Victor LaValle

Victor LaValle
Born (1972-02-03) February 3, 1972 (age 52)
New York City, U.S.
OccupationAuthor
EducationCornell University (BA)
Columbia University (MFA)
Period1999–present
GenreSpeculative fiction
Horror
Notable works
Notable awards
SpouseEmily Raboteau
Children2
Website
www.victorlavalle.com

Victor LaValle (born February 3, 1972) is an American author. He is the author of a short-story collection, Slapboxing with Jesus, and five novels, The Ecstatic, Big Machine, The Devil in Silver, The Changeling, and Lone Women. His fantasy-horror novella The Ballad of Black Tom won the 2016 Shirley Jackson Award for best novella.[1] LaValle writes fiction primarily, though he has also written essays and book reviews for GQ, Essence Magazine, The Fader, and The Washington Post, among other publications.

Early life

Victor LaValle was born on February 3, 1972, and raised in the Flushing and Rosedale neighborhoods of Queens, New York by a single mother who had emigrated from Uganda in her twenties. He attended Woodmere Academy and went on to earn a degree in English from Cornell University and a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from Columbia University.[2]

Literary career

Slapboxing with Jesus was published in 1999 by Vintage Books. The eleven interconnected stories deal mostly with the lives of young black and Latino men living in New York in the 1970s and 1980s. The collection went on to receive wide critical praise. It won the author a PEN/Open Book Award[3] and the Key to Jamaica, Queens.[4]

The Ecstatic was published in 2002 by Crown Publishing Group. The novel continues the story of Anthony James, a character from LaValle's collection of stories. Anthony is a morbidly obese college dropout who may also be experiencing the first signs of schizophrenia. The novel follows the exploits of his family, who are trying their best to save Anthony, but who might be in need of a little saving themselves. The subject matter is dark, and even shocking, but a gallows humor runs throughout. This book received even wider critical acclaim, earning comparisons to writers such as Ken Kesey, Chester Himes, and John Kennedy Toole. In 2003 the novel was a finalist for both the PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction and the Hurston/Wright Legacy Award.[citation needed] It became a favorite novel for rapper Mos Def, who later titled his 2009 studio album after it.[5]

Big Machine was published in 2009 by Spiegel & Grau. The novel tells the story of Ricky Rice, an ex-junkie survivor of a suicide cult whose life is changed when a mysterious letter arrives summoning him to a remote compound in Vermont. The novel was widely praised upon its release, making many national top ten lists. It also won the Shirley Jackson Award for Best Novel in 2009, as well as the Ernest J. Gaines Award for Literary Excellence and an American Book Award in 2010.

The Devil in Silver, published by Spiegel & Grau in August 21, 2012, is the story of Pepper, a sane man sent for observation to a mental hospital. There he encounters a monster known as the Devil roaming the nighttime halls. He teams up with other patients to fight the mental confusion of the drugs he is required to take, the staff, and the monster.

The Ballad of Black Tom, a novella, was published by Tor Books on February 16, 2016. It is a retelling of the H. P. Lovecraft story "The Horror at Red Hook" from the point of view of a young black man living in Harlem with a reference to the Nation of Gods and Earths.[6]

The Changeling was published in 2017 by Spiegel & Grau and received critical acclaim. It was selected as one of 2017's ten best books by New York Public Library[7] and won a 2018 World Fantasy Award for Best Novel,[8] the 2018 Locus Award for Horror Novel,[9][10] and the 2018 British Fantasy Award for Horror Novel.[11]

Destroyer, a graphic novel published in 2017 by Boom! Studios, is a modern retelling of Frankenstein (1818). The story follows an African-American descendant of Dr. Frankenstein, her only son who was killed in a police encounter, and the monster from the original novel who has long given up on peace.[12]

Lone Women, a novel published in 2023 by One World, is written in the western genre with fantastical elements, and set in 1915 Montana.[13][14] The story follows protagonist Adelaide Henry, a single woman who, along with a heavy trunk, leaves her family farm in California to establish a homestead in Montana.[15][16]

Personal life

LaValle is an associate professor at the Columbia University School of the Arts. He lives in New York with his wife, novelist Emily Raboteau, son and daughter.[17]

Awards and nominations

Literature awards

Year Nominee Award Category Result Ref
2002 Slapboxing with Jesus PEN/Open Book Award — Won (co-winner) [3]
2003 The Ecstatic PEN/Faulkner Award — Shortlisted [18][19]
Hurston/Wright Legacy Award Fiction Shortlisted [20]
2009 Big Machine Shirley Jackson Award Novel Won [21]
2010 American Book Awards — Won (co-winner) [22]
Ernest J. Gaines Award — Won [23]
2013 The Devil in Silver Shirley Jackson Award Novel Shortlisted [21]
2016 The Ballad of Black Tom Bram Stoker Award Long Fiction Shortlisted [21]
Shirley Jackson Award Novella Won [21]
2017 British Fantasy Award Novella Won [21]
Hugo Award Novella Shortlisted [21][24]
Locus Award Novella Nominated—3rd [21]
Nebula Award Novella Shortlisted [21][25]
Theodore Sturgeon Award — Shortlisted [21]
World Fantasy Award Novella Shortlisted [21]
The Changeling Dragon Awards Horror Novel Won [21]
Shirley Jackson Award Novel Shortlisted [21]
2018 British Fantasy Award August Derleth Award
(Best Horror Novel) 		Won [21]
Locus Award Horror Novel Won (1st) [21]
Mythopoeic Awards Adult Novel Shortlisted [21]
World Fantasy Award Novel Won (tie) [21]
2019 Victor LaValle's Destroyer Bram Stoker Award Graphic Novel Won [21]
2020 A People's Future of the United States Ignyte Awards Anthology/Collection Shortlisted [21]
Locus Award Anthology Nominated—3rd [21]
"Up from Slavery" Bram Stoker Award Short Fiction Won [21]

Honors

Best of lists by magazines, editorials

Works

Books

  • —— (1999). Slapboxing with Jesus: Stories. Vintage. ISBN 978-0375705908.
  • —— (2002). The Ecstatic. Crown. ISBN 978-0609610145.
  • —— (2009). Big Machine. Spiegel & Grau. ISBN 978-0385527989.
  • —— (2012). The Devil in Silver. Spiegel & Grau. ISBN 978-1400069866.
  • —— (2012). Lucretia and the Kroons (ebook ed.). Spiegel & Grau. pp. 1–104. ISBN 978-0812984378.
  • —— (2016). The Ballad of Black Tom. Tor. ISBN 978-0765387868.
  • —— (2017). The Changeling. Spiegel & Grau. ISBN 978-0812995947.
  • —— (2023). Lone Women. One World. ISBN 978-0525512080.

Editor

Essays

Comics

Notes

  1. ^ 2016 Shirley Jackson Awards, retrieved October 7, 2017
  2. ^ O'Neal Parker, Lonnae (December 3, 2002). "From Fat To Phat: An Author's Happy Ending". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on August 16, 2023. Retrieved August 16, 2023.
  3. ^ a b "PEN Open Book Award Winners". PEN America. April 29, 2016. Retrieved April 28, 2017.
  4. ^ Hendrick, Daniel (July 27, 2000). "Jamaica JAMS Kicks Off With Reception Honoring Leaders". Queens Chronicle. Retrieved April 28, 2017.
  5. ^ Samuel, Steven (2009). "Mos Def Reveals New Album Details, Bringing Back Def Poetry". SOHH. Archived from the original on August 4, 2016. Retrieved June 4, 2016.
  6. ^ LaValle, Victor (February 16, 2016). "What Lovecraft Taught Me About Harlem". Fantastic Stories of the Imagination. Archived from the original on February 21, 2016. Retrieved April 28, 2017.
  7. ^ Lobash, Lynn (December 6, 2017). "NYPL's 10 Best Books of 2017". New York Public Library. Retrieved December 10, 2017.
  8. ^ "2018 World Fantasy Awards".
  9. ^ "2018 Locus Awards Winners". Locus Magazine. June 23, 2018. Retrieved October 15, 2020.
  10. ^ Schaub, Michael (June 26, 2018). "Locus Award winners include N.K. Jemisin, Victor LaValle and John Scalzi". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 15, 2020.
  11. ^ "British Fantasy Awards 2018 – winners". The British Fantasy Society. October 22, 2018. Archived from the original on October 19, 2020. Retrieved October 15, 2020.
  12. ^ Carroll, Tobias (May 25, 2017). "Victor LaValle Resurrects Frankenstein in Socially Conscious New Comic, Destroyer". Paste Magazine. Retrieved September 14, 2018.
  13. ^ Armstrong, Vanessa (March 29, 2023). "Victor LaValle's Lone Women Has Been Optioned for TV Adaptation, LaValle to Pen Script". Reactor. Retrieved February 13, 2024.
  14. ^ Khatib, Joumana (March 3, 2023). ""In Like a (Literary) Lion: 14 New Releases in March."". The New York Times. pp. C8(L).
  15. ^ "Victor LaValle Talks About Horror and 'Lone Women'". The Book Review [podcast] New York Times. March 31, 2023.
  16. ^ Elison, Meg (July 4, 2023). "Author Victor LaValle: The Man and the Myths". Black Girl Nerds. Retrieved February 13, 2024.
  17. ^ Lavalle, Victor (October 2013). "Here's To The Weird". Specter Magazine (Interview). Interviewed by Mensah Demary. Retrieved May 6, 2017.
  18. ^ "The Ecstatic by Victor LaValle". www.fantasticfiction.com. Retrieved June 26, 2022.
  19. ^ Weeks, Linton (April 9, 2003). "Sabina Murray's Stories Win PEN/Faulkner Prize". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved June 6, 2022.
  20. ^ "Hurston/Wright Legacy Award nominee | Book awards | LibraryThing". www.librarything.com. Retrieved June 26, 2022.
  21. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t "sfadb : Victor LaValle Awards". www.sfadb.com. Retrieved June 26, 2022.
  22. ^ "ABA: The American Book Awards / Before Columbus Foundation". March 13, 2013. Archived from the original on March 13, 2013. Retrieved August 4, 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  23. ^ Crowder, Courtney. "LaValle's 'Big Machine' wins Ernest J. Gaines Award for Literary Excellence", The Chicago Tribune, Chicago, November 17, 2010.
  24. ^ "2017 Hugo Awards". World Science Fiction Society. December 31, 2016. Retrieved April 4, 2017.
  25. ^ "SFWA Announces 2016 Nebula, Norton, and Bradbury Award Nominees! - The Nebula Awards". The Nebula Awards. February 20, 2017. Retrieved March 6, 2017.
  26. ^ "Victor LaValle". unitedstatesartists.org. Archived from the original on August 22, 2016. Retrieved August 4, 2016.
  27. ^ "John Simon Guggenheim Foundation | Victor LaValle". www.gf.org. Retrieved August 4, 2016.
  28. ^ "Programs - Letterenfonds". www.letterenfonds.nl. Retrieved August 4, 2016.
  29. ^ "Our favorite fiction of 2009". Chicago Tribune. December 4, 2009. Archived from the original on December 13, 2009.
  30. ^ Nichols, John (December 22, 2009). "MVPs of 2009". The Nation.
  31. ^ "Best Books of 2009". publishersweekly.com. Retrieved August 4, 2016.
  32. ^ "Holiday Guide 2009: Best Books - The Washington Post". www.washingtonpost.com. Retrieved June 26, 2022.
  33. ^ Noble, Barnes &. "Washington Post Best Science Fiction & Fantasy of 2009, Washington Post Best Books of 2009, Books". Barnes & Noble. Retrieved June 26, 2022.
  34. ^ "100 Notable Books of 2012". The New York Times. November 27, 2012. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved August 14, 2022.
  35. ^ "Best Books of 2012 | Publishers Weekly Publishers Weekly". PublishersWeekly.com. Retrieved August 14, 2022.
  36. ^ "50 notable works of fiction". Washington Post. November 15, 2012.
  37. ^ "100 Notable Books of 2017". The New York Times. November 22, 2017. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved August 14, 2022.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Victor LaValle.

Website

Free reading

Novel reviews

LaValle written reviews and interviews

Read other articles:

EHang

Artikel ini sebatang kara, artinya tidak ada artikel lain yang memiliki pranala balik ke halaman ini.Bantulah menambah pranala ke artikel ini dari artikel yang berhubungan atau coba peralatan pencari pranala.Tag ini diberikan pada Oktober 2022. Guangzhou EHang Intelligent Technology Co. LtdSebelumnyaBeijing Yi-Hang Creation Science & Technology Co., Ltd. Hanzi: 北京亿航创世科技有限公司JenisPerusahaan publikKode emitenNasdaq: EHIndustriKedirgantaraanDidirikan2014; 10 t...

 

List of federal judges appointed by George Washington

President George Washington appointed 9 justices to the Supreme Court and 28 judges to United States district courts. United States President George Washington appointed 39 Article III United States federal judges during his presidency,[1] which lasted from April 30, 1789 to March 4, 1797. The first group of Washington's appointments—two justices of the Supreme Court of the United States and ten district court judges—began service two days after Congress passed the Judiciary Act ...

 

O. Henry's Full House

1952 film O. Henry's Full HouseTheatrical film posterDirected byHenry KosterHenry HathawayJean NegulescoHoward HawksHenry KingScreenplay byRichard L. BreenWalter BullockPhilip DunneIvan GoffBen HechtNunnally JohnsonCharles LedererBen RobertsLamar TrottiBased onShort storiesby O. HenryProduced byAndré HakimStarringFred Allen Anne BaxterJeanne CrainFarley GrangerCharles LaughtonOscar Levant Marilyn MonroeJean PetersGregory RatoffDale RobertsonDavid WayneRichard WidmarkNarrated byJohn Steinbeck...

Pembicaraan Pengguna:Driwid

Halo, Driwid. Selamat datang di Wikipedia bahasa Indonesia! Memulai Bacalah halaman Pengantar Wikipedia terlebih dahulu. Baca juga informasi tentang berkontribusi di Wikipedia. Lihat pula aturan yang disederhanakan sebelum melanjutkan. Tips Selalu tanda tangani pertanyaan Anda di Warung Kopi atau halaman pembicaraan dengan mengetikkan ~~~~ pada akhir kalimat Anda. Jangan takut! Anda tidak perlu takut salah ketika menyunting atau membuat halaman baru, menambahkan, atau menghapus kalimat. Sela...

 

Sejarah Kalimantan Timur

Lambang Provinsi Kalimantan Timur. Kalimantan Timur merupakan salah satu pelopor peradaban di Indonesia.[1] Hal ini terbukti dengan ditemukannya salah satu situs kerajaan tertua di Indonesia, yakni Kerajaan Kutai Martadipura, lebih dikenal dengan nama kerajaan Mulawarman yang terletak di Kecamatan Muara Kaman. Kerajaan ini diperkirakan berdiri pada abad ke-4, dengan rajanya yang terkenal Mulawarman Nala Dewa. Kekuasaan Keturunan Raja Mulawarman berlanjut hingga raja ke-25 yang bernama...

 

Roland West

American film director For the basketball player, see Roland West (basketball). Roland WestBornRoland Van Zimmer(1885-02-20)February 20, 1885Cleveland, OhioDiedMarch 31, 1952(1952-03-31) (aged 67)Santa Monica, CaliforniaOccupationFilm directorKnown forSuspect in death of Thelma ToddSpouses Jewel Carmen ​ ​(m. 1918; div. 1938)​ Lola Lane ​(m. 1946)​ Roland West (February 20, 1885 – March 31, 1952) was ...

Symbolic interactionism

Sociological theory focused on cultural symbols exchanged during interpersonal interactions This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. (Learn how and when to remove these template messages) This article may contain an excessive amount of intricate detail that may interest only a particular audience. Please help by spinning off or relocating any relevant information, and removing excessive detail that may be against Wikipedia's inclusion ...

 

Emmerich am Rhein

Pour les articles homonymes, voir Emmerich. Cet article est une ébauche concernant une localité allemande. Vous pouvez partager vos connaissances en l’améliorant (comment ?) selon les recommandations des projets correspondants. Emmerich am Rhein Armoiries Drapeau Administration Pays Allemagne Land Rhénanie-du-Nord-Westphalie Arrondissement(Landkreis) Clèves Bourgmestre(Bürgermeister) Johannes Diks Partis au pouvoir CDU Code postal 46446 Code communal(Gemeindeschlüssel) 05 1 54 ...

 

Perang Yunani-Persia

Perang Yunani-PersiaPenggambaran pertarungan hoplites Yunani melawan prajurit Persia, pada kylix dari abad ke-5 SM.Tanggal502–449 SM[i]LokasiYunani daratan, Thrakia, Kepulauan Aigea, Asia Kecil, Siprus, dan MesirHasil Kemenangan Yunani[1]Perubahanwilayah Makedonia, Thrakia dan Ionia merdeka dari kekuasaan PersiaPihak terlibat Negara kota di Yunani termasuk Athena dan Sparta Kekaisaran Persia AkhemaniyahMakedonia (fase awal)Tokoh dan pemimpin MiltiadesThemistoklesLeonidas I ...

Randhav

Karta över rand- och bihav enligt Internationella sjöfartsorganisationen. Randhav är havsområden vid kontinenternas kuster som avgränsas från öppna havet av till exempel öar eller ökedjor. Randhav ligger oftast på kontinentalsockeln och är då grunda. Exempel på randhav är Nordsjön, Irländska sjön, Ochotska havet, Japanska havet, Lackadivsjön, Korallhavet och Berings hav.[1] Ett annat exempel är Gula havet öster om Kina. Se även Bihav Referenser ^ ”randhav - Uppslagsverk...

 

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Canada

This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. (Learn how and when to remove these template messages) This article contains content that is written like an advertisement. Please help improve it by removing promotional content and inappropriate external links, and by adding encyclopedic content written from a neutral point of view. (January 2022) (Learn how and when to remove this message)This article needs additional citations for verificati...

 

الثقافة النورمانية العربية البيزنطية

سك ذهبي طري نورماني من روجر الثاني ملك صقلية، بنقوش عربية، وسكت في باليرمو. الآن في المتحف البريطاني. الثقافة النورمانية العربية البيزنطية،[1] أو الثقافة النورمانية-الصقلية،[2] أو بشكل أقل شمولًا الثقافة النورمانية العربية[3] (يشار إليها أحيانًا باسم «الحضارة ا�...

Time Out Market Lisboa

Food hall in Lisbon, Portugal Time Out Market LisboaMercado da Ribeira (Lissabon 2016)LocationLisbon, PortugalCoordinates38°42′25″N 09°08′44″W / 38.70694°N 9.14556°W / 38.70694; -9.14556Opening date2014 Time Out Market Lisboa is a food hall located in the Mercado da Ribeira at Cais do Sodré in Lisbon, Portugal. History Time Out Market Lisboa opened in May 2014,[1][2] and is the first of several planned food hall ventures for Time Out magazi...

 

John Beddington

British biologist SirJohn BeddingtonBornJohn Rex Beddington (1945-10-13) 13 October 1945 (age 78)[2]NationalityBritishAlma materLondon School of Economics (undergraduate)University of Edinburgh (postgraduate)Known forSustainable management of renewable resources[citation needed]Government Chief Scientific Adviser (2008–2013)Spouses Sarah West ​ ​(m. 1968; div. 1972)​ Sally Baldwin ​ ​(m. ...

 

2018 Michigan gubernatorial election

See also: 2018 United States gubernatorial elections 2018 Michigan gubernatorial election ← 2014 November 6, 2018 2022 → Turnout55.4% 13.8[1]   Nominee Gretchen Whitmer Bill Schuette Party Democratic Republican Running mate Garlin Gilchrist Lisa Posthumus Lyons Popular vote 2,266,193 1,859,534 Percentage 53.31% 43.75% County results Congressional district results State senate district results State house district results Precinct resultsWhitmer: &...

SNCF Class Z 20500

Type of double-decker, dual-voltage electric multiple unit trainset You can help expand this article with text translated from the corresponding article in French. (May 2020) Click [show] for important translation instructions. Machine translation, like DeepL or Google Translate, is a useful starting point for translations, but translators must revise errors as necessary and confirm that the translation is accurate, rather than simply copy-pasting machine-translated text into the English...

 

Palaeonisciformes

Extinct order of fishes PalaeonisciformesTemporal range: Late Silurian–Cretaceous PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N †Palaeoniscum restoration Scientific classification Domain: Eukaryota Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Actinopterygii Order: †PalaeonisciformesHay 1902 Suborders †Palaeoniscoidei Berg 1937 †Platysomoidei Berg 1937 Synonyms Palaeoniscida Moy-Thomas & Miles 1971 The Palaeonisciformes, commonly known as palaeoniscoids (also spelled paleoniscoid, or alternativel...

 

Luthier

Si ce bandeau n'est plus pertinent, retirez-le. Cliquez ici pour en savoir plus. Cet article ne cite pas suffisamment ses sources (mai 2020). Si vous disposez d'ouvrages ou d'articles de référence ou si vous connaissez des sites web de qualité traitant du thème abordé ici, merci de compléter l'article en donnant les références utiles à sa vérifiabilité et en les liant à la section « Notes et références ». En pratique : Quelles sources sont attendues ? Comme...

C corporation

One of four main types of U.S. corporations This article is part of a series onCorporate law By jurisdiction Anguilla Australia BVI Canada Cayman Islands India South Africa UK United States Vietnam European Union France Germany General corporate forms Company Conglomerate Cooperative Corporation Holding company Joint-stock Partnership General Limited Limited liability Private limited Shell corporation Shelf corporation Sole proprietorship Corporate formsby jurisdiction European Union Societas...

 

Chelyabinsk

City in Chelyabinsk Oblast, Russia This article is about a major city in Russia. For the town previously known as Chelyabinsk-40 and Chelyabinsk-65, see Ozyorsk, Chelyabinsk Oblast. For the town previously known as Chelyabinsk-50 and Chelyabinsk-70, see Snezhinsk. For the meteor that exploded over the Chelyabinsk Oblast in 2013, see Chelyabinsk Meteor. City in Chelyabinsk Oblast, RussiaChelyabinsk ЧелябинскCity[1] From the top to the left: View of Chelyabinsk, Trinity Church,...