Michael Chabon facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Michael Chabon
Chabon at San Diego Comic Con in 2019
Born	(1963-05-24) May 24, 1963 (age 62) Washington, D.C., U.S.
Pen name	Leon Chaim Bach Malachi B. Cohen August Van Zorn
Occupation	Novelist screenwriter columnist short story writer
Education	Carnegie Mellon University University of Pittsburgh (BA) University of California, Irvine (MFA)
Period	1987–present
Notable works	Wonder Boys (1995), The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay (2000), The Yiddish Policemen's Union (2007), Telegraph Avenue (2012), Moonglow: A Novel (2016)
Notable awards	1999 O. Henry Award 2001 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction 2007 Nebula Award for Best Novel 2008 Hugo Award for Best Novel 2008 Sidewise Award for Alternate History
Spouse	Lollie Groth ​ ​ (m. 1987; div. 1991)​ Ayelet Waldman ​ (m. 1993)​
Children	4

Michael Chabon (born May 24, 1963) is an American writer. He writes novels, screenplays, and short stories. He was born in Washington, D.C.. He studied at Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Pittsburgh. Later, he earned a Master of Fine Arts degree from the University of California, Irvine.

Chabon's first novel, The Mysteries of Pittsburgh, came out when he was 24. He then wrote Wonder Boys and two collections of short stories. In 2000, he published The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay. This book won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2001. Many people consider it one of his best works.

His novel The Yiddish Policemen's Union was published in 2007. It's a mystery set in an alternate history. This book won several awards, including the Hugo Award and Nebula Award. In 2012, Chabon released Telegraph Avenue. His most recent novel, Moonglow, came out in 2016. It's a fictional story based on his grandfather's life.

Chabon's writing often uses complex language and metaphors. He explores themes like nostalgia, family, and Jewish identity. He often includes gay, bisexual, and Jewish characters. He writes in many different styles. He believes that genre fiction (like fantasy or sci-fi) is just as important as other types of books.

About Michael Chabon's Life and Books

Early Life and Education

Michael Chabon was born in Washington, D.C. His parents, Robert and Sharon Chabon, were both lawyers. He comes from a Jewish family. When he was ten, he wrote a short story for school. It got an A, and he knew then that he wanted to be a writer.

His parents divorced when he was 11. He grew up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and Columbia, Maryland. He heard Yiddish spoken by his mother's family. Chabon went to Carnegie Mellon University for a year. Then he transferred to the University of Pittsburgh. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1984. After that, he got his Master of Fine Arts in creative writing from the University of California, Irvine.

First Books and Early Success

Chabon's first novel, The Mysteries of Pittsburgh, was his master's thesis. His professor sent it to a literary agent without him knowing. The book was published in 1988 and became a bestseller. This made Chabon famous in the literary world very quickly. He was influenced by writers like Jorge Luis Borges and F. Scott Fitzgerald. He said he learned by copying writers he admired.

He didn't enjoy all the fame. He turned down offers to appear in ads or be named one of People magazine's "50 Most Beautiful People." He felt proud of what he wrote, not how he looked. In 1991, he published A Model World, a collection of short stories.

Wonder Boys and Other Works

After his first book, Chabon spent five years writing a novel called Fountain City. It became very long, over 1,500 pages, and he couldn't finish it. This was a very frustrating time for him. He eventually decided to stop working on it.

He then started a new book, Wonder Boys. He wrote it quickly in seven months. This book was inspired by his struggles with Fountain City. The main character, Grady Tripp, is a writer who has been working on a huge, unfinished novel for years. Wonder Boys was published in 1995 and was a big success.

The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay

Chabon at a book signing in 2006

After Wonder Boys, Chabon found a box of old comic books. This sparked an idea for a new novel. In 2000, he published The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay. This is a historical novel about two Jewish cousins, Sammy Clay and Joe Kavalier. They create popular comic books in the 1940s, leading up to World War II.

The book received great reviews and became a bestseller. It won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2001. Chabon felt that writing this book helped him discover new strengths as a writer.

Later Novels and Short Stories

In 2002, Chabon wrote Summerland, a fantasy novel for younger readers. It sold very well. Two years later, he published The Final Solution. This is a short novel about an old man, possibly Sherlock Holmes, investigating a mystery during World War II.

He also worked on The Amazing Adventures of the Escapist, a comic book series. It won awards for best anthology. In 2006, Chabon wrote Gentlemen of the Road, a serialized novel. It was an adventure story set around the year 1000.

His novel The Yiddish Policemen's Union came out in 2007. It's a detective story set in an alternate history where Jewish people settled in Alaska. This book was very popular and won the 2008 Hugo Award.

Essays and Recent Books

In 2009, Chabon published Manhood for Amateurs: The Pleasures and Regrets of a Husband, Father, and Son. This book is a collection of essays about being a man, a father, and a son. He also released Maps and Legends in 2008, a collection of his literary essays.

His novel Telegraph Avenue was published in 2012. It's a story about two families in California in 2004. The book explores themes like fatherhood, racism, and hidden secrets. Film producer Scott Rudin bought the rights to make it into a movie.

Chabon's novel Moonglow was published in 2016. It's a fictional story based on his grandfather's confessions before he died. In 2017, he co-edited Kingdom of Olives and Ash, a collection of essays about the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza. His book Pops: Fatherhood in Pieces came out in 2018, focusing on fatherhood. In 2019, he released Bookends: Collected Intros and Outros, a collection of his introductions and afterwords for other books.

Chabon has said his next fiction project will be a follow-up to Summerland, his book for younger readers.

Personal Life and Writing Habits

Michael Chabon married writer Ayelet Waldman in 1993. They live in Berkeley, California, and have four children. Chabon says that their creative discussions inspire his writing.

He has a strict writing routine. He writes from 10 p.m. to 3 a.m. every day, Sunday through Thursday. He tries to write 1,000 words each night. He believes that writing novels requires a stable and structured life.

Interest in Different Kinds of Stories

Chabon believes that all kinds of stories, including genre fiction like fantasy and science fiction, are important. He thinks that entertaining stories can also be very well-written. He wants to break down the idea that some types of fiction are better than others.

His books often mix different styles. For example, The Yiddish Policemen's Union is a detective story but also an alternate history novel. Critics have different opinions on this. Some praise his ability to blend genres, while others prefer more traditional literary works.

The August Van Zorn Persona

For some of his horror and fantasy stories, Chabon uses the pen name August Van Zorn. He even created a fake history for this character, saying Van Zorn was a writer named Albert Vetch (1899–1963). Chabon's novel Wonder Boys mentions Van Zorn as a writer of "gothic" stories.

Chabon also created a fictional literary scholar named Leon Chaim Bach, who studies Van Zorn's work. The name "Leon Chaim Bach" is an anagram of "Michael Chabon." In 2004, Chabon even started the August Van Zorn Prize for short horror stories.

The Chabon Universe

Chabon sometimes connects his stories by including small hints that they take place in the same fictional world. For example, a character named Eli Drinkwater, a baseball catcher, is mentioned in three of his books. He's a character who died in a car crash.

Other characters' last names also reappear in different stories. For instance, the wealthy Arning family from The Mysteries of Pittsburgh is later mentioned as having a building named after them in Wonder Boys. These small details create a shared world for his readers.

Songwriting and Music

In 2014, Michael Chabon helped write lyrics for Mark Ronson's album Uptown Special. He wrote nine of the eleven songs on the album, including "Daffodils." He also worked with Adam Schlesinger on a song for The Monkees' 2018 album Christmas Party. He also wrote "Boxes" for Moses Sumney.

Film and Television Work

Chabon has worked on many film and television projects. In the 1990s, he pitched ideas for X-Men and Fantastic Four films, but they weren't used. He also wrote a screenplay called The Gentleman Host, which was never filmed.

When his novel Wonder Boys was made into a movie in 2000, he didn't write the screenplay himself. However, he later worked on the film adaptation of The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, though that project has been delayed for many years.

Chabon wrote part of the script for the movie Spider-Man 2 (2004). He also worked on the script for Disney's John Carter (2012).

In 2019, Chabon joined the writing team for Star Trek: Picard, a new Star Trek series. He became the showrunner (the main person in charge of the show's production) for the first season. He has said he is a lifelong Star Trek fan. He also co-created the Netflix miniseries Unbelievable. He is currently working on a TV show based on Kavalier and Clay with his wife, Ayelet Waldman.

Awards and Recognitions

Michael Chabon has received many awards for his writing. Some of his notable honors include:

• 2001 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction (for The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay)
• 2007 Sidewise Award for Alternate History (for The Yiddish Policemen's Union)
• 2008 Hugo Award for Best Novel (for The Yiddish Policemen's Union)
• 2008 Nebula Award for Best Novel (for The Yiddish Policemen's Union)
• 2012 Inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Letters
• 2017 Jewish Book Council JBC Modern Literary Achievement

Filmography

Film

• Spider-Man 2 (2004) (Story only)
• John Carter (2012)

Television

Discography

As songwriter

Images for kids

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  Chabon at San Diego Comic Con in 2019

See also

In Spanish: Michael Chabon para niños