American Book Awards
1 appearances
-
Edition 19 (1998) Winner
Thomas Lynch
トーマス・リンチ
Thomas Lynch
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1948-01-01 （Detroit, Michigan, U.S.）
- Nationality
- United States
- Languages
- English
- Residence History
- Milford, Michigan (family funeral home) → County Clare, Ireland (family cottage)
Career
- Occupations
- Poet, Essayist, Funeral director
- Active Years
- 1973-
- Affiliations
- University of Michigan (adjunct professor, graduate creative writing program)
- Influenced By
- William Butler Yeats, James Joyce
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brother Rice High School | — | — | — | — | United States |
| Mortuary school | — | — | — | — | United States |
Brother Rice High School
Country:
United States
Educated by nuns and Christian Brothers
Mortuary school
Year of Graduation:
1973
Country:
United States
Completed mortuary training and later took over the family funeral home
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Heartland Prize (non-fiction) | The Undertaking: Life Studies from the Dismal Trade | — | Heartland Prize (Chicago Tribune) | Won |
| 1997 | American Book Award | The Undertaking: Life Studies from the Dismal Trade | — | Before Columbus Foundation | Won |
| 1997 | National Book Award (finalist) | The Undertaking: Life Studies from the Dismal Trade | — | National Book Foundation | Finalist |
| 2001 | Great Lakes Book Award | Bodies in Motion and at Rest: On Metaphor and Mortality | — | Great Lakes Book Award | Won |
| 2008 | Emmy Award (Arts and Culture Documentary) | PBS Frontline documentary "The Undertaking" | — | Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (Emmy Awards) | Won |
Heartland Prize (non-fiction)
1997
Work:
The Undertaking: Life Studies from the Dismal Trade
Organization:
Heartland Prize (Chicago Tribune)
Result:
Won
American Book Award
1997
Work:
The Undertaking: Life Studies from the Dismal Trade
Organization:
Before Columbus Foundation
Result:
Won
National Book Award (finalist)
1997
Work:
The Undertaking: Life Studies from the Dismal Trade
Organization:
National Book Foundation
Result:
Finalist
Great Lakes Book Award
2001
Work:
Bodies in Motion and at Rest: On Metaphor and Mortality
Organization:
Great Lakes Book Award
Result:
Won
Emmy Award (Arts and Culture Documentary)
2008
Work:
PBS Frontline documentary "The Undertaking"
Organization:
Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (Emmy Awards)
Result:
Won
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
The Undertaking: Life Studies from the Dismal Trade
1997 Non-fiction (essay collection)A collection of essays reflecting on death, life, family and community from the perspective of a funeral director; combines Lynch's professional experience with literary meditations.
deathlifefamilyprofessional ethics
Adaptations
- [Documentary film] PBS Frontline: The Undertaking / Karen O'Conner and Miri Navasky (2007)
Translations
- Translated into seven languages
Bodies in Motion and at Rest: On Metaphor and Mortality
2001 EssayAn essay collection exploring metaphor, mortality, language and the body, offering meditations on mourning and meaning.
metaphordeathembodiment
Booking Passage: We Irish and Americans
2006 Non-fiction (memoir)A memoir recounting visits to Ireland, exploration of Irish-American identity and family history.
ancestryidentityIrish–American relations
Skating with Heather Grace
1987 PoetryA collection of early poems focusing on memory and landscape expressed in lyrical language.
memorylandscapepersonal experience
Still Life in Milford: Poems
1999 PoetryA poetry collection rooted in Milford, blending local scenes with reflections on life and death.
placemortalityfamily
Walking Papers: Poems 1999–2009
2010 PoetryA compilation of poems from 1999–2009 presenting mature reflections on daily life and memory.
timememorylandscape
Bibliography
- Skating with Heather Grace (1987)
- Grimalkin and Other Poems (1994)
- Still Life in Milford: Poems (1999)
- The Undertaking: Life Studies from the Dismal Trade (1997)
- Bodies in Motion and at Rest: On Metaphor and Mortality (2001)
- Booking Passage: We Irish and Americans (2006)
- Apparition and Late Fictions (2010)
- Walking Papers: Poems 1999–2009 (2010)
- The Sin-eater: A Breviary (2012/2013)
Adaptations
- PBS Frontline documentary "The Undertaking" (2007)
- Learning Gravity (dir. Kathel Black)
Translations of Works
- The Undertaking has been translated into seven languages
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- lyrical and essayistic stylequiet, contemplative treatment of death and the quotidian
- Recurring Motifs
- deathfuneral rites and mourningancestry and familyMichigan and Irish landscapes
Legacy
Recognized for work that draws on funeral-practice experience to reflect on mortality, family, and place. The Undertaking achieved wide readership, documentary treatment and several awards.
In Popular Culture
- Known to wider audiences through PBS Frontline documentary and broadcasts on BBC/RTÉ
Quotes
-
"slightly old-timey — wise with an almost iridescent quality"
Source: The Michigan Daily (article by Katie Lynch) (2024)
Trivia
- He took over the family funeral home; his funeral-director experience heavily influences his writing.
- Owns a small ancestral cottage in County Clare, Ireland, where he spends part of each year.
- His books have been translated into multiple languages.
- Documentaries about him / his work have been produced; a related film won an Emmy in 2008 (as a work award).