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Eleanor Lerman

エレノア・レルマン

Erenoa Reruman

Profile

Gender
Female
Born
1952-01-01 （Bronx, New York, United States）
Nationality
United States
Languages
English
Religion
Judaism
Residence History
Bronx, New York → Far Rockaway, Queens → Greenwich Village, New York City → Long Beach, New York

Career

Occupations
poet, novelist, short story writer
Active Years
1973-2024
Nominations
National Book Award nomination (Armed Love), Lambda Literary Award nomination

Awards

Juniper Prize
2001
Work: The Mystery of Meteors
Category: 詩
Organization: Sarabande Books
Result: won
Joy Bale Boone Award for Poetry
2002
Category: 詩
Result: won
Milton Dorfman Poetry Prize
2006
Category: 詩
Result: won
Lenore Marshall Poetry Prize
2006
Work: Our Post-Soviet History Unfolds
Category: 詩
Organization: Academy of American Poets
Result: won
NEA Literature Fellowship
2007
Category: 文学
Organization: National Endowment for the Arts
Result: won
Guggenheim Fellowship
2011
Category: 文学
Organization: John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation
Result: won
John W. Campbell Memorial Award for Best Science Fiction Novel
2016
Work: Radiomen
Category: 最優秀SF小説
Result: won
American Fiction Award
2018
Work: The Stargazer's Embassy
Category: フィクション
Organization: American Book Fest
Result: won

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Armed Love

1973 Poetry

Debut poetry collection published at age 21, nominated for National Book Award, featuring themes of illegal drugs and lesbian sexuality.

drugslesbian sexualitycounterculture

The Mystery of Meteors

2001 Poetry

Return to poetry after 25-year hiatus, published by Sarabande Books.

everyday lifenature

Our Post-Soviet History Unfolds

2005 Poetry

Winner of the Lenore Marshall Poetry Prize.

historysociety

Radiomen

2015 Science Fiction Novel

Speculative fiction involving radios, aliens, a Kennedy Airport bartender, and a dog of unusual ancestry. Winner of John W. Campbell Memorial Award.

science fictionalienseveryday life

The Stargazer's Embassy

2017 Science Fiction Novel

Winner of American Fiction Award.

science fictionastronomy

Bibliography

  • Armed Love
  • Come the Sweet by and by
  • The Mystery of Meteors
  • Our Post-Soviet History Unfolds
  • The Sensual World Re-Emerges
  • Strange Life
  • Slim Blue Universe
  • Observers and Other Stories
  • The Blonde on the Train
  • The Game Cafe: Stories of New York City in Covid Time
  • Janet Planet
  • Radiomen
  • The Stargazer's Embassy
  • Watkins Glen

Style & Themes

Literary Style
free verseunrhymedfrequent enjambmentelements of iambic pentameter
Recurring Motifs
vivid references to the real worldpersonal experiencestools and everyday objects

Legacy

Renowned American writer for her distinctive free verse poetry and speculative fiction, with multiple prestigious literary awards in both poetry and fiction.

Quotes

  • As a writer, I have been rescued more than once in my life. The first time was by a high school English teacher who told me that I'd better not read my poetry to the rest of the class... but encouraged me to be a writer.
    Source: NEA Author's Statement (2007)
  • Eleanor Lerman's poems have sociological savvy, philosophical rue, historical recognition, and vernacular resilience. They sing a song that is bravely gloomy, but they sing it with a fierce and earned dignity.
    Source: Tony Hoagland prize citation (2006)

Trivia

  • At 18, moved from Bronx to Greenwich Village and worked in a harpsichord kit factory.
  • Wrote poems on a blackboard at work for inspiration.
  • Resumed writing career in 2001 after a 25-year hiatus.