Janet Heidinger Kafka Prize
1 appearances
-
Edition 16 (1990) Winner
Valerie Martin
ヴァレリー・マーティン
Valerie Martin
Profile
- Gender
- Female
- Born
- 1948-03-14 （Sedalia, Missouri, United States）
- Nationality
- United States
- Languages
- English
- Residence History
- New Orleans (raised from age three) → Dutchess County, New York (current residence)
Career
- Occupations
- novelist, short story writer, professor
- Active Years
- 1977-
- Affiliations
- Mount Holyoke College (professor), University of New Orleans (former assistant professor)
- Influenced By
- Walker Percy (teacher/influence), Margaret Atwood (friend and early reader)
- Nominations
- World Fantasy Award Best Novel nominee: Mary Reilly, Nebula Award Best Novel nominee: Mary Reilly
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of New Orleans | — | College of Arts and Sciences | BA | 1966–1970 | United States |
| University of Massachusetts Amherst (MFA Program for Poets & Writers) | — | MFA Program (Poets & Writers) | MFA | 1972–1974 | United States |
University of New Orleans
College of Arts and Sciences
Degree:
BA
Period:
1966–1970
Year of Graduation:
1970
Country:
United States
Received Bachelor of Arts
University of Massachusetts Amherst (MFA Program for Poets & Writers)
MFA Program (Poets & Writers)
Degree:
MFA
Period:
1972–1974
Year of Graduation:
1974
Country:
United States
Received Master of Fine Arts
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | Louisiana Endowment for the Arts grant | — | — | Louisiana Endowment for the Arts | 受賞 |
| 1990 | Janet Heidinger Kafka Prize | Mary Reilly | — | Janet Heidinger Kafka Prize | 受賞 |
| 2003 | Orange Prize for Fiction (Women's Prize for Fiction) | Property | — | Women's Prize for Fiction | 受賞 |
| 2010 | Louisiana Writer Award | — | — | Louisiana Writer Award | 受賞 |
| 2011 | Guggenheim Fellowship | — | — | John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation | 受賞 |
Louisiana Endowment for the Arts grant
1983
Organization:
Louisiana Endowment for the Arts
Result:
受賞
Janet Heidinger Kafka Prize
1990
Work:
Mary Reilly
Organization:
Janet Heidinger Kafka Prize
Result:
受賞
Orange Prize for Fiction (Women's Prize for Fiction)
2003
Work:
Property
Organization:
Women's Prize for Fiction
Result:
受賞
Louisiana Writer Award
2010
Organization:
Louisiana Writer Award
Result:
受賞
Guggenheim Fellowship
2011
Organization:
John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation
Result:
受賞
Awards & Nominations
Women's Prize for Fiction
1 appearances
-
Edition 8 (2003) Winner
Works
Major Works
Property
2003 historical fictionA historical novel set in the 19th-century American South exploring slave ownership, power and desire through intimate character study.
slaverypower and ethicsfemale perspective
Mary Reilly
1990 gothic / retellingA retelling of Stevenson’s Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde from the point of view of a servant, Mary Reilly, highlighting themes of identity and class.
identityclassduality
Adaptations
- [film] Mary Reilly / Stephen Frears (1996)
The Ghost of the Mary Celeste
2014 historical fictionA historical novel revolving around the real-life mystery of the ship Mary Celeste, exploring the sea, fear and human curiosity.
the seamysteryhuman limits
Bibliography
- Love: Short Stories (1977)
- Set in Motion (1978)
- Alexandra (1979)
- A Recent Martyr (1987)
- The Consolation of Nature, and Other Stories (1988)
- Mary Reilly (1990)
- The Great Divorce (1993)
- Italian Fever (1999)
- Salvation: Scenes from the Life of St. Francis (2001)
- Property (2003)
- Trespass (2007)
- The Confessions of Edward Day (2009)
- The Ghost of the Mary Celeste (2014)
- Sea Lovers: Selected Stories (2015)
- I Give It To You (2020)
- Mrs. Gulliver (2024)
- Anton and Cecil: Cats at Sea (2013) (co-authored)
- Anton and Cecil: Cats on Track (2015) (co-authored)
- Anton and Cecil: Cats Aloft (2016) (co-authored)
Adaptations
- Mary Reilly (film adaptation, 1996)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- detailed prose with historical settingspsychological characterizationreinterpretation of classic gothic elements
- Recurring Motifs
- the sea and shipsidentity and dualityservant-master relationshipsconflict of faith and moralityanxiety about climate change and nature
Legacy
Valerie Martin is an award-winning American novelist known for historical fiction and inventive retellings. She has also contributed as an educator; major works such as Property and Mary Reilly have been translated internationally and adapted for film.
Academic Societies
- Mount Holyoke College (faculty)
Archives
- Library of Congress (authority records)
- VIAF (Virtual International Authority File)
In Popular Culture
- Mary Reilly was adapted into a 1996 film starring John Malkovich and Julia Roberts.
Quotes
-
Writing is a solitary activity, but I need the social activity of working with young authors to balance it.
Source: Interview / biography (summary)
Trivia
- Born Valerie Metcalf.
- Was friends with Margaret Atwood and was among the first to read The Handmaid's Tale manuscript.
- Mary Reilly has been translated into 16 languages and was adapted into a film in 1996.
- Often begins writing longhand, later transfers text to a computer.
- Partner John Cullen, a translator, died in 2021.