Whiting Awards
1 appearances
-
Edition 5 (1989) Winner
Mary Karr
メアリー・カー
Mary Karr
Profile
- Gender
- Female
- Born
- 1955-01-16 （Groves, Texas, United States）
- Nationality
- United States
- Languages
- English
- Religion
- Catholicism
- Residence History
- Groves, Texas → Los Angeles, California → Syracuse, New York
Career
- Occupations
- Poet, Essayist, Memoirist, Professor of English
- Active Years
- 1987-
- Affiliations
- Syracuse University (Professor of English Literature)
- Influenced By
- Etheridge Knight, Tobias Wolff
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Macalester College | — | — | — | 在籍2年間（中途退学→後に再び学ぶ） | United States |
| Goddard College | — | Fine Arts (creative writing) | Terminal degree in fine arts | — | United States |
Macalester College
Period:
在籍2年間（中途退学→後に再び学ぶ）
Country:
United States
Attended for two years; met poet Etheridge Knight
Goddard College
Fine Arts (creative writing)
Degree:
Terminal degree in fine arts
Country:
United States
Received a terminal degree in fine arts from Goddard College
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | Whiting Award | — | — | Whiting Foundation | 受賞 |
| 1995 | PEN/Martha Albrand Award (for the Art of the Memoir) | The Liars' Club | — | PEN America | 受賞 |
| 2004 | Guggenheim Fellowship | — | — | John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation | フェロー |
| — | Pushcart Prize | Poetry and essays (multiple) | — | Pushcart Press | 受賞（複数） |
Whiting Award
1989
Organization:
Whiting Foundation
Result:
受賞
PEN/Martha Albrand Award (for the Art of the Memoir)
1995
Work:
The Liars' Club
Organization:
PEN America
Result:
受賞
Guggenheim Fellowship
2004
Organization:
John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation
Result:
フェロー
Pushcart Prize
Work:
Poetry and essays (multiple)
Organization:
Pushcart Press
Result:
受賞（複数）
Awards & Nominations
Ambassador Book Award
1 appearances
-
Edition 11 (1996) Special Award
Works
Major Works
The Liars' Club
1995 MemoirA candid memoir exploring Karr's troubled childhood in an industrial area of Southeast Texas, dealing with family alcoholism and trauma. Published in 1995 and became a bestseller.
FamilyAlcoholismTraumaTexas landscape
Cherry: A Memoir
2000 MemoirA follow-up memoir covering Karr's late adolescence and early adulthood, exploring marriage, family relations, and coming of age.
Coming of ageRelationshipsSelf-discovery
Lit: A Memoir
2009 Memoir / Spiritual conversionDetails Karr's journey from alcoholism and lifelong agnosticism to a conversion to Catholicism and spiritual awakening.
RecoveryFaithSalvation
The Art of Memoir
2015 Non-fiction / CraftA practical guide to writing memoir based on Karr's own experiences, discussing craft and the ethics of memoir writing.
Writing craftEthicsHandling memory
Abacus
1987 PoetryKarr's early poetry collection demonstrating her candid, narrative-driven poetic voice.
Personal memoryEveryday life
The Devil's Tour
1993 PoetryA mid-career poetry collection showing matured craft and addressing moral and sometimes religious themes.
ReligionMoralityPersonal struggle
Viper Rum
1998 PoetryA poetry collection noted for strong imagery and eloquent voice; some editions include the essay "Against Decoration."
LanguageExpressionDirect emotional expression
Sinners Welcome
2006 PoetryA poetry collection dealing with sin and forgiveness, with prominent religious themes.
SinForgivenessReligion
Tropic of Squalor
2018 PoetryA recent poetry collection reflecting on everyday life and the past from a mature perspective.
MemoryMaturityObservations of the everyday
Bibliography
- Abacus (1987)
- The Devil's Tour (1993)
- Viper Rum (1998; editions 2001)
- The Liars' Club (1995)
- Cherry: A Memoir (2000)
- Sinners Welcome (2006)
- Lit: A Memoir (2009)
- The Art of Memoir (2015)
- Tropic of Squalor (2018)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- Candid, confessional styleConversational, accessible narrationClarity and content-driven prose
- Recurring Motifs
- Alcohol and addictionFamily memory and traumaFaith and salvationTexas landscape
Health
-
Alcoholism幼少期から成人期にかけて（回想録内で言及）Repeatedly addressed in her work; recovery and conversion to faith significantly influenced her writing.
Legacy
Mary Karr is a leading memoirist since the 1990s, known for candid personal confession and narrative voice; she has influenced both memoir writing and poetry and contributed as an educator.
In Popular Culture
- Appeared in the documentary series 'Martin Scorsese Presents: The Saints' (2024)
Quotes
-
I call myself a 'cafeteria Catholic.'
Source: Lit: A Memoir (2009) (2009)
Trivia
- Was married to poet Michael Milburn for 13 years.
- After their divorce she dated author David Foster Wallace; aspects of that relationship are discussed in biographies and accounts.
- The Liars' Club (1995) became a New York Times bestseller.