Mary Karr facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Mary Karr
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Karr speaking at the St. Louis County Library on September 8, 2016
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| Born | January 16, 1955 East Texas
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| Nationality | American |
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| Years active | 1987–present |
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Notable work
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The Liars' Club |
Mary Karr, born on January 16, 1955, is an American writer from East Texas. She is known for her poems, essays, and especially for her memoirs. Memoirs are true stories about a writer's own life. Her book, The Liars' Club, was a huge bestseller in 1995. She also teaches English Literature at Syracuse University.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Mary Karr was born in Groves, Texas, in 1955. She lived there until she moved to Los Angeles in 1972. She went to college at Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota. There, she met a poet named Etheridge Knight, who became one of her teachers.
Later, she took a break from school to join the anti-apartheid movement. This movement fought against unfair treatment of people in South Africa. She then finished her studies at Goddard College, earning a degree in fine arts.
Career Highlights
Writing Memoirs
Mary Karr's memoir The Liars' Club was published in 1995. It quickly became a New York Times bestseller and stayed on the list for over a year. This book shares stories from her childhood in Southeast Texas during the 1960s. Her friend Tobias Wolff encouraged her to write about her life.
She wrote a second memoir called Cherry in 2000. This book tells about her teenage years and early adulthood. Her third memoir, Lit: A Memoir, came out in 2009. In this book, she describes her journey from being a non-believer to becoming a Catholic. She calls herself a "cafeteria Catholic," meaning she agrees with some parts of the faith but not all.
Poetry and Essays
Mary Karr is also a talented poet. She won a Whiting Award for her poetry in 1989. In 2005, she received a Guggenheim Fellowship for poetry. She has also won Pushcart prizes for both her poems and her essays.
She has published five books of poetry:
- Abacus (1987)
- The Devil's Tour (1993)
- Viper Rum (1998)
- Sinners Welcome (2006)
- Tropic of Squalor (2018)
Her poems have appeared in famous magazines like Poetry, The New Yorker, and The Atlantic Monthly.
Karr also writes essays. One of her award-winning essays, "Against Decoration," talks about how writers should focus on clear meaning rather than fancy language. She believes that emotions should be shown directly and that writing should be easy to understand. She argues against using too many big words or complicated sentences that can confuse readers.
Another essay, "Facing Altars: Poetry and Prayer," explores the connection between poetry and prayer. Karr, who prays daily, believes that both come from deep within us.
Other Contributions
In 2015, Mary Karr was the main speaker at Syracuse University's graduation ceremony.
Personal Life
Mary Karr was married to poet Michael Milburn for 13 years. After their divorce, she dated author David Foster Wallace.
Even though she became a Catholic, Mary Karr has some different views from the Catholic Church. For example, she believes that women should be allowed to become priests. She has said she has been a feminist since she was 12 years old.
Awards and Honors
- 1989 Whiting Award
- 1995 PEN/Martha Albrand Award for The Liars' Club
- 2004 Guggenheim Fellowship
Published Works
Memoirs
- The Liars' Club, Viking Adult; (1995) ISBN: 0-670-85053-5
- Cherry: A Memoir, Penguin Books; Reissue edition (2001) ISBN: 0-14-100207-7
- Lit: A Memoir, HarperCollins; (2009) ISBN: 0-060-596996
Poetry
- Abacus, Wesleyan (1987)
- The Devil's Tour, New Directions (1993) ISBN: 0-8112-1231-9
- Viper Rum, Penguin (2001) ISBN: 0-14-200018-3
- Sinners Welcome, HarperCollins (2006) ISBN: 0-06-077654-4
- Tropic of Squalor, HarperCollins (2018) ISBN: 0-06-2699822
Non-Fiction
- The Art of Memoir, Harper; (2015) ISBN: 0-062-22306-2
