-
Edition 20 (2001) Winner
Susan Sontag
スーザン・ソンタグ
Susan Sontag
Aliases:
Susan Lee Rosenblatt / Susan Lee Sontag
Profile
- Gender
- Female
- Born
- 1933-01-16 (New York City)
- Died
- 2004-12-28 (New York City) age 71
- Nationality
- American
- Languages
- English
- Religion
- None
- Residence History
- Long Island, New York → Tucson, Arizona → San Fernando Valley, California → New York City → Paris
Career
- Occupations
- Essayist, Novelist, Filmmaker, Critic, Public intellectual
- Active Years
- 1959-2004
- Affiliations
- PEN American Center (President 1989)
- Memberships
- Member of American Academy of Arts and Letters
- Influenced By
- Leo Strauss, Richard McKeon, Kenneth Burke, Hans Heinrich Gerth
- Influenced
- Numerous contemporary critics
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Chicago | — | Philosophy, Literature, Ancient History | BA | 1949-1951 | United States |
| Harvard University | — | Philosophy and Theology | MA | 1950s | United States |
| St Anne's College, Oxford | — | — | — | 1957-1958 | United Kingdom |
| University of Paris (Sorbonne) | — | — | — | 1957-1959 | France |
University of Chicago
Philosophy, Literature, Ancient History
Degree:
BA
Period:
1949-1951
Year of Graduation:
1951
Country:
United States
Elected to Phi Beta Kappa
Harvard University
Philosophy and Theology
Degree:
MA
Period:
1950s
Year of Graduation:
1955
Country:
United States
Studied with Perry Miller, Paul Tillich et al.
St Anne's College, Oxford
Period:
1957-1958
Country:
United Kingdom
With Iris Murdoch et al.
University of Paris (Sorbonne)
Period:
1957-1959
Country:
France
Formative intellectual period
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | National Book Award | In America | Fiction | National Book Foundation | Winner |
| 1977 | National Book Critics Circle Award | On Photography | Criticism | National Book Critics Circle | Winner |
| 1990 | MacArthur Fellowship | — | — | John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation | Fellow |
| 2001 | Jerusalem Prize | — | — | — | Winner |
| 2003 | Friedenspreis des Deutschen Buchhandels | — | — | — | Winner |
National Book Award
2000
Work:
In America
Category:
Fiction
Organization:
National Book Foundation
Result:
Winner
National Book Critics Circle Award
1977
Work:
On Photography
Category:
Criticism
Organization:
National Book Critics Circle
Result:
Winner
MacArthur Fellowship
1990
Organization:
John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation
Result:
Fellow
Jerusalem Prize
2001
Result:
Winner
Friedenspreis des Deutschen Buchhandels
2003
Result:
Winner
Awards & Nominations
Princess of Asturias Awards
1 appearances
-
Edition 23 (2003) Winner
Works
Major Works
Against Interpretation
1966 Essay collectionCollection of essays critiquing art interpretation, including famous 'Notes on Camp'.
Art interpretationCamp
On Photography
1977 EssaysExplores cultural and social impact of photography.
PhotographyVisual culture
Illness as Metaphor
1978 NonfictionCritiques metaphors of illness.
IllnessMetaphor
The Volcano Lover
1992 NovelHistorical novel about Lord and Lady Hamilton.
HistoryLove
In America
2000 NovelHistorical novel based on Helena Modjeska.
ImmigrationTheater
Bibliography
- The Benefactor
- Death Kit
- Against Interpretation
- Styles of Radical Will
- On Photography
- Under the Sign of Saturn
- Illness as Metaphor
- The Volcano Lover
- In America
- Regarding the Pain of Others
Adaptations
- Directed Waiting for Godot in Sarajevo
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- Intellectual and criticalExperimentalPolyphonic
- Recurring Motifs
- PhotographyIllnessWarCampHigh and low culture
Health
-
Myelodysplastic syndrome → Acute myelogenous leukemia2004Cause of death
Legacy
Influential 20th-century critic and writer known for essays on culture, photography, illness, and war.
Archives
- UCLA Charles E. Young Research Library digital archive
In Popular Culture
- Sarajevo's Theater Square renamed Susan Sontag Theater Square
Quotes
-
The white race is the cancer of human history.
Source: Partisan Review (1967) -
Photographs are a way of collecting the world.
Source: On Photography (1977)
Trivia
- Bisexual
- Directed Waiting for Godot during Siege of Sarajevo
- Long-term partner of Annie Leibovitz