PEN/Hemingway Award for Debut Novel
1 appearances
-
Edition 41 (2016) Winner
Ottessa Moshfegh
オテッサ・モシュフェグ
Otessa Moshufegu
Profile
- Gender
- Female
- Born
- 1981-05-20 （Boston, Massachusetts）
- Nationality
- United States
- Languages
- English
- Religion
- Judaism
- Residence History
- Boston → New York City → China → Pasadena, California
Career
- Occupations
- Novelist, Writer
- Active Years
- 2014-2024
- Influenced By
- Charles Bukowski
- Nominations
- 2018 The Story Prize finalist (Homesick for Another World)
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barnard College | — | English | BA | — | United States |
| Brown University | — | Literary Arts | MFA | — | United States |
| Stanford University | — | — | — | 2013-2015 | United States |
Barnard College
English
Degree:
BA
Year of Graduation:
2002
Country:
United States
Brown University
Literary Arts
Degree:
MFA
Year of Graduation:
2011
Country:
United States
Stanford University
Period:
2013-2015
Country:
United States
Wallace Stegner Fellow
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Hemingway Foundation/PEN Award | Eileen | — | PEN America | winner |
| 2016 | Man Booker Prize | Eileen | — | — | shortlist |
| 2013 | Plimpton Prize | Bettering Myself | — | The Paris Review | winner |
| 2014 | Believer Book Award | McGlue | — | The Believer | winner |
Hemingway Foundation/PEN Award
2016
Work:
Eileen
Organization:
PEN America
Result:
winner
Man Booker Prize
2016
Work:
Eileen
Result:
shortlist
Plimpton Prize
2013
Work:
Bettering Myself
Organization:
The Paris Review
Result:
winner
Believer Book Award
2014
Work:
McGlue
Organization:
The Believer
Result:
winner
Awards & Nominations
The Story Prize
1 appearances
-
Edition 14 (2017) Nominee
Works
Major Works
Eileen
2015 FictionEileen, the protagonist, describes events from her youth in a Massachusetts town called X-ville, working as a secretary at a juvenile prison while caring for her abusive alcoholic father.
isolationabuseescape
My Year of Rest and Relaxation
2018 FictionA young art history graduate in New York City in 2000 quits her job and attempts to sleep for a year using pills prescribed by a shady psychiatrist.
griefdrugsself-destruction
Death in Her Hands
2020 FictionA loneliness story.
loneliness
Lapvona
2022 FictionFollows Marek, the abused son of the town shepherd, and other characters in the fictional medieval fiefdom of Lapvona.
abusemedieval
Bibliography
- Eileen (2015)
- My Year of Rest and Relaxation (2018)
- Death in Her Hands (2020)
- Lapvona (2022)
- Homesick for Another World (2017)
- McGlue (2014)
- My New Novel (2021)
Adaptations
- Causeway (2022, co-wrote screenplay)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- dark humorunsettling voicesatirical
- Recurring Motifs
- social alienationisolated protagonistspsychological transformation
Health
-
Cat-scratch fever20代半ばLeft New York City and pursued MFA at Brown University
Legacy
A key figure in contemporary American literature known for portraying social alienation and psychological depth. Gained international acclaim with Eileen, shortlisted for Booker Prize.
Trivia
- Her mother was born in Croatia and her father in Iran; both were musicians teaching at the New England Conservatory of Music
- Learned piano and clarinet as a child
- Taught English and worked in a punk bar in China after college
- Supported herself by selling vintage tea dresses