Matthew Klam Explained

Matthew Klam
Nationality:American
Occupation:Novelist, short story writer

Matthew Klam (born 1964) is an American fiction writer and magazine journalist.

Early life

Matthew Klam graduated from the University of New Hampshire, where he studied Philosophy, and he later received an MA from Hollins College. In 1999 The New Yorker named him one of the 25 best fiction writers under 40.[1]

Career

Short stories and essays

In 2000 he published his first book, a collection of short stories entitled Sam the Cat and Other Stories.[2] Publishers Weekly wrote of the work that, "Throughout the collection, Klam demonstrates his mastery of the fine art of irony, exposing the nerve endings of his complex, often tormented, sometimes funny, characters, while allowing the reader to make his or her own judgments."[3] The New York Times called the work a "smart, absorbing collection".[4] The book received the PEN/Robert Bingham Prize.[5]

Following its publication, Klam's work has appeared in a variety of publications, including The Wall Street Journal,[6] Vulture,[7] The New Yorker,[8] Esquire,[9] GQ,[10] Harper's, and The New York Times Magazine.

Teaching

Between 2009 and 2017 he took a hiatus from publishing in order to assume a tenure-track professorship at Johns Hopkins University in the creative writing department. Fellow Johns Hopkins professor Alice McDermott noted that Klam's work at the university showed a "tremendous enthusiasm" as she commented on the "energy he brings to his reading: to the work of his students, but also to the published work of his contemporaries." He remained at Johns Hopkins until 2016. He has also taught at American University, the University of Michigan, Stockholm University, and St. Albans School. In 2023 he was a Visiting Associate Professor at Stony Brook Southampton in the Creative Writing and Literature Department.[11]

First novel

In 2017 he published his second book, a novel entitled Who is Rich?. Vulture said of the work that it was "very funny, very frank, and often shocking book … a book-long meditation on the nature of a marriage under the stress of children and financial pressures." The book was named to the Notable Books list of The New York Times[12] and the Washington Post,[13] as well as a Book of the Year by Vogue magazine.[14] The New York Times called his writing in Who is Rich?, "Funny, maddening and defiantly original", noting that Klam was "gifted at discussing complicated themes."[15] The New Yorker said it was "a gem within the canon of infidelity literature."[16] The Washington Post said of the work that it was, "an irresistible comic novel that pumps blood back into the anemic tales of middle-aged white guys."[17] The book was nominated for the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize.[18]

Recognition

In 2008 Klam was the recipient of a Guggenheim fellowship for fiction writing.[19] He has also been a recipient of a grant from the National Endowment of the Arts,[20] a Whiting Award[21] and an O. Henry Award.

Personal life

Klam lives in Washington, D.C., with his wife Lara Cox and their daughter. He serves on the Advisory Board of the Writers Studio in NYC.[22]

Selected bibliography

Books

Stories and articles

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Curran. Colleen. Interview with Matthew Klam. Pif Magazine. August 2001.
  2. Web site: Matthew Klam's New Book Is Only 17 Years Overdue. Taffy. Brodesser-Akner. July 5, 2017. Vulture.
  3. Web site: Sam the Cat: And Other Stories by Matthew Klam . 2023-04-24 . Publishers Weekly.
  4. Web site: Max. D. T.. Geek-O-Rama. archive.nytimes.com. June 11, 2000.
  5. Web site: PEN/Robert W. Bingham Prize for Debut Short Story Collection. pen.org. June 10, 2020.
  6. Web site: How to Get Over an Aversion to Whiskey. Matthew. Klam. WSJ. June 29, 2017.
  7. Web site: Ken Kratz, the Making a Murderer Prosecutor, Is Writing a Book Now. Sean. Fitz-Gerald. Vulture. January 24, 2016.
  8. Klam. Matthew. The Other Party. December 12, 2022. The New Yorker.
  9. Web site: Garry Kasparov. Maximillian. Potter. Esquire. June 1, 2017.
  10. Web site: Klam. Matthew. The Man in the Irony Mask. April 1, 2008. GQ.
  11. Web site: Faculty and Visiting Faculty. stonybrook.edu. May 24, 2023.
  12. Web site: 100 Notable Books of 2017. November 22, 2017. The New York Times.
  13. News: 50 notable works of fiction in 2017 . The Washington Post . November 15, 2017.
  14. Web site: These Were the Best Books We Read All Year. December 14, 2017. Vogue.
  15. Web site: A Comic Novel of Infidelity Grapples With Sex and Money. Michael. Schaub. July 13, 2017. The New York Times.
  16. Tolentino. Jia. Jia Tolentino . "Who Is Rich?" and the Literature of Infidelity. July 7, 2017. The New Yorker.
  17. News: Charles . Ron . Sex and the middle-aged man . The Washington Post . July 3, 2017.
  18. Web site: 2017 First Novel Prize. The Center for Fiction.
  19. Web site: Matthew Klam - John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation . 2009-10-13 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110604002727/http://www.gf.org/fellows/7924-matthew-klam . 2011-06-04 .
  20. Web site: 2002 GRANT AWARDS - Literature Fellowships (Prose) . 2009-12-07 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20100410041019/http://www.nea.gov/grants/recent/02grants/Lit.html . 2010-04-10 .
  21. Web site: Past Recipients of the Whiting Writers' Awards | MRS. Giles Whiting Foundation . 2008-02-17 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20080218131502/http://www.whitingfoundation.org/recipients.html . 2008-02-18 .
  22. Web site: Leadership. The Writers Studio.
  23. Klam. Matthew. European Wedding. May 1, 2000. The New Yorker.
  24. Web site: Experiencing Ecstasy. Matthew. Klam. January 21, 2001. The New York Times.
  25. Web site: Fear and Laptops on the Campaign Trail. Matthew. Klam. September 26, 2004. The New York Times.
  26. Klam. Matthew. Adina, Astrid, Chipewee, Jasmine. May 8, 2006. The New Yorker.
  27. Web site: Henry Winkler Breaks the Curse of Stardom. Matthew. Klam. April 27, 2022. The New York Times.

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