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Reginald McKnight

レジナルド・マクナイト

Reginald McKnight

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1956-02-26 （Fürstenfeldbruck, Bavaria, Germany）
Nationality
American
Languages
English
Residence History
Colorado (considers home) → Dakar, Senegal (residence/stay) → Athens, Georgia, USA (academic post)

Career

Occupations
short story writer, novelist, professor
Active Years
1980-
Affiliations
University of Maryland, College Park (Professor of English), Carnegie Mellon University (faculty), University of Michigan, Ann Arbor (faculty), University of Pittsburgh (faculty), University of Georgia (Hamilton Holmes Professor of English)
Memberships
Phi Beta Kappa

Education

Pikes Peak Community College
Degree: A.A.
Country: United States
Colorado College
Degree: B.A.
Country: United States
Received an honorary doctorate (year not specified)
University of Denver
Degree: M.A.
Country: United States

Awards

O. Henry Award
Organization: Unknown
Result: winner
Drue Heinz Literature Prize
1988
Work: Moustapha's Eclipse
Organization: University of Pittsburgh Press
Result: winner
Whiting Award
1995
Organization: Whiting Foundation
Result: winner

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Moustapha's Eclipse

1988 short story collection

A collection of short stories drawing on African experiences and African-American life, exploring identity, family, and cultural inheritance.

identityfamilycultural inheritancediaspora

I Get on the Bus

1990 novel

A novel focusing on the protagonist's inner life and relationships, addressing race, belonging, and personal growth.

coming of agebelongingrelationships

The Kind of Light that Shines on Texas

1992 novel

A work that intertwines regionalism and personal memory to depict relationships between people and place.

sense of placememoryidentity

White Boys

1999 short story collection

A collection of stories dealing with race, friendship, and intersecting generational perspectives.

racefriendshipintergenerational

He Sleeps

2002 short story collection (reprint)

A reprint containing previously published short stories, showcasing the author's distinctive voice and character portrayals.

narrationcharacter studyeveryday tensions

Bibliography

  • He Sleeps
  • Moustapha's Eclipse
  • I Get on the Bus
  • The Kind of Light that Shines on Texas
  • White Boys
  • Editor: African American Wisdom
  • Editor: Wisdom of the African World

Style & Themes

Literary Style
lyrical yet concise prosecharacter-driven depictionuse of conversational cadence
Recurring Motifs
family and kinshipawareness of Africannessmovement and belonging

Legacy

A respected writer of both short stories and novels whose experiences in Africa informed his work; noted for contributions to African-American literature and for his role as an influential educator.

Academic Societies

  • Phi Beta Kappa

Archives

  • University of Georgia or other institutional archives (potential repository)

Quotes

  • "I didn't truly consider myself a writer until I went to Africa."
    Source: Interview (excerpt) (2001)

Trivia

  • Born in 1956 in Fürstenfeldbruck, Germany to a U.S. Air Force family.
  • Has said that his time living in Dakar, Senegal, was pivotal to his becoming a writer.
  • Was the first holder of the Hamilton Holmes Professorship of English at the University of Georgia.
  • Left a position at the University of Pittsburgh after learning colleagues had told racist jokes about Black people.
  • Recipient of the Drue Heinz Literature Prize (1988), Whiting Award (1995), and an O. Henry Award.