David Lipsky

For the professional golfer, see David Lipsky (golfer).

David Lipsky
Lipsky at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, 2015
Lipsky at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, 2015
Born (1965-07-20) July 20, 1965 (age 59)
New York City, U.S.
Occupation
  • Novelist
  • journalist
  • short story writer
Period1985–present
Notable worksAlthough of Course You End Up Becoming Yourself (2010)
Absolutely American (2003)
The Art Fair (1996)

David Lipsky (born July 20, 1965) is an American author. His works have been New York Times bestsellers, New York Times Notable Books, Time, Amazon, The New Yorker, Publishers Weekly, and NPR Best Books of the Year, and have been included in The Best American Magazine Writing and The Best American Short Stories collections.

Lipsky received the National Magazine Award in 2009. He was portrayed by Jesse Eisenberg in the 2015 feature film The End of the Tour, an adaptation of his memoir Although of Course You End Up Becoming Yourself. He is a contributing editor at Rolling Stone.[1] He currently lives in New York City.

Background and education

David Lipsky was born in New York City, and is the son of the painter Pat Lipsky.[2] He graduated from Stuyvesant High School in 1983 and matriculated at Bennington College.[3] Lipsky transferred in his sophomore year to Brown University, where he graduated magna cum laude and studied with the writer John Hawkes.[4] He received his M.A. from Johns Hopkins University, where he studied with the novelist John Barth. Lipsky currently teaches creative writing at the M.F.A. program at New York University.

As an undergraduate, Lipsky published his story "Three Thousand Dollars" in The New Yorker.[5] It was selected by Raymond Carver as one of the Best American Short Stories of 1986. Carver was surprised by the author's youth, noting in his introduction,

I confess to not having read David Lipsky before this. Have I been asleep and missed some stories of his, or maybe even a novel or two? I don't know. I do know I intend to pay attention from now on.[6]

Career

Three Thousand Dollars and The Art Fair

Main article: Three Thousand Dollars

As a graduate student, Lipsky wrote the stories that would become his first book, Three Thousand Dollars (1989). The novelist John Gregory Brown explained, "It was kind of apparent that Lipsky might have the brightest future of anyone [here]."[7] The book was well received upon publication, with the trade publication Booklist summarizing, "Critics loved Lipsky's short story collection";[8] the author was seen to possess "unlimited depth and range of vision,"[9] and the stories were compared to the works of F. Scott Fitzgerald.[10] The Los Angeles Times, while noting the book's "astonishing insights into the New York art world," concluded, "Lipsky has given his contemporaries a general autobiography, one that will fit the majority with only minor adjustments."

Main article: The Art Fair

His novel The Art Fair (1996), a bildungsroman composed of a number of autobiographical elements, tells the story of Richard and Joan Freely—a New York artist and her precocious son. The novel won rave reviews and was named a Time Best Book of the Year. The work earned Lipsky comparisons to writers Michael Chabon and Harold Brodkey.[11] The New York Times called the novel "riveting,"[12] The New Yorker described it "a darkly comic love story,"[13] People noted, "Lipsky's portrayal of the art world is unblinking, his portrayal of the ties between parent and child deeply affecting";[14] the critic Francine Prose called the book's "Darwinian" milieu a "testament to Lipsky's skill"[15] and James Atlas wrote "the novel perfectly captures artists and dealers, the tiny gestures of cruelty that confirm or withhold status."[2] The trade publication Library Journal summarized, "The praise has poured as thick as impasto."[16]

Although of Course You End Up Becoming Yourself and Absolutely American

External videos
video icon Booknotes interview with Lipsky on Absolutely American, August 17, 2003, C-SPAN
Main article: Absolutely American

Lipsky's non-fiction book Absolutely American (2003) was written after the author spent four years living at West Point. The book's genesis was a piece Lipsky wrote for Rolling Stone—the longest article published in that magazine since Hunter S. Thompson's Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. As Newsweek noted, composition of the book required "14,000 pages of interview transcripts, 60 notebooks and four pairs of boots";[17] the magazine called the book "addictive," and Lev Grossman in Time wrote that it was "fascinating, funny, and tremendously well-written. Take a good look: this is the face America turns to most of the world, and until now it's one that most of us have never seen."[18] In The New York Times Book Review, David Brooks called the book "wonderfully told," praising it as both "a superb description of modern military culture, and one of the most gripping accounts of university life I have read."[1] Within a few weeks of publication, the work had sold out of most American distributors. As Sara Nelson reported in the New York Observer,

It's every author's dream: You write a book that everybody loves. It gets fabulous reviews—one of them on the front page of The New York Times Book Review. You appear on the Today show and on C-Span and you tape Charlie Rose. There's even interest from Hollywood—and you fly out to take some meetings. There's only one problem: There are precious few copies of your book to be found in the bookstores—and if someone wants one, they're going to have to wait, sometimes as long as three weeks. That's exactly the situation author David Lipsky found himself in last week.[19]

The work was a New York Times best-seller,[20] Amazon Best Book of the Year,[21] New York Times Notable Book,[22] and a Time magazine Best Book of the Year.[23] Lipsky optioned the motion picture and television rights to the story to Disney.[24]

Main article: Although of Course You End Up Becoming Yourself

In April 2010, Lipsky published Although of Course You End Up Becoming Yourself, about a five-day road trip with the writer David Foster Wallace. In Time Magazine, Lev Grossman wrote, "The transcript of their brilliant conversations reads like a two-man Tom Stoppard play or a four-handed duet scored for typewriter."[25] The Atlantic Monthly called the work, "far-reaching, insightful, very funny, profound, surprising, and awfully human";[26] at National Public Radio, Michael Schaub described the book as "a startlingly sad yet deeply funny postscript to the career of one of the most interesting American writers of all time."[27] Newsweek noted, "For readers unfamiliar with the sometimes intimidating Wallace oeuvre, Lipsky has provided a conversational entry point into the writer's thought process. It's odd to think that a book about Wallace could serve both the newbies and the hard-cores, but here it is."[28] Publishers Weekly, in a starred review, described the book as "rollicking" and "compellingly real,"[29] The Wall Street Journal as "lovely,"[30] and Laura Miller in Salon called it "exhilarating."[31] The book was a New York Times best-seller and an NPR Best Book of the Year.[32]

The End of the Tour

Main article: The End of the Tour

A feature film adaptation of Although of Course You End Up Becoming Yourself, The End of the Tour, was released in July 2015, with Academy Award-nominated actor Jesse Eisenberg portraying Lipsky and Jason Segel portraying Wallace. In his review for The New York Times, critic A.O. Scott wrote, "I love it," adding, "You hang on its every word and revel in its rough, vernacular beauty . . . There will always be films about writers and writing, and this one is just about as good as it gets."[33]

The film received a 92% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 159 reviews, with an average rating of 8.02/10. The site's critical consensus states: "Brilliantly performed and smartly unconventional, The End of the Tour pays fitting tribute to a singular talent while offering profoundly poignant observations on the human condition."[34] The film also holds a score of 82 out of 100 on Metacritic, based on 35 reviews.[35] At Rogerebert.com, critic Brian Tallerico called the film a "joy," and "stunning . . .a gift of highly intellectual discussion between two brilliant people at turning points in their lives," while also praising Jason Segel and Jesse Eisenberg.[36]

The Washington Post's Ann Hornaday gave the film four out of four stars and called it, "A five-day conversation you won't want to end ... Part love story, part road trip, part elegy to a bygone, pre-9/11 age, 'The End of the Tour' brims with compassion and sharply honed insight" about "what it means to be human."[37] In his review for Vanity Fair, Richard Lawson called it a "wise, humbly sublime film ... a profound, and profoundly affecting, movie, one that had me blubbering with happy-sad tears. What a pleasure to spend two hours in its company."[38]

In his review for the New York Daily News, Joe Neumaier awarded the film five out of five stars, calling it "one of the best movies of the year . . . Director James Ponsoldt's smart, incisive and extraordinary drama is the kind of film that burrows into your head and leaves you illuminated about life and how to live it."[39] In her review for The Los Angeles Times, Sheri Linden wrote "James Ponsoldt's magnificent The End of the Tour gives us two guys talking, and the effect is breathtaking ... They're played with a wrought and wary chemistry, synapses blazing, by Jason Segel and Jesse Eisenberg."[40]

In his review for Cut Print Film, Josh Oakley awarded the film a perfect "10/10", calling it "one of the best films of the year", and stating "The End of the Tour presents, with ample evidence, Wallace as a figure who could never fill the holes of loneliness with the spackle of acclaim."[41] In his review for the Chicago Sun-Times, Richard Roeper awarded the film four out of four stars, calling it "brilliant. . .this is one of the best movies of the year."[42] In his review for the Minnesota Star Tribune Colin Covert gave the film four out of four stars, writing, "Simply put, it is a masterwork."[43]

The film featured in numerous "Best of 2015" lists, including The New York Times,[44] Vanity Fair,[45] Vogue,[46] The Guardian,[47] Entertainment Weekly,[48] USA Today,[49] Variety,[50] The Washington Post,[51] Huffington Post [52] Wired,[53] The New Republic.[54]

The Parrot and the Igloo

Main article: The Parrot and the Igloo

In 2023 Norton published Lipsky's The Parrot and the Igloo—a narrative history of climate and the science denial movement. In a starred pre-publication review, Kirkus called the work "simultaneously captivating and disturbing . . . An important book that will leave your head shaking."[55] Booklist wrote, "with the amount of research that went into the book, this can be considered the historical record to date."[56] In a starred review, Publishers Weekly called the work "revelatory . . . With dry wit and novelistic flair, National Magazine Award winner Lipsky chronicles how harnessing electricity changed the world. Buoyed by thorough historical research, this is a first-rate entry," adding "Humor accompanies horrific truths in this vital look at the rise of climate change denial."[57] USA Today explained, "Lipsky offers a history of climate science―and with it, climate denial―starring a large cast of swindlers, zealots, politicians and hucksters to get to the heart of virulent anti-science ideologies in America."[58]

The book featured in numerous "Best of 2023" lists, including Amazon, Publishers Weekly, The New Yorker, The Chicago Tribune.

Journalism

Lipsky's work has appeared in Rolling Stone, Harper's Magazine, The New Yorker, The New York Times, Details, This American Life, and All Things Considered. He received a GLAAD Media Award for journalism in 1999. In 2009, he received the National Magazine Award.[59]

Awards and honors

Bibliography

Non-fiction

Novels

Short stories

  • Three Thousand Dollars (1986)

Anthologies

  • The Best American Magazine Writing (2009)
  • The Best American Short Stories (1986)

References

  1. ^ a b Brooks, David (July 13, 2003). "Huah!". The New York Times. Retrieved January 18, 2008.
  2. ^ a b Atlas, James, "The Art Fair", Vogue, June 1996.
  3. ^ Anolik, Lili (May 28, 2019). "Money, Madness, Cocaine and Literary Genius: An Oral History of the 1980s' Most Decadent College". Esquire. Retrieved December 8, 2019.
  4. ^ Gale Reference Team, "David Lipsky," Contemporary Authors (Biography), Chicago: Thomson Gale, 2006.
  5. ^ Klinghoffer, David, "Three Thousand Dollars," National Review, September 29, 1989
  6. ^ Carver, Raymond, The Best American Short Stories of 1986, Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1986. p. xv.
  7. ^ Duffy, Jim, "Absolutely Unexpected," Johns Hopkins Magazine, November 2003.
  8. ^ Seaman, Donna (May 15, 1996). "The Art Fair". Booklist.
  9. ^ Combrey, Richard, "Reading for a Cold Winter's Night," San Francisco Chronicle, December 31, 1989.
  10. ^ Kendall, Elaine (December 22, 1989). "Marking the Potholes, Pitfalls for Eighties Youth". Los Angeles Times.
  11. ^ Kirkus, "The Art Fair," Kirkus, April 1, 1996.
  12. ^ Eckhoff, Sally, "The Art Fair," The New York Times Book Review, June 9, 1996.
  13. ^ "The Art Fair," The New Yorker, June 24, 1996
  14. ^ Kaufman, Joanne (July 29, 1996). "The Art Fair". People.
  15. ^ Prose, Francine, "In Art, Reputation Is Everything," Newsday, May 19, 1996
  16. ^ Library Journal, "The Art Fair," October 1, 1996.
  17. ^ Gegax, Trent, "Getting The Point," Newsweek, July 7, 2003.
  18. ^ Grossman, Lev (July 6, 2003). "Long on the Long Gray Line". Time. Archived from the original on October 23, 2012. Retrieved November 1, 2007.
  19. ^ Nelson, Sara (August 13, 2003). "Hollywood's Calling But Bookstore Shelves Are Bare". New York Observer. Retrieved January 18, 2021.
  20. ^ "Best Sellers: July 27, 2003". New York Times. July 27, 2003. Retrieved January 18, 2021.
  21. ^ "Best Books of 2003: Top 50 Editors' Favorites". Amazon.com. Archived from the original on August 14, 2010. Retrieved January 18, 2021.
  22. ^ "Notable Books 2003". New York Times. December 7, 2003. Retrieved January 18, 2021.
  23. ^ Lacayo, Richard (December 18, 2003). "Richard Lacayo and Lev Grossman, "Absolutely American by David Lipsky"". Time. Archived from the original on January 20, 2011. Retrieved March 29, 2014.(registration required)
  24. ^ Sauriol, Patrick, "ABC Goes West Point," Variety, August 13, 2003.
  25. ^ Grossman, Lev (April 16, 2010). "Although of Course You End Up Becoming Yourself". Time.
  26. ^ Kaiser, Menachem (April 22, 2010). "The Challenge of Writing About David Foster Wallace". The Atlantic.
  27. ^ Schaub, Michael (May 7, 2010). "A Not-So-Brief Interview With David Foster Wallace". NPR. Retrieved May 7, 2010.
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  31. ^ Miller, Laura (April 4, 2010). "Road Trip With David Foster Wallace". Salon. Retrieved May 7, 2010.
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  36. ^ Tallerico, Brian (January 24, 2015). "The End of the Tour". Rogerebert.com. Archived from the original on January 7, 2019. Retrieved August 7, 2015.
  37. ^ Hornaday, Ann (August 6, 2015). "'The End of the Tour,' a five-day conversation you won't want to end". Washington Post. Archived from the original on December 7, 2017. Retrieved August 8, 2015.
  38. ^ Lawson, Richard (January 25, 2015). "'The End of the Tour Is a Deeply Affecting Tribute to a Cherished Writer, and a Huge Breakthrough for Jason Segel". Vanity Fair. Archived from the original on January 3, 2020. Retrieved August 7, 2015.
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  43. ^ Covert, Colin (August 6, 2015). "Jason Segel mesmerizes as David Foster Wallace in 'The End of the Tour'". Minnesota Star Tribune. Archived from the original on October 25, 2015. Retrieved January 18, 2021.
  44. ^ Dargis, Manohla; Scott, A. O.; Holden, Stephen (December 9, 2015). "Manohla Dargis, A. O. Scott, Stephen Holden, "The Best Movies of 2015," The New York Times, December 9, 2015". The New York Times. Archived from the original on November 19, 2016. Retrieved January 18, 2021.
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  55. ^ "The Parrot and the Igloo: Climate and the Science of Denial". Kirkus. December 1, 2022. Retrieved June 28, 2023.
  56. ^ "The Parrot and the Igloo: Climate and the Science of Denial". Booklist. January 1, 2023. Retrieved June 28, 2023.
  57. ^ "The Parrot and the Igloo: Climate and the Science of Denial". Publishers Weekly. October 31, 2022. Retrieved June 28, 2023.
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