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Steven Millhauser

スティーヴン・ミルハウザー

Steven Millhauser

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1943-08-03 （New York City）
Nationality
United States
Languages
English
Residence History
Connecticut (grew up) → Saratoga Springs, New York

Career

Occupations
novelist, short story writer, college professor
Active Years
1972-
Affiliations
Skidmore College (faculty)
Influenced By
Edgar Allan Poe, Jorge Luis Borges

Education

Columbia University
Bachelor of Arts
Degree: BA
Period: 1961–1965
Year of Graduation: 1965
Country: United States
Received a B.A. from Columbia University in 1965.
Brown University
PhD coursework (incomplete)
Country: United States
Pursued doctoral studies in English at Brown University but did not complete the dissertation; wrote parts of early works while at Brown.

Awards

The Story Prize
2012
Work: We Others: New and Selected Stories
Organization: The Story Prize (organization)
Result: 受賞
Pulitzer Prize for Fiction
1997
Work: Martin Dressler: The Tale of an American Dreamer
Organization: Pulitzer Prize committee
Result: 受賞
World Fantasy Award—Short Fiction
1990
Work: The Illusionist (short story)
Category: 短編
Organization: World Fantasy Convention/Association
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Edwin Mullhouse: the life and death of an American writer, 1943-1954, by Jeffrey Cartwright: a novel

1972 novel

A fictional biography of the precocious writer Edwin Mullhouse, narrated by Jeffrey Cartwright.

authorship and narrationchild geniusfictional biography

Martin Dressler: The Tale of an American Dreamer

1996 novel

The story of an ambitious entrepreneur in turn-of-the-century America; themes of urban development, ambition, and the American dream.

American dreamurbanizationambition and success

The Barnum Museum

1990 short story collection

A collection of short stories featuring fantastic motifs—museums, curiosities, and uncanny entertainments.

fantasyspectaclemuseums and attractions

Eisenheim the Illusionist / The Illusionist (short story)

1990 short story

A short story about a late-19th-century magician whose feats blur the line between illusion and reality; later adapted into a film.

magicillusion vs. realityaudience and wonder
Adaptations
  • [film] The Illusionist / Neil Burger (2006)

Bibliography

  • Edwin Mullhouse (1972)
  • Portrait of a Romantic (1977)
  • From the Realm of Morpheus (1986)
  • In the Penny Arcade (short stories, 1986)
  • The Barnum Museum (short stories, 1990)
  • Martin Dressler (1996)
  • Little Kingdoms: Three Novellas (1993)
  • The Knife Thrower and Other Stories (1998)
  • Dangerous Laughter: 13 Stories (2008)
  • We Others: New and Selected Stories (2011)
  • Voices in the Night: Stories (2015)
  • Disruptions: Stories (2023)

Adaptations

  • Short story 'Eisenheim the Illusionist' adapted into the film 'The Illusionist' (2006)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
precise, observant prosefantastic/phantasmagoric detailpreference for short forms and concentrated effects
Recurring Motifs
automataarcades, museums, amusement parksmagicians and illusionboundary between dream and reality

Legacy

Millhauser, a Pulitzer Prize–winning author, is an important figure in American literature known for his precise, fantastical short fiction. His distinctive worlds across short forms have attracted critical study and sustained recognition.

In Popular Culture

  • The film 'The Illusionist' (2006) was adapted from his short story 'Eisenheim the Illusionist'.

Quotes

  • "I continue to be drawn to short forms, for many reasons. I like concentrated effects, of the kind invited by short forms; I like intensity, sharp focus, heightened attention; I like the way something small can expand into something large. None of this should suggest hostility to the novel..."
    Source: Interview with Andrzej Gabinski (2009/2010) (2009)

Trivia

  • Taught at Skidmore College for nearly 30 years and retired in 2017.
  • Won the 1997 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction for 'Martin Dressler'.
  • Known for fantastical motifs in his short story collections.