Gordon Lish facts for kids

Gordon Lish (born February 11, 1934) is an American writer and editor. He is well-known for helping many American authors become famous. Some of these authors include Raymond Carver, Barry Hannah, Amy Hempel, and Richard Ford. Gordon Lish is also the father of novelist Atticus Lish.

Early Life and Education

Gordon Lish grew up in Hewlett, New York, on Long Island. His father owned a company that made hats. When he was young, Gordon Lish had a skin condition called psoriasis. This sometimes made it difficult for him to feel accepted by his friends.

He went to Phillips Academy but left before finishing in 1952. This happened after a problem with another student. Later, he had a reaction to medicine for his psoriasis and spent some time getting treatment. During this time, he became friends with the poet Hayden Carruth.

After his treatment, Lish worked as a radio announcer in New Haven, Connecticut. He used the name Gordo Lockwood. He also kept in touch with Hayden Carruth, who introduced him to Partisan Review, a literary magazine. Lish then moved to Tucson, Arizona, because the warm weather helped his skin condition.

In 1956, Lish married Loretta Frances Fokes. They had three children together: Jennifer, Becca, and Ethan. Frances encouraged him to go to college. So, Lish enrolled at the University of Arizona. He studied English and German. He graduated with honors in just two years, in 1959.

After college, his family moved to San Francisco. Lish became an English teacher at Mills High School in Millbrae, California. He also joined a new literary magazine called Chrysalis Review. When the editor left, Lish took over. The magazine later became Genesis West.

Becoming a Literary Editor

Genesis West Magazine

Genesis West was a literary magazine published from 1961 to 1965. Lish's home became a meeting place for many famous writers. These included Neal Cassady, Ken Kesey, Jack Kerouac, and Allen Ginsberg. Lish often hosted Kesey and Cassady at his house.

The unique style of Genesis West caused some issues at his school. Lish was not given a permanent teaching job in 1963. Two other teachers left to support him. This event was even reported in The Nation magazine.

After leaving teaching, Lish became an editor at Behavioral Research Laboratories. There, he created educational materials. These included English Grammar for teachers and New Sounds in American Fiction, which were recorded readings of short stories.

While in Menlo Park, Lish became friends with Raymond Carver. Carver was also an editor nearby. Lish helped edit some of Carver's early stories, which were then published in national magazines.

Working at Esquire Magazine

In 1969, Gordon Lish moved to New York City. He was hired as the fiction editor at Esquire magazine. He promised to bring "the new fiction" to the magazine. He worked there until 1977. At Esquire, he became known as "Captain Fiction." This was because he helped so many authors start their careers.

Some of the writers he helped included Raymond Carver, Richard Ford, Cynthia Ozick, and Don DeLillo. Many of these writers had studied in creative writing programs. During this time, Lish also taught creative writing at Yale University.

At Esquire, Lish was known for his strong editing style. In 1971, he heavily edited Raymond Carver's story "Neighbors." He cut many words, which created the "minimalist" style Carver became known for. While Carver accepted these changes, some other writers did not. Paul Bowles, another writer, said he didn't understand Lish's suggestions.

Lish also edited two story collections at Esquire. These collections featured works by famous authors like Vladimir Nabokov and Milan Kundera.

In 1977, Esquire published a story called "For Rupert – with no promises." It was published without an author's name. Many readers thought it was by J. D. Salinger. But it was actually a clever story written by Lish himself. He said he tried to write in Salinger's style and imagine his life.

Editor at Alfred A. Knopf

In 1977, Lish left Esquire to work at the publishing company Alfred A. Knopf. He continued to support new writers there until 1995. He published works by authors like Amy Hempel, Noy Holland, and Joy Williams.

After Lish stopped teaching and publishing, many of his former students continued to achieve success. For example, Lily Tuck won the National Book Award in 2004. Other students like Christine Schutt and Dana Spiotta were also finalists for the award.

Lish taught creative writing at Columbia University and New York University. He inspired many writers, including Amy Hempel, who dedicated her book Reasons to Live to him. Garielle Lutz also dedicated two of her books to Gordon Lish.

Many other writers thanked Lish in their books published by Knopf. Noy Holland wrote, "Greatest thanks to Gordon, captain in all weather." Sam Lipsyte thanked "especially Gordon Lish," his former teacher.

While working at Knopf, Lish also wrote several of his own books:

• Dear Mr. Capote, his first novel.
• What I Know So Far, a collection of short stories published in 1984. It included "For Rupert—with no Promises" and "For Jeromé—with Love and Kisses," which won an O. Henry Award.
• Peru, published in 1986.

In 1987, Lish started and edited an exciting literary magazine called The Quarterly. It featured works by new authors. By the time it ended in 1995, The Quarterly had published 31 issues.

Lish continued to write fiction, including Mourner at the Door (1988), Extravaganza (1989), My Romance (1991), and Zimzum (1993). In 1991, Vanity Fair magazine published an article about Gordon Lish and Don DeLillo.

He received a special award called a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1984.

Raymond Carver's Stories

Gordon Lish's editing of Raymond Carver's stories became a big topic of discussion. In 1998, The New York Times Magazine wrote about how much Lish had changed Carver's short stories. Carver himself had once written to Lish, "If I have any standing or reputation or credibility in the world, I owe it to you."

In 2007, The New Yorker magazine published an earlier, longer version of Carver's story "What We Talk About When We Talk About Love." They also put Lish's edited version online so people could compare them. Some critics said that Lish's editing actually improved Carver's work. However, writer Stephen King said Lish's influence was "heartless" and called one story a "total re-write."

In 2013, David Winters wrote that the focus on Carver's stories sometimes overshadowed Lish's own unique writing style and the achievements of his students.

Influence and Teaching

Besides his work in publishing, Lish also taught writing classes in New York City. He was a lecturer at Yale University, New York University, and Columbia University.

Lish stopped teaching fiction writing in 1997. However, he returned to teach during the summers of 2009 and 2010. He also gave lectures at Columbia University in 2013 and 2014.

Writer Don DeLillo dedicated his book Mao II to Lish, showing his appreciation. Lish also dedicated some of his own books to DeLillo.

Diane Williams, a former student, said that Lish helped her understand how to use language to create strong effects in her writing. She felt he gave her "the special chance to become hugely conscious of how language can be manipulated."

In 1994, Lish received an honorary doctor of letters degree from the State University of New York at Oneonta.

Gordon Lish has also appeared as a character in books by other authors. In Barry Hannah's novel Ray, there is a character named Captain Gordon who is based on Lish. Lish also appears as himself in Hannah's book Boomerang. David Leavitt's novel Martin Bauman; or, A Sure Thing features a character named Stanley Flint, who is based on Lish as a writing teacher.

Awards and Recognition

• The Antioch Review 2005 Awards for Distinguished Prose
• A Guggenheim Fellowship, 1984
• The O. Henry Prize, 1983
• Columbia School of Journalism, for distinguished work in fiction 1971, for nonfiction 1975
• American Society of Magazine Editors, 1971

Lish was named one of the 200 most important writers of our time by the French magazine Le Nouvel Observateur. His writings and papers, including about 80,000 items from 1951 to 2012, are kept at the Lilly Library of Indiana University.