Michael Gorra

Michael Gorra is an American professor of English and literature, currently serving as the Mary Augusta Jordan Professor of English Language & Literature at Smith College.

Background

Gorra attended Milford Academy, a prep school then in Milford, Connecticut, during which time he became a member of science fiction fandom, eventually publishing several issues of his own fanzines Banshee and Random in 1974-1975.^[1][2] (Issue #9 of Banshee was a "Special Bob Tucker Fund Issue"); it included work by Gorra, Charles Burbee, Terry Carr [writing as "Carl Brandon"], Dean Grennell, Jay Kinney, Bill Kunkel, andrew j. offutt, William Rotsler, and Susan Wood.)^[3] He led a "Fanpublishing Symposium" in Bill Bowers' Outworlds in 1975.^[4]

He earned his A.B. at Amherst College, and a Ph.D. at Stanford University.

Professorial career

Gorra came to teach at Smith College in 1985, where he teaches courses and leads seminars on the undergraduate and graduate levels, primarily on the 19th, 20th and 21st-century novel, but also on such matters as travel writing. ^[5]

He is a book reviewer and critic for such venues as the New York Times Book Review, the Times Literary Supplement and The Hudson Review; and has also been published in the Wall Street Journal, The New Republic, the Atlantic Monthly and many other places. On October 2, 2003, Gorra was interviewed on NPR's Morning Edition about possible candidates for that year's Nobel Prize in Literature.^[6]

His book-length publications include The English Novel at Mid-Century; After Empire: Scott, Naipaul, Rushdie; and The Bells in Their Silence: Travels through Germany. He edited The Portable Conrad for Penguin Books, and a Norton Critical Edition of William Faulkner's As I Lay Dying.^[7]

His honors include the 2001 National Book Critics Circle Award (the Nona Balakian Citation for Excellence in Reviewing) for work as a reviewer.^[8] and a 2007 Guggenheim Fellowship^[9] for a study of Henry James.

References

1. ^ Locke, Dave. "Dialog With Two Fans: A Chat With Eric Mayer" Pixel 12 (April 2007), pp. 3, 10
2. ^ Catalog of M. Horvat Collcetion of Science Fiction Fanzines; Special Collections Department, University of Iowa Libraries
3. ^ Gorra, Mike, ed. "Table of Contents" in Banshee #9 (August 1974); Westport, Connecticut, 1974
4. ^ Gorra, Michael. "Fanpublishing Symposium". Outworlds #24 (Second quarter 1975), pp. 918-924)
5. ^ Official website at Smith
6. ^ Stamberg, Susan, interviewer. "Interview: Professor Michael Gorra of Smith College talks about possible candidates for this year's Nobel Prize in literature" Morning Edition October 2, 2003
7. ^ Official website at Smith
8. ^ "All Past All Past National Book Critics Circle Award Winners and Finalists - Page 2" National Book Critics Circle website
9. ^ "Michael Gorra" at John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation website

External links

• Faculty website at Smith