American Book Awards
1 appearances
-
Edition 7 (1986) Winner
Raymond Federman
レイモンド・フェダーマン
Reimondo Fedāman
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1928-05-15 （Montrouge, France）
- Died
- 2009-10-06 （San Diego, California, United States） age 81
- Nationality
- France, United States
- Languages
- French, English
- Religion
- Judaism
- Residence History
- Montrouge, France → Buffalo, New York, United States → San Diego, California, United States
Career
- Occupations
- Novelist, Poet, Academic (Comparative Literature / English), Translator, Critic
- Active Years
- 1950-2009
- Affiliations
- University of California, Santa Barbara (faculty), University at Buffalo (faculty; Distinguished Emeritus Professor), Fiction Collective / Fiction Collective Two (co-director; board), The Coordinating Council of Literary Magazines (board member)
- Memberships
- Samuel Beckett Society (Honorary Trustee)
- Influenced By
- Samuel Beckett
- Influenced
- Writers in experimental and postmodern fiction
- Nominations
- Amer Eldorado - nominated for Le Prix Médicis
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Columbia University | — | Undergraduate (BA) | BA | 1954–1957 | United States |
| University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) | — | Comparative Literature | MA | 1957–1958 | United States |
| University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) | — | Comparative Literature (dissertation on Samuel Beckett) | PhD | 1958–1963 | United States |
Columbia University
Undergraduate (BA)
Degree:
BA
Period:
1954–1957
Year of Graduation:
1957
Country:
United States
Studied at Columbia under the G.I. Bill
University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)
Comparative Literature
Degree:
MA
Period:
1957–1958
Year of Graduation:
1958
Country:
United States
Completed master's degree
University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)
Comparative Literature (dissertation on Samuel Beckett)
Degree:
PhD
Period:
1958–1963
Year of Graduation:
1963
Country:
United States
Doctoral dissertation on Samuel Beckett
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1966 | Guggenheim Fellowship | — | — | John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation | 受賞 |
| 1977 | Fellow in residence at the Camargo Foundation | — | — | Camargo Foundation | 受賞（滞在） |
| 1982 | Fulbright Fellowship | Writer-in-Residence | — | Fulbright Program / Hebrew University of Jerusalem | 受賞（派遣） |
| 1985 | National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship (Fiction) | — | — | National Endowment for the Arts | 受賞 |
| 1986 | New York Foundation for the Arts Fellowship (Fiction) | — | — | New York Foundation for the Arts | 受賞 |
| 1990 | Artist-in-Residence at The Artists-in-Berlin Programme (DAAD) | Writer-in-Residence | — | DAAD / The Artists-in-Berlin Programme | 受賞（招聘） |
| 1995 | Ordre des Palmes Académiques | — | — | French Government | 受賞 |
| 1971 | Frances Steloff Fiction Prize | Double or Nothing | — | Frances Steloff Prize | 受賞 |
| 1972 | Panache Experimental Fiction Prize | Double or Nothing | — | Panache (Prize) | 受賞 |
| 1986 | American Book Award | Smiles on Washington Square: A Love Story of Sorts | — | Before Columbus Foundation | 受賞 |
| 2009 | &NOW Award | Excerpt from Return to Manure | — | &NOW | 受賞（抜粋） |
Guggenheim Fellowship
1966
Organization:
John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation
Result:
受賞
Fellow in residence at the Camargo Foundation
1977
Organization:
Camargo Foundation
Result:
受賞（滞在）
Fulbright Fellowship
1982
Work:
Writer-in-Residence
Organization:
Fulbright Program / Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Result:
受賞（派遣）
National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship (Fiction)
1985
Organization:
National Endowment for the Arts
Result:
受賞
New York Foundation for the Arts Fellowship (Fiction)
1986
Organization:
New York Foundation for the Arts
Result:
受賞
Artist-in-Residence at The Artists-in-Berlin Programme (DAAD)
1990
Work:
Writer-in-Residence
Organization:
DAAD / The Artists-in-Berlin Programme
Result:
受賞（招聘）
Ordre des Palmes Académiques
1995
Organization:
French Government
Result:
受賞
Frances Steloff Fiction Prize
1971
Work:
Double or Nothing
Organization:
Frances Steloff Prize
Result:
受賞
Panache Experimental Fiction Prize
1972
Work:
Double or Nothing
Organization:
Panache (Prize)
Result:
受賞
American Book Award
1986
Work:
Smiles on Washington Square: A Love Story of Sorts
Organization:
Before Columbus Foundation
Result:
受賞
&NOW Award
2009
Work:
Excerpt from Return to Manure
Organization:
&NOW
Result:
受賞（抜粋）
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
Double or Nothing
1971 Experimental fiction / PostmodernAn experimental novel that deconstructs linear narrative, reassembling story through typography and repetition; it challenges narrative continuity and explores the possibilities of language.
Linguistic experimentMemory and identityFragmentation of narrative
Amer Eldorado
1974 Novel (written in French)A novel written in French that incorporates Federman's experimental techniques and themes of memory and alienation.
Immigrant experienceMemoryFriction between languages
The Twofold Vibration
1982 NovelA work characterized by circular narration and linguistic variety; critics noted its eccentric storytelling and entertainment value.
Circular narrationStylistic experimentation
Smiles on Washington Square: A Love Story of Sorts
1985 NovelA tale mixing love and humor; Federman won the American Book Award for this work.
LoveUrban lifeHumor
Return To Manure
2006 Novel / MemoiristicA work with memoiristic elements about childhood experiences, especially Holocaust memories and their effects; an excerpt won an &NOW award.
The HolocaustMemory and survivalFamily loss
SHHH: The Story of a Childhood
2010 Memoir / NovelFederman's final new English novel about his childhood (posthumously published); edited with an introduction by Davis Schneiderman.
Childhood memoryLanguage and expression
Bibliography
- Double or Nothing (1971)
- Amer Eldorado (1974)
- Take It Or Leave It (1976)
- The Voice in the Closet / La Voix Dans le Cabinet de Débarras (1979)
- The Twofold Vibration (1982)
- Smiles on Washington Square (1985)
- To Whom It May Concern (1990)
- La Fourrure de ma Tante Rachel (1997)
- Loose Shoes (2001)
- Return To Manure (2006)
- The Carcasses (2009)
- SHHH: The Story of a Childhood (2010)
Adaptations
- Radio play adaptations in Germany (multiple works)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- Experimental fictionSurfictionMetafictionNon-linear / Fragmented narration
- Recurring Motifs
- Memory and trauma (the Holocaust)Focus on language itselfBlend of humor and tragedyVisual use of page and layout
Health
-
Cancer2009Caused his death in 2009
Legacy
Raymond Federman coined the term 'surfiction' and is known for experimental manipulations of language and narrative structure. He is highly regarded in criticism and scholarship, with numerous translations and studies devoted to his work.
Academic Societies
- Samuel Beckett Society (Honorary Trustee)
Archives
- Raymond Federman Papers (Washington University Libraries, Julian Edison Department of Special Collections)
In Popular Culture
- YouTube video with Davis Schneiderman and Lidia Yuknavitch (performative cooking/boiling books in noodles)
Quotes
-
“Federman is a very gifted storyteller who prefers a circular to a linear design, who comes down on the side of verbal exuberance rather than spareness... the effort of reading him is amply rewarded.” (Newsday review)
Source: Newsday (Review by Melvin J. Friedman, 1982) (1982)
Trivia
- Holocaust survivor who hid on farms in southern France during WWII.
- Was a competitive backstroker on the French national team in youth.
- Step-son's daughter Andrea Murez is an Olympic swimmer.
- Experimented with page design and typography in works such as Double or Nothing.