2010 Presenters
Jennifer Haigh
Jennifer Haigh is a novelist and short story writer whose first book, Mrs. Kimble, won the 2004 Hemingway Foundation/PEN Award for debut fiction. Her second, Baker Towers, was a New York Times bestseller and won the 2006 L. L. Winship/PEN New England Award for outstanding book by a New England author. Both have been published in nine languages. Haigh’s short fiction has been published in numerous literary journals including Granta, Ploughshares, Five Points, and Good Housekeeping.
Haigh’s latest book, The Condition, explores the power of family mythologies - the self-delusions, denials, and inescapable truths that forever bind families together. In a “Today Show” interview, she says, “[It’s] the novel I always knew I would write.” Library Journal gave The Condition a starred review and Publisher’s Weekly called it “"poignant. . . . A strong nod to the healing power of love."
Born and raised in western Pennsylvania, Jennifer Haigh grew up in the coal-mining town of Barnesboro, surrounded by family members who were avid storytellers. She is a graduate of Dickinson College and the Iowa Writers' Workshop. She lives in the Boston area.
Her forthcoming novel is Faith.
LINKS:
Haigh's Newtonville Books Questionnaire
Publisher's page, with praise, on The Condition
Interview with Haigh on The Condition
7 Newspaper reviews of The Condition
