Los Angeles Times Book Prize
1 appearances
-
Edition 21 (2000) Winner
David Means
デイヴィッド・ミーンズ
David Means
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1961-10-17 （Kalamazoo, Michigan）
- Nationality
- United States
- Languages
- English
- Residence History
- Kalamazoo, Michigan (birthplace) → Nyack, New York (residence)
Career
- Occupations
- short story writer, novelist, part-time professor
- Active Years
- 1988-
- Affiliations
- Vassar College (part-time)
- Influenced By
- Flannery O'Connor, Raymond Carver, Alice Munro, Eudora Welty, John Cheever
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loy Norrix High School | — | — | — | 1976–1980 | United States |
| College of Wooster | — | Independent Study | B.A. | 1980–1984 | United States |
| Columbia University | School of the Arts (MFA) | Poetry (MFA) | MFA | 1984–1987 | United States |
Loy Norrix High School
Period:
1976–1980
Year of Graduation:
1980
Country:
United States
College of Wooster
Independent Study
Degree:
B.A.
Period:
1980–1984
Year of Graduation:
1984
Country:
United States
Independent Study titled "Bullfighting in Boston and other Poems"
Columbia University
School of the Arts (MFA)
/ Poetry (MFA)
Degree:
MFA
Period:
1984–1987
Year of Graduation:
1987
Country:
United States
Received an MFA in poetry
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Los Angeles Times Book Prize | Assorted Fire Events | — | Los Angeles Times | Winner |
| 2000 | National Book Critics Circle Award | Assorted Fire Events | — | National Book Critics Circle | Finalist |
| 2001 | Pushcart Prize | — | — | Pushcart Press | Winner |
| 2006 | O. Henry Prize | Sault Ste. Marie | — | O. Henry Prize | Winner |
| 2005 | Frank O'Connor International Short Story Award | The Secret Goldfish | — | Frank O'Connor Award | Shortlist |
| 2011 | O. Henry Prize | The Junction | — | O. Henry Prize | Winner |
| 2025 | PEN/Malamud Award for Excellence in the Short Story | — | — | PEN/Faulkner Foundation | Winner |
Los Angeles Times Book Prize
2000
Work:
Assorted Fire Events
Organization:
Los Angeles Times
Result:
Winner
National Book Critics Circle Award
2000
Work:
Assorted Fire Events
Organization:
National Book Critics Circle
Result:
Finalist
Pushcart Prize
2001
Organization:
Pushcart Press
Result:
Winner
O. Henry Prize
2006
Work:
Sault Ste. Marie
Organization:
O. Henry Prize
Result:
Winner
Frank O'Connor International Short Story Award
2005
Work:
The Secret Goldfish
Organization:
Frank O'Connor Award
Result:
Shortlist
O. Henry Prize
2011
Work:
The Junction
Organization:
O. Henry Prize
Result:
Winner
PEN/Malamud Award for Excellence in the Short Story
2025
Organization:
PEN/Faulkner Foundation
Result:
Winner
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
Hystopia
2016 NovelA satirical, experimental novel set after the Vietnam War. It centers on altered memories of war and explores distorted history and personal recollection.
war and memoryidentityreconstruction of history
Assorted Fire Events
2000 Short story collectionA collection of stories that portray violence, loss, and ruptures in everyday life across varied characters and settings. One of his critically acclaimed works.
violencelossMidwestern landscapes
The Secret Goldfish
2004 Short story collectionA collection of stories set by lakes and Midwestern towns, quietly depicting loneliness and the breakdown of relationships.
lonelinessfamily breakdownwaterside settings
The Spot
2010 Short story collectionA collection of stories featuring violent and allegorical elements. Noted for distinctive imagery and sharp prose.
violenceallegoryimagism
Instructions for a Funeral
2019 Short story collectionA collection of stories dealing with death and loss, focusing on the quiet and reverberations after bereavement.
deathgriefmemory
Two Nurses, Smoking
2022 Short story collectionA recent collection of short fiction that captures worlds where the ordinary and the abnormal coexist.
everyday abnormalitymedical/carehuman relationships
A Quick Kiss of Redemption
1991 Short story collectionAn early collection of stories showing the author's initial work.
early worksearch for redemption
Bibliography
- A Quick Kiss of Redemption (1991)
- Assorted Fire Events (2000)
- The Secret Goldfish (2004)
- The Spot (2010)
- Instructions for a Funeral (2019)
- Two Nurses, Smoking (2022)
- Hystopia (2016)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- precise, sensory prosespare yet luminous sentencesoften employs dark humor and allegorical techniques
- Recurring Motifs
- Midwestern landscapesviolence and its aftermathfamily breakdownwaterside/lake settings
Legacy
David Means is regarded as an important American short story writer, praised for sharp prose and dark imagery. He has influenced younger writers and garnered multiple major awards and nominations.
Archives
- Library of Congress (related holdings)
Quotes
-
Means' language offers an exquisitely precise and sensuous register of an often crazy American reality.
Source: James Wood (The London Review of Books) (2000)
Trivia
- Has served part-time in the English Department at Vassar College since 2001.
- Novel 'Hystopia' was longlisted for the 2016 Man Booker Prize.
- Lives in Nyack, New York; married with two children.