معرفی
Rebecca Makkai is a Chicago-based writer and educator serving as Visiting Faculty at Lake Forest College while also teaching graduate fiction writing at Middlebury College, Northwestern University, and the Bennington Writing Seminars. She is the Artistic Director of StoryStudio Chicago, a creative writing center she founded.
Makkai earned her M.A. from Middlebury College and has established herself as a prominent voice in contemporary American literature. Her work spans novels and short stories, with her fiction selected for The Best American Short Stories for four consecutive years (2008-2011). Her writing regularly appears in top-tier literary publications including Harper's, Tin House, Ploughshares, and New England Review, and has been featured on public radio programs such as This American Life and Selected Shorts.
Makkai's creative interests focus on literary fiction with particular expertise in character-driven narratives, complex family dynamics, and explorations of memory and identity. She demonstrates innovative approaches to narrative structure, most notably in The Hundred-Year House, which employs reverse chronology. Her work often blends elements of mystery, gothic fiction, and psychological insight while maintaining strong connections to place, particularly Chicago.
Her publications show a consistent progression toward more ambitious thematic explorations, moving from her debut novel The Borrower through Music For Wartime's short stories to the critically acclaimed The Great Believers and her most recent work I Have Some Questions For You, which combines campus novel elements with true crime investigation.
- Guggenheim Fellowship (2022)
- ALA Carnegie Medal
- LA Times Book Prize
- Stonewall Award
- Finalist for the Pulitzer Prize
- Finalist for the National Book Award
- New York Times 100 Best Books of the 21st Century
Makkai has received fellowships from prestigious institutions including Yaddo and Ragdale colonies, and both the Sewanee and Wesleyan Writers Conferences. As an educator, she mentors emerging writers through multiple MFA programs and her own StoryStudio Chicago, contributing significantly to the literary community while maintaining an active publishing career. She lives on a boarding school campus with her family, which has influenced some of her work including I Have Some Questions For You.
