Los Angeles Times Book Prize
1 appearances
-
Edition 6 (1985) Winner
Michael Scammell
マイケル・スキャメル
Michael Scammell
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1935-01-01 （Lyndhurst, Hampshire, England）
- Nationality
- British, American
- Languages
- English
- Residence History
- England (Hampshire / Southampton area) → Yugoslavia (Ljubljana) — taught English (short-term) → United States (New York) — long-term residence/work
Career
- Occupations
- Author, Biographer, Translator, Academic, Editor
- Active Years
- 1965-
- Affiliations
- BBC (External Services, East European Languages), Index on Censorship (founder/editorial work), Cornell University (Professor of Russian Literature), Columbia University (Professor of Writing (Nonfiction) and Translation), International PEN (vice president/committee roles)
- Memberships
- American Academy of Arts and Sciences, International PEN
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Nottingham | Humanities (Slavic Studies) | Slavic Studies | B.A. | 1950年代 | United Kingdom |
| Columbia University | Graduate School (Slavic Studies) | Slavic Studies | Ph.D. | 1960年代（在学） | United States |
University of Nottingham
Humanities (Slavic Studies)
/ Slavic Studies
Degree:
B.A.
Period:
1950年代
Year of Graduation:
1958
Country:
United Kingdom
Graduated with first-class honors; edited the student newspaper.
Columbia University
Graduate School (Slavic Studies)
/ Slavic Studies
Degree:
Ph.D.
Period:
1960年代（在学）
Country:
United States
Studied Russian literature at graduate level and obtained a doctorate.
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | Los Angeles Times Book Prize (Biography) | Solzhenitsyn: A Biography | — | Los Angeles Times | 受賞 |
| 1985 | Silver PEN (English PEN Centre, Nonfiction) | Solzhenitsyn: A Biography | — | English PEN Centre | 受賞 |
| 2009 | PEN/Jacqueline Bograd Weld Award for Biography | Koestler: The Literary and Political Odyssey of a Twentieth-Century Skeptic | — | PEN America | 受賞 |
| 2010 | Spears Magazine Award (Best Biography) | Koestler: The Literary and Political Odyssey of a Twentieth-Century Skeptic | — | Spears Magazine | 受賞 |
Los Angeles Times Book Prize (Biography)
1985
Work:
Solzhenitsyn: A Biography
Organization:
Los Angeles Times
Result:
受賞
Silver PEN (English PEN Centre, Nonfiction)
1985
Work:
Solzhenitsyn: A Biography
Organization:
English PEN Centre
Result:
受賞
PEN/Jacqueline Bograd Weld Award for Biography
2009
Work:
Koestler: The Literary and Political Odyssey of a Twentieth-Century Skeptic
Organization:
PEN America
Result:
受賞
Spears Magazine Award (Best Biography)
2010
Work:
Koestler: The Literary and Political Odyssey of a Twentieth-Century Skeptic
Organization:
Spears Magazine
Result:
受賞
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
Solzhenitsyn: A Biography
1984 BiographyA detailed biography of Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn covering his life, thought and struggles as a writer under Soviet repression, based on extensive documentation and interviews. Scammell met and worked with Solzhenitsyn during the research, publishing the work without formal authorization.
CensorshipOppression and resistanceThe conscience of the writer
Koestler: The Literary and Political Odyssey of a Twentieth-Century Skeptic
2009 BiographyA major biography of Arthur Koestler, the result of fifteen years of research, reassessing his intellectual trajectory, political positions and literary achievements during the twentieth century using extensive source material.
Responsibility of the intellectualPolitical transformationCold War culture
Bibliography
- Solzhenitsyn: A Biography
- Koestler: The Literary and Political Odyssey of a Twentieth-Century Skeptic
- Koestler: The Indispensable Intellectual
- Russia's Other Writers (editor)
- From Under the Rubble (editor)
- The Solzhenitsyn Files (editor)
- Nothing Is Lost (co-translation of Edvard Kocbek)
- Numerous translations from Russian/Slavic (Dostoyevsky, Nabokov, Tolstoy, etc.)
Translations by Author
- Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky (translation into English)
- Childhood, Boyhood and Youth - Leo Tolstoy (translation into English)
- The Gift; The Defense - Vladimir Nabokov (translations into English)
- My Testimony - Anatoly Marchenko (translation into English)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- Documentary, well-researched biographical proseClear, analytical narrative voiceTranslation approach that preserves original tone and diction
- Recurring Motifs
- Censorship and freedom of expressionResistance to authorityConscience and responsibility of intellectuals
Legacy
Through scholarship, translations and biographies on Russian and East European intellectuals, he brought attention to censorship and freedom of expression. His biographies of figures such as Solzhenitsyn and Koestler have been highly regarded in both academic and general readership, and his translations introduced many classic Russian works to English-speaking audiences.
Academic Societies
- American Academy of Arts and Sciences
- International PEN
Trivia
- Trained as a Russian interpreter at the Joint Services School for Linguists.
- Played a key role in founding and reviving Index on Censorship.
- His biography of Arthur Koestler was the result of 15 years of research and won PEN-related awards.