Paul Beatty facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Paul Beatty
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Beatty in 2016
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| Born | June 9, 1962 Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
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| Genre | Fiction, poetry |
| Years active | 1990s–present |
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| Notable awards |
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| Spouse | Althea Wasow |
Paul Beatty, born on June 9, 1962, is an American writer. He also teaches writing at Columbia University. In 2016, he won two big awards for his book The Sellout. These were the National Book Critics Circle Award and the Booker Prize. He was the first American writer to win the Man Booker Prize.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Paul Beatty was born in Los Angeles, California, in 1962. He grew up in a part of the city called West Los Angeles. His mother raised him, and he did not have a relationship with his father.
When he was younger, he liked the comedian Richard Pryor. He was also inspired by writers like Joseph Heller and Kurt Vonnegut. In 1980, he finished high school at El Camino Real High School. He then went to Boston University. There, he earned a master's degree in psychology in 1987. Later, he got another master's degree in creative writing from Brooklyn College.
Writing Career
In 1990, Paul Beatty became the first-ever Grand Poetry Slam Champion. This competition was held at the Nuyorican Poets Cafe. Winning the championship helped him get a book deal. This led to his first book of poems, Big Bank Take Little Bank, published in 1991.
He released another poetry book, Joker, Joker, Deuce, in 1994. He also performed his poems on TV shows like MTV and PBS. In 1993, he received a special award from the Foundation for Contemporary Arts.
Novels and Recognition
In 1996, Beatty lived in Berlin, Germany. That same year, his first novel, The White Boy Shuffle, came out. A reviewer from The New York Times praised the book. They called it "a blast of satirical heat" from Black American life.
His second novel, Tuff, was published in 2000. Time magazine described it as being "like an extended rap song." The magazine noted how the characters talked about their struggles and survival. In 2006, Beatty put together a collection of African-American humor called Hokum. He also wrote an article about humor for The New York Times.
His 2008 novel, Slumberland, was about an American DJ living in Berlin. A reviewer named Patrick Neate said Beatty's writing was "shockingly original" and "very funny."
The Sellout and Major Awards
Paul Beatty's 2015 novel, The Sellout, tells the story of a farmer. This farmer tries to bring back slavery and segregation in a made-up Los Angeles neighborhood. In The Guardian, Elisabeth Donnelly called it a "masterful work." She said it showed Beatty was "the funniest writer in America." Another reviewer, Reni Eddo-Lodge, called it a "whirlwind of a satire." She noted that the book's ideas were both real and surreal. It took Beatty more than five years to write The Sellout.
The Sellout won the 2015 National Book Critics Circle Award for fiction. It also won the 2016 Man Booker Prize. Paul Beatty was the first American to win the Man Booker Prize. This award became open to all English-language novels in 2014.
Beatty is currently a professor at Columbia University. He has taught a class called "Literature from Los Angeles." This class is part of the university's writing program.
Personal Life
Paul Beatty is married to Althea Wasow. She is a filmmaker. Her brother is Omar Wasow, who helped start the website BlackPlanet.
Awards and Honors
- 2009: Creative Capital Award for Slumberland
- 2015: National Book Critics Circle Award (Fiction) for The Sellout
- 2016: Booker Prize for The Sellout
- 2017: International Dublin Literary Award long-list for The Sellout
Works
Poetry
- Big Bank Take Little Bank (1991)
- Joker, Joker, Deuce (1994)
Fiction
- The White Boy Shuffle (1996)
- Tuff (2000)
- Slumberland (2008)
- The Sellout (2015)
Edited Volume
- Hokum: An Anthology of African-American Humor (2006)
See also
In Spanish: Paul Beatty para niños
