Costa Book Awards
1 appearances
-
Edition 8 (1978) Winner
Paul Theroux
ポール・セロー
Pōru Serō
Aliases:
Paul Edward Theroux
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1941-04-10 （Medford, Massachusetts）
- Nationality
- United States
- Languages
- English
- Religion
- Catholic
- Residence History
- Medford, Massachusetts → Orono, Maine → Amherst, Massachusetts → Malawi → Uganda → Singapore → Dorset, England → South London → Hawaii → Cape Cod, Massachusetts
Career
- Occupations
- Novelist, Travel writer, Short story writer, Literary critic
- Active Years
- 1967-2024
- Affiliations
- Peace Corps, Makerere University, National University of Singapore
- Memberships
- Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, Member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters
- Influenced By
- V.S. Naipaul
- Influenced
- Louis Theroux, Marcel Theroux
- Nominations
- American Book Award nominee (The Mosquito Coast, 1983), American Book Award nominee (The Old Patagonian Express, 1981)
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Maine | — | — | — | 1959-1960 | United States |
| University of Massachusetts, Amherst | — | English | BA | — | United States |
University of Maine
Period:
1959-1960
Country:
United States
University of Massachusetts, Amherst
English
Degree:
BA
Year of Graduation:
1963
Country:
United States
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | James Tait Black Memorial Prize | The Mosquito Coast | — | University of Edinburgh | winner |
| 1978 | Whitbread Prize | Picture Palace | 最優秀小説部門 | — | winner |
| 1989 | Thomas Cook Travel Book Award | Riding the Iron Rooster | — | — | winner |
| 2015 | Patron's Medal | — | — | Royal Geographical Society | winner |
James Tait Black Memorial Prize
1981
Work:
The Mosquito Coast
Organization:
University of Edinburgh
Result:
winner
Whitbread Prize
1978
Work:
Picture Palace
Category:
最優秀小説部門
Result:
winner
Thomas Cook Travel Book Award
1989
Work:
Riding the Iron Rooster
Result:
winner
Patron's Medal
2015
Organization:
Royal Geographical Society
Result:
winner
Awards & Nominations
James Tait Black Memorial Prizes
1 appearances
-
Edition 63 (1981) Winner
Works
Major Works
The Great Railway Bazaar
1975 TravelogueAccount of an epic train journey from Great Britain to Japan and back.
TravelRailwaysAsia
The Mosquito Coast
1981 NovelA man moves his family to Central America to build a utopian society.
UtopiaFamilyNature
Adaptations
- [Film] The Mosquito Coast / Peter Weir (1986)
- [TV series] The Mosquito Coast (2021)
The Old Patagonian Express
1979 TravelogueTrain journey from Boston to Argentina.
TravelAmericas
Saint Jack
1973 NovelStory set in Singapore.
SingaporeCrime
Adaptations
- [Film] Saint Jack / Peter Bogdanovich (1979)
Adaptations
- The Mosquito Coast (film, 1986)
- Saint Jack (film, 1979)
- Half Moon Street (film, 1986)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- Rich descriptions of people and places laced with a heavy streak of irony
- Recurring Motifs
- TravelForeign culturesTrainsCritique of aid
Legacy
Renowned American author known for classic travel books like The Great Railway Bazaar, winner of numerous awards.
Trivia
- Achieved the rank of Eagle Scout in the Boy Scouts.
- Born third of seven children to Catholic parents.
- Father of writers and documentary filmmakers Louis Theroux and Marcel Theroux.
- Brother of authors Alexander Theroux and Peter Theroux; uncle of actor Justin Theroux.