A Memoir (1993)
- The Good Brother (1997)
- Two-Eleven All Around (1998)
- Out of the Woods (1999)
- No Heroes: A Memoir of Coming Home (2002)
- Country Dark (2018)
- My Father, the Pornographer: A Memoir (2016)
- Mick Hardin series: The Killing Hills (2021), Shifty's Boys (2022), Code of the Hills (2023), The Reluctant Sheriff (2025)
Adaptations
- TV: Wrote episodes for 'True Blood' (HBO)
- TV: Wrote an episode for 'Weeds' (Showtime)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- Realist, often unsentimental prose bordering on Southern noirRegion-focused storytelling with emphasis on character
- Recurring Motifs
- Appalachian landscapes and communitiesFamily secretsViolence and its aftermathHomecoming and alienation
Legacy
A writer established for stories, novels and memoirs set in Appalachian Kentucky. Treated within regional literature and Southern noir contexts, his work is translated and taught, and he has received multiple grants and awards.
Academic Societies
- American Academy of Arts and Letters (associated/support received)
Archives
- Emory University, Stuart A. Rose Manuscript, Archives, and Rare Book Library: Chris Offutt papers (circa 1980-2015)
In Popular Culture
- Broadened public recognition through writing episodes for commercial TV series such as HBO's 'True Blood'.
Trivia
- His father was pulp/porn writer Andrew J. Offutt; Chris wrote a memoir about him, 'My Father, the Pornographer.'
- Has written episodes for television series including 'True Blood' and 'Weeds'.
- Named one of Granta's Best of Young American Novelists in 1996.