World Literary Awards

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Dave Eggers

デイヴ・エガーズ

Deivu Eggāzu

Pen Names: Benny and Doris Haggis-on-Whey（Joint pseudonym used with his brother Christopher for a children's book series）

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1970-03-12 （Boston, Massachusetts, United States）
Nationality
United States
Languages
English
Residence History
Boston (birth) → Lake Forest, Illinois (raised) → Berkeley, California (early adulthood) → San Francisco Bay Area (current)

Career

Occupations
writer, editor, publisher, philanthropist, screenwriter, visual artist (occasional)
Active Years
1993-
Affiliations
McSweeney's (founder), 826 Valencia / 826 National (co-founder), Voice of Witness (co-founder)
Memberships
American Academy of Arts and Letters

Education

University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign
Journalism (attended)
Degree: 学位取得は不明（学業は両親の死で中断）
Period: 1990年代初頭（在籍、途中中断）
Country: United States
Studies were interrupted by the deaths of his parents; those events are recounted in his first book.

Awards

Time Best Book (A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius)
2000
Work: A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius
Organization: Time
Result: 受賞
Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction (finalist)
2001
Work: A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius
Organization: Pulitzer Prize
Result: ファイナリスト
Addison Metcalf Award
2001
Work: A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius
Organization: American Academy of Arts and Letters
Result: 受賞
Independent Publisher Award (Story Teller of the Year)
2003
Work: You Shall Know Our Velocity
Organization: Independent Publisher
Result: 受賞
Time 100 (100 Most Influential People)
2005
Organization: Time
Result: 選出
Heinz Award (Arts and Humanities)
2007
Category: 芸術・人文
Organization: Heinz Family Foundation
Result: 受賞
Salon Book Award
2006
Work: What Is the What
Organization: Salon
Result: 受賞
National Book Critics Circle Award (finalist)
2006
Work: What Is the What
Category: フィクション
Organization: National Book Critics Circle
Result: ファイナリスト
Prix Médicis
2009
Work: What Is the What
Organization: Prix Médicis (France)
Result: 受賞
Los Angeles Times Book Prize (Innovator's Award)
2009
Category: イノベーター賞
Organization: Los Angeles Times
Result: 受賞
National Book Award (Fiction) Finalist
2012
Work: A Hologram for the King
Category: フィクション
Organization: National Book Foundation
Result: ファイナリスト
TED Prize
2008
Organization: TED
Result: 受賞
International Dublin Literary Award (longlist/nominee)
2011
Work: The Wild Things
Organization: Dublin Literary Award
Result: ロングリスト入り / 候補
Newbery Medal
2024
Work: The Eyes and the Impossible
Category: 児童文学
Organization: American Library Association (ALA)
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

O. Henry Award 2 appearances
  1. Edition 102 (2024) Winner
    Work: The Honor of Your Presence

    "The Honor of Your Presence" is a short story selected for the O. Henry Prize 2024 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 2024 anthology.

    short storyrelationshipsemotional tension
  2. Edition 103 (2025) Winner
    Work: Sanrevelle

    "Sanrevelle" 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 Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius

2000 memoir / autofiction

A semi-autobiographical memoir detailing Eggers's struggle raising his younger brother after the deaths of their parents; notable for stylistic experimentation and self-referential voice.

loss and responsibilityfamilyself-referenceauthorship

You Shall Know Our Velocity

2002 novel / travel

A story of two friends traveling the world attempting to give away money, exploring friendship, guilt, and unexpected consequences.

friendshipatonementcontemporary wandering

What Is the What

2006 biographical novel / refugee narrative

A fictionalized autobiography of Valentino Achak Deng, a Sudanese refugee, dealing with war, displacement, and identity.

war and refugeessurvival and memoryidentity

Zeitoun

2009 nonfiction

A nonfiction account of Abdulrahman Zeitoun's experience during and after Hurricane Katrina, including wrongful detention and civil-rights issues.

citizenship and justicedisaster responseracial and religious prejudice
Adaptations
  • [film (development / optioned)] Zeitoun / Jonathan Demme (企画したが未実現)

A Hologram for the King

2012 novel

A novel about a middle-aged American salesman seeking work in Saudi Arabia against the backdrop of the 2008 financial crisis; themes of alienation and renewal.

economic crisislonelinesscultural clash
Adaptations
  • [film] A Hologram for the King (film) / Tom Tykwer (2016)

The Circle

2013 dystopian novel / techno-thriller

A novel about a young employee at a powerful tech company who confronts issues of surveillance, privacy, and the social effects of ubiquitous technology.

surveillance societyprivacy and dataethics of technology
Adaptations
  • [film] The Circle (film) / James Ponsoldt (2017)

The Eyes and the Impossible

2023 children's literature

A picture-accompanied children's book focused on imagination and discovery; recipient of the 2024 Newbery Medal.

imaginationdiscoverygrowing up

Bibliography

  • A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius (2000)
  • You Shall Know Our Velocity (2002)
  • What Is the What (2006)
  • Zeitoun (2009)
  • A Hologram for the King (2012)
  • The Circle (2013)
  • The Eyes and the Impossible (2023)

Adaptations

  • Where the Wild Things Are (film) — screenplay co-writer (2009)
  • Away We Go (film) — screenplay (2009)
  • The Circle (film) — story/screenplay involvement (2017)
  • A Hologram for the King (film) — based on novel (2016)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
postmodern self-referentialitypost-postmodernnew sincerityexperimental, conversational narration
Recurring Motifs
loss and responsibilitycritique of American societyhumanitarian concernstechnology and surveillance

Legacy

Eggers is an influential American writer since the 2000s who, beyond his books, founded McSweeney's and several nonprofit initiatives in education and human rights. His work often tackles social and political issues and has been adapted into film.

Museums

  • Nevada Museum of Art (solo exhibition) Reno, Nevada, United States Opened in 2015

Academic Societies

  • American Academy of Arts and Letters

In Popular Culture

  • Known widely through film adaptations such as The Circle and A Hologram for the King

Quotes

  • An attempt to understand this era; part farce, part parable, and I do hope... that the book will be readable when Trump is gone. It was cathartic to write, and I hope cathartic to read.
    Source: Author interview about The Captain and the Glory (McSweeney's) (2019)
  • I don't want to sell the hardcover of my book through Amazon; I prefer to support independent bookstores.
    Source: Announcement / press coverage at the release of The Every (2021)

Trivia

  • Founder of McSweeney's and publisher of Timothy McSweeney's Quarterly Concern.
  • Co-founder of 826 Valencia, a nonprofit writing and tutoring center for youth.
  • Named one of Time's 100 Most Influential People in 2005.
  • A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius was a 2001 Pulitzer Prize (General Nonfiction) finalist.
  • Won the 2024 Newbery Medal for The Eyes and the Impossible.