PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction
1 appearances
-
Edition 18 (1998) Winner
Rafi Zabor
ラフィ・ザボール
Rafi Zabor
Aliases:
Joel Zaborovsky
Pen Names:
Rafi Zabor（Pen name used for literary and critical work）
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1946-08-22 （Brooklyn, New York, United States）
- Nationality
- United States
- Languages
- English
- Residence History
- Brooklyn (New York City, USA)
Career
- Occupations
- Novelist, Music critic, Jazz drummer, Magazine editor
- Active Years
- 1977-
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brooklyn College | — | — | — | — | United States |
Brooklyn College
Country:
United States
Listed as a graduate of Brooklyn College; exact graduation year not specified
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction | The Bear Comes Home | — | PEN/Faulkner Foundation | 受賞 |
| 2008 | NEA Literature Fellowship | — | — | National Endowment for the Arts | 受賞 |
PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction
1998
Work:
The Bear Comes Home
Organization:
PEN/Faulkner Foundation
Result:
受賞
NEA Literature Fellowship
2008
Organization:
National Endowment for the Arts
Result:
受賞
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
The Bear Comes Home
1997 Novel (literary fiction)A novel that centers on a bear who is an alto saxophonist, following his pursuit of musical perfection and his inner struggles. Noted for its deep insights into jazz and music and its lyrical prose; received critical acclaim.
MusicJazzSelf-discoveryObsession with artAnthropomorphism
I, Wabenzi
2005 Memoir / Non-fictionA memoir with autobiographical elements. It had limited commercial success and received mixed critical response.
SelfMemoryBehind the scenes of the music world
Bibliography
- The Bear Comes Home (1997)
- I, Wabenzi (2005)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- Musical, lyrical proseNarration with a jazz-like rhythmRich metaphor and imagery
- Recurring Motifs
- Music and performanceConflict between technique and artistryLoneliness and self-pursuitAnthropomorphized beings
Legacy
Rafi Zabor is best known for his music-infused novel The Bear Comes Home, which established his literary reputation with the 1998 PEN/Faulkner Award. He has a devoted following and is regarded as a writer who explores the intersection of music and literature.
In Popular Culture
- The Bear Comes Home is sometimes cited as an example of musical fiction.
Trivia
- Birth name Joel Zaborovsky; uses the pen name Rafi Zabor.
- Became a jazz critic for Musician magazine in 1977 and later served as an editor.
- Won the 1998 PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction for The Bear Comes Home.
- Received an NEA Literature Fellowship in 2008.
- Has worked as a jazz drummer.
- Reportedly working on a novel titled The Bosphorus Dogs as of 2011.