Amor Towles
Amor Towles | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Towles in 2018 | |
| Born | 1964 (age 59–60) Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Occupation | Novelist |
| Education | Yale University (BA) Stanford University (MA) |
| Period | 2011–present |
| Genre | Literary fiction |
| Notable works | A Gentleman in Moscow |
| Spouse | Maggie |
| Children | 2 |
| Website | |
| www | |
Amor Towles (born 1964) is an American novelist. He is best known for his bestselling novels Rules of Civility (2011),[1] A Gentleman in Moscow (2016),[2] and The Lincoln Highway (2021).[3] Towles began writing following a career in investment banking.
Early life and education
[edit]Towles was born and raised in Boston, to Stokley Porter Towles, an investment banker at Brown Brothers Harriman and a philanthropist, and Holly Hollingsworth. His parents later divorced. He has a brother, Stokley Jr.; a sister, Kimbrough; and two stepbrothers.[4] When Towles was 10 years old, he threw a bottle with a message into the Atlantic Ocean. Several weeks later, he received a letter from Harrison Salisbury, then managing editor of The New York Times, who had found the bottle. Towles and Salisbury corresponded for many years afterward.[5]
He graduated from Yale College and received a Master of Arts degree in English from Stanford University, where he was a Scowcroft Fellow. The thesis for his M.A. titled Temptations of Pleasure was published in The Paris Review in 1989.[6]
Career
[edit]After graduating from Yale University, Towles was set to teach in China on a two-year fellowship from the Yale China Association. However, this was abruptly canceled due to the Tiananmen Square crackdown in 1989.[7] From 1991 to 2012, he worked as an investment manager and director of research at Select Equity Group in New York.[8][9]
When Towles was a young man, he credited Peter Matthiessen, nature writer, novelist, and one of the founders of The Paris Review, as the primary inspiration for writing novels.[10] Towles' first novel, Rules of Civility, was successful beyond his expectations.[11]
His second novel, A Gentleman in Moscow, which was on the New York Times hardcover bestseller list for 59 weeks,[12] was a finalist for the 2016 Kirkus Prize for Fiction.[13] It was also longlisted for the 2018 International Dublin Literary Award.[14] A television adaptation starring Ewan McGregor was released on Paramount+ in March 2024.[15]
Towles' third novel, The Lincoln Highway, was published on October 5, 2021.[16] It was chosen by Amazon as the best book of 2021.[17] As of May 15, 2022, it had been on the New York Times hardcover fiction bestseller list for 30 weeks.[18] In April 2024, Towles released a book of short fiction titled Table for Two.[6]
Personal life
[edit]Towles resides in Gramercy Park, Manhattan, New York City, with his wife Maggie, their son Stokley, and their daughter Esmé.[19] Towles is a collector of fine art and antiques.[19]
Awards and honors
[edit]- 2016 Finalist for the Kirkus Prize for Fiction
Works
[edit]Fiction
[edit]- Rules of Civility: A Novel. New York: Viking. 2011. ISBN 978-0-670-02269-4.
- Eve in Hollywood: A Penguin Special (collection of six interlinked short stories). Penguin. 2013. ISBN 978-1-101-63092-1.
- A Gentleman in Moscow: A Novel. New York: Viking. 2016. ISBN 978-0-670-02619-7.
- You Have Arrived at Your Destination (novella). Forward. Vol. 4. Amazon Original Stories. 2019. ASIN B07VBCYTGR.[20]
- The Lincoln Highway: A Novel. New York: Viking. 2021. ISBN 978-0-7352-2235-9.
- Table for Two. Viking Press. 2024-04-02. ISBN 978-0-593-29637-0.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)[21][22][23]
Essays
[edit]- "Channel a More Romantic Era of Transatlantic Travel" (2016)[24]
References
[edit]- ^ Groskop, Viv (2011-07-15). "Rules of Civility by Amor Towles – review". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2016-10-12.
- ^ Taylor, Craig (2016-09-23). "A Count Becomes a Waiter in a Novel of Soviet Supremacy". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2016-10-12.
- ^ Bachelder, Chris (October 5, 2021). "Amor Towles's New Novel Takes You on an American Road Trip". The New York Times. Retrieved October 17, 2021.
- ^ Marquard, Bryan (March 3, 2013). "Stokley Towles; broadended horizon of investment banking". The Boston Globe. p. B11. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
- ^ Powell, Dannye (2016-09-23). "Five things about novelist Amor Towles". The Charlotte Observer.
- ^ a b Haber, leigh (March 31, 2024). "How many lives can one author live? In new short stories, Amor Towles invites us along for the ride". Los Angeles Times. p. A17.
- ^ Kaufman, Joanne (2016-06-01). "Amor Towles, a Gentleman in Gramercy Park". The New York Times.
- ^ "Amor Towles". Goodreads. Retrieved 2016-10-12.
- ^ Feldman, Lucy (2016-06-01). "Amor Towles Expands His Portfolio With 'A Gentleman in Moscow'". Wall Street Journal.
- ^ Exchange, Oxford (2016-11-09). "An Exclusive Interview with Amor Towles". The Oxford Exchange.
- ^ Powell, Dannye (2017-02-08). "Five Things about Novelist Amor Towles". The Charlotte Observer.
- ^ "Amor Towles' 1.5 Million-Selling A Gentleman in Moscow – Released in Paperback". Penguin Random House. 1 April 2019. Retrieved 17 September 2022.
- ^ "2016 Kirkus Prize". Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved November 26, 2020.
- ^ "2018 Printable Longlist". dublinliteraryaward.ie. Archived from the original on July 1, 2022. Retrieved October 17, 2021.
- ^ Gomez, Dessi (March 5, 2024). "Ewan McGregor Leads 'A Gentleman in Moscow' Trailer". TheWrap. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
- ^ "The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles: 9780735222359". Penguin Random House. Retrieved October 17, 2021.
- ^ VanDenburgh, Barbara (16 November 2021). "Amazon releases its best books of 2021 list: 'An embarrassment of riches'". USA TODAY. Retrieved 17 September 2022.
- ^ "Hardcover Fiction Books - Best Sellers". The New York Times. 15 May 2022. Retrieved 17 September 2022.
- ^ a b Kaufman, Joane (September 23, 2016). "Amor Towles, a Gentleman in Gramercy Park". The New York Times. Retrieved February 23, 2017.
- ^ "You Have Arrived at Your Destination". Fantastic Fiction. 2016-09-23.
- ^ "New York and Hollywood Lore by Amor Towles (Martini Optional)". New York Times.
- ^ Olson, Eric. "Amor Towles flashes new skills in 'Table for Two'". Washington Post www.msn.com. Retrieved 2024-04-16.
- ^ Bancroft, Colette. "Review: Join Amor Towles at an elegant 'Table for Two'". Tampa Bay Tims.
- ^ Towles, Amor (September 7, 2016) [September 2016]. "Channel a More Romantic Era of Transatlantic Travel". Conde Nast Traveler. Retrieved July 1, 2018.
