Mark Z. Danielewski

Mark Z. Danielewski

Mark Z. Danielewski, born March 5, 1966 in New York City, New York,^[1] is an American author, best known for his debut novel House of Leaves (2000). Danielewski's work is characterized by experimental choices in form, such as intricate and multi-layered narratives, typographical variation, and inconsistent page layouts, otherwise known as visual writing or Ergodic literature.

Biography

Danielewski was born in New York City, New York,^[1] the son of Polish avant-garde film director Tad Danielewski and the brother of singer/songwriter Annie Decatur Danielewski, a.k.a. Poe.

Danielewski studied English Literature at Yale. He then decided to move to Berkeley, California, where he took a summer program in Latin at the University of California, Berkeley. He also spent time in Paris, preoccupied mostly with writing.

In the early 1990s, he pursued graduate studies at the USC School of Cinema-Television. He later served as an assistant editor and worked on sound for Derrida,^[2] a documentary based on the life of the Algerian-born French literary critic and philosopher Jacques Derrida.

House of Leaves, Danielewski's first novel, has gained a considerable cult following and won numerous awards, including the New York Public Library's Young Lions Fiction Award. His second novel, Only Revolutions, was released in 2006. Though released to less critical acclaim than his debut, the novel was a finalist for the 2006 National Book Award.

In 2000, Danielewski toured with his sister across America at Borders Books and Music locations, promoting Poe’s album Haunted, which reflects elements of House of Leaves.

He is a fan of Biffy Clyro as the band discovered when Danielewski attended one of their shows after they borrowed the title of his novel Only Revolutions for their own album.^[3]

On September 15, 2010, Danielewski's next novel was announced on his message boards: "Later this month publishers will receive the first 5 volumes of Mark Z. Danielewski's 27 volume project entitled The Familiar. The story concerns a 12 year old girl who finds a kitten..."^[4]

Books

• March 2000: House of Leaves
• October 2000: The Whalestoe Letters
• October 2005: The Fifty Year Sword
• September 2006: Only Revolutions
• (Announced): The Familiar

Notes

1. ^ ^{a b} "Mark Danielewski". PEN American Center. 2010. http://www.pen.org/author.php/prmAID/648. Retrieved June 1, 2010. 
2. ^ DerridaTheMovie.com
3. ^ Simon Neil meets with Eve Jackson. France 24. 1 September 2010.
4. ^ At Least This Explains All the Cat T-Shirts. MZD Message Boards. 15 September 2010.

References

• McCaffery, Larry & Gregory, Sinda. "Haunted House: An Interview with Mark Z. Danielewski" from Critique: Studies in Contemporary Fiction, Vol. 44, No. 2, Winter 2003: 99-135.

External links

• Mark Z. Danielewski Forum
• Mark Z. Danielewski on Facebook
• Mark Z. Danielewski on Twitter
• Mark Z. Danielewski Audio Page on MySpace
• Mark Z. Danielewski at the Internet Movie Database
• Interview, Flak Magazine
• Book Reporter interview
• LAist interview
• Guardian interview
• Exploration Z
• The Ledge interview, on The Fifty Year Sword

Persondata
Name	Danielewski, Mark Z.
Alternative names
Short description	Novelist
Date of birth	March 5, 1966
Place of birth	New York City, New York, U.S.
Date of death
Place of death