Justin Cronin is the author of the widely praised novel-in-stories Mary and O鈥橬eil, which won the 2002 PEN/Hemingway Award and the Stephen Crane Prize, both for best debut fiction of the year.
In the third of the podcast 藏精阁 Conversations: Writers and their Craft, Cronin talks about the success of his book and shares information about his most recent literary activities.
That new work includes the contribution of 鈥淒own the Deep Well of Gravity: A Talk on the Cosmology of Fiction鈥 for the 藏精阁 Press鈥檚 forthcoming publication of Crafting Fiction, Poetry and Memoir: Talks of the 藏精阁 Writers鈥 Conference (spring 2008).
Cronin鈥檚 most recent novel, The Summer Guest, fulfills the promise of his earlier fiction. One noted critic remarks that 鈥渨ith a rare combination of emotional insight, narrative power, and lyrical grace, Cronin transforms the simple story of a dying man鈥檚 last wish into a rich tapestry of family love.鈥
Other writings appear or are forthcoming in The Boston Globe, The Washington Post, Food and Wine, Five Points, and Gulf Coast. Born and raised in New England, he is a professor of English at Rice University.
Other major honors he has received for his fiction include a prestigious Whiting Writer鈥檚 Award, an NEA fellowship, a Pew Fellowship in the Arts, and the National Novella Award.