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E. J. Levy (Ellen J. Levy)

イー・ジェイ・レビー（エレン・J・レビー）

E. J. Levy (Ellen J. Levy)

Profile

Gender
Female
Born
St. Louis Park, Minnesota, U.S.
Nationality
United States
Languages
English
Residence History
St. Louis Park, Minnesota (birth) → Colorado (worked at Colorado State University) → Columbia, Missouri / Ohio / Washington, D.C. (locations of employment)

Career

Occupations
Writer, Academic, Professor
Active Years
1995-
Affiliations
Colorado State University (faculty), Colorado College (taught), American University (taught), University of Missouri-Columbia (taught), Kenyon College (taught)

Education

Yale University
Degree: BA
Country: United States
Ohio State University
Degree: MFA
Country: United States

Awards

Lambda Literary Award (as editor)
1996
Work: Tasting Life Twice (editor)
Organization: Lambda Literary
Result: Winner
Flannery O'Connor Award for Short Fiction
2012
Work: Love, In Theory
Organization: University of Georgia Press
Result: Winner
Foreword Book of the Year Award (Bronze)
2012
Work: Love, In Theory
Category: Bronze
Organization: Foreword Reviews
Result: Winner
GLCA New Writers Award (Great Lakes Colleges Association)
2014
Work: Love, In Theory
Category: Fiction
Organization: Great Lakes Colleges Association
Result: Winner
Pushcart Prize
Organization: Pushcart Press
Result: Winner
Colorado Book Award (Historical Fiction)
2022
Work: The Cape Doctor
Category: Historical Fiction
Organization: Colorado Center for the Book / Colorado Humanities
Result: Winner
prix Libr' à Nous
2024
Work: The Cape Doctor
Organization: Livres Hebdo (France)
Result: Winner

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Tasting Life Twice: Literary Lesbian Fiction by New American Writers (editor)

1995 Anthology (editor)

An anthology edited by E. J. Levy collecting literary lesbian fiction by new American writers, containing short stories and essays.

LGBTQIdentityRelationships

Love, In Theory

2012 Short story collection

A collection of short stories exploring different forms of love and human relationships, noted for precise character depiction and wit.

LoveFamilySexuality

Amazons: A Love Story

2012 Non-fiction / Essay

A work exploring relationships between women and historical images of femininity; delves into the author's recurring interests in gender and love.

GenderLoveHistoric perspective

The Cape Doctor

2021 Historical novel

A historical novel portraying the 19th-century surgeon James Barry (born Margaret Bulkley), addressing struggles around gender, identity, and social roles.

Gender and identityWomen's statusMedicine and history

Bibliography

  • Tasting Life Twice: Literary Lesbian Fiction by New American Writers (editor), 1995
  • Love, In Theory, 2012
  • Amazons: A Love Story, 2012
  • The Cape Doctor, 2021

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Detailed character描写Wry wit and humorUse of historical research in fiction
Recurring Motifs
Gender and identityLove and relationshipsReinterpretation of historical figures

Legacy

E. J. Levy has been recognized in both short fiction and novels, winning awards such as the Lambda Literary Award and the Flannery O'Connor Award. The Cape Doctor received critical praise as a historical novel while provoking debate over pronoun use for a historical figure. She is noted for works that interrogate gender representation in American literature.

Quotes

  • Levy has been called "a master of his [sic] form."
    Source: Publishers Weekly (review) (2012)
  • The Cape Doctor was described as exploring its protagonist's experiences "sometimes painfully, sometimes wittily, always persuasively."
    Source: The New York Times (review) (2021)

Trivia

  • She identifies as a lesbian.
  • Won the Flannery O'Connor Award for Short Fiction for Love, In Theory.
  • The publication of The Cape Doctor prompted controversy over pronoun usage for the historical subject.