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Amor Towles

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Amor Towles
Towles in 2018
Towles in 2018
Born1964 (age 59–60)
Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
OccupationNovelist
EducationYale University (BA)
Stanford University (MA)
Period2011–present
GenreLiterary fiction
Notable worksA Gentleman in Moscow
SpouseMaggie
Children2
Website
www.amortowles.com

Amor Towles (born 1964) is an American novelist. He is best known for his bestselling novels Rules of Civility (2011),[1] A Gentleman in Moscow (2016),[2] and The Lincoln Highway (2021).[3] Towles began writing following a career in investment banking.

Early life and education

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Towles was born and raised in Boston, to Stokley Porter Towles, an investment banker at Brown Brothers Harriman and a philanthropist, and Holly Hollingsworth. His parents later divorced. He has a brother, Stokley Jr.; a sister, Kimbrough; and two stepbrothers.[4] When Towles was 10 years old, he threw a bottle with a message into the Atlantic Ocean. Several weeks later, he received a letter from Harrison Salisbury, who was then the managing editor of The New York Times. Towles and Salisbury corresponded for many years afterward.[5]

He graduated from Yale College and received a Master of Arts degree in English from Stanford University, where he was a Scowcroft Fellow. The thesis for his M.A. titled Temptations of Pleasure was published in The Paris Review in 1989.[6]

Career

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After graduating from Yale University, Towles was set to teach in China on a two-year fellowship from the Yale China Association. However, this was abruptly canceled due to the Tiananmen Square crackdown in 1989.[7] From 1991 to 2012, he worked as an investment manager and director of research at Select Equity Group in New York.[8][9]

When Towles was a young man, he credited Peter Matthiessen, nature writer, novelist, and one of the founders of The Paris Review, as the primary inspiration for writing novels.[10] Towles' first novel, Rules of Civility, was successful beyond his expectations, so much so that proceeds from the book afforded him the luxury of retirement from investment banking and the opportunity to pursue writing full time.[11]

His second novel, A Gentleman in Moscow, which was on the New York Times hardcover bestseller list for 59 weeks,[12] was a finalist for the 2016 Kirkus Prize for Fiction.[13] It was also longlisted for the 2018 International Dublin Literary Award.[14] A television adaptation starring Ewan McGregor was released on Paramount+ in March 2024.[15]

Towles' third novel, The Lincoln Highway, was published on October 5, 2021.[16] It was chosen by Amazon as the best book of 2021.[17] As of May 15, 2022, it had been on the New York Times hardcover fiction bestseller list for 30 weeks.[18] In April 2024, Towles released a book of short fiction titled Table for Two.[6]

Personal life

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Towles resides in Gramercy Park, Manhattan, New York City, with his wife Maggie, their son Stokley, and their daughter Esmé.[19] Towles is a collector of fine art and antiques.[19]

Awards and honors

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Works

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Fiction

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  • Rules of Civility: A Novel. New York: Viking. 2011. ISBN 978-0-670-02269-4.
  • Eve in Hollywood: A Penguin Special (collection of six interlinked short stories). Penguin. 2013. ISBN 978-1-101-63092-1.
  • A Gentleman in Moscow: A Novel. New York: Viking. 2016. ISBN 978-0-670-02619-7.
  • You Have Arrived at Your Destination (novella). Forward. Vol. 4. Amazon Original Stories. 2019. ASIN B07VBCYTGR.[20]
  • The Lincoln Highway: A Novel. New York: Viking. 2021. ISBN 978-0-7352-2235-9.
  • Table for Two. Viking Press. 2024-04-02. ISBN 978-0-593-29637-0.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link) [21][22][23]

Essays

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  • "Channel a More Romantic Era of Transatlantic Travel" (2016)[24]

References

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  1. ^ Groskop, Viv (2011-07-15). "Rules of Civility by Amor Towles – review". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2016-10-12.
  2. ^ Taylor, Craig (2016-09-23). "A Count Becomes a Waiter in a Novel of Soviet Supremacy". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2016-10-12.
  3. ^ Bachelder, Chris (October 5, 2021). "Amor Towles's New Novel Takes You on an American Road Trip". The New York Times. Retrieved October 17, 2021.
  4. ^ Marquard, Bryan (March 3, 2013). "Stokley Towles; broadended horizon of investment banking". The Boston Globe. p. B11. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
  5. ^ Powell, Dannye (2016-09-23). "Five things about novelist Amor Towles". The Charlotte Observer.
  6. ^ a b Haber, leigh (March 31, 2024). "How many lives can one author live? In new short stories, Amor Towles invites us along for the ride". Los Angeles Times. p. A17.
  7. ^ Kaufman, Joanne (2016-06-01). "Amor Towles, a Gentleman in Gramercy Park". The New York Times.
  8. ^ "Amor Towles". Goodreads. Retrieved 2016-10-12.
  9. ^ Feldman, Lucy (2016-06-01). "Amor Towles Expands His Portfolio With 'A Gentleman in Moscow'". Wall Street Journal.
  10. ^ Exchange, Oxford (2016-11-09). "An Exclusive Interview with Amor Towles". The Oxford Exchange.
  11. ^ Powell, Dannye (2017-02-08). "Five Things about Novelist Amor Towles". The Charlotte Observer.
  12. ^ "Amor Towles' 1.5 Million-Selling A Gentleman in Moscow – Released in Paperback". Penguin Random House. 1 April 2019. Retrieved 17 September 2022.
  13. ^ "2016 Kirkus Prize". Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved November 26, 2020.
  14. ^ "2018 Printable Longlist". dublinliteraryaward.ie. Archived from the original on July 1, 2022. Retrieved October 17, 2021.
  15. ^ Gomez, Dessi (March 5, 2024). "Ewan McGregor Leads 'A Gentleman in Moscow' Trailer". TheWrap. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
  16. ^ "The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles: 9780735222359". Penguin Random House. Retrieved October 17, 2021.
  17. ^ VanDenburgh, Barbara (16 November 2021). "Amazon releases its best books of 2021 list: 'An embarrassment of riches'". USA TODAY. Retrieved 17 September 2022.
  18. ^ "Hardcover Fiction Books - Best Sellers". The New York Times. 15 May 2022. Retrieved 17 September 2022.
  19. ^ a b Kaufman, Joane (September 23, 2016). "Amor Towles, a Gentleman in Gramercy Park". The New York Times. Retrieved February 23, 2017.
  20. ^ "You Have Arrived at Your Destination". Fantastic Fiction. 2016-09-23.
  21. ^ "New York and Hollywood Lore by Amor Towles (Martini Optional)". New York Times.
  22. ^ Olson, Eric. "Amor Towles flashes new skills in 'Table for Two'". Washington Post www.msn.com. Retrieved 2024-04-16.
  23. ^ Bancroft, Colette. "Review: Join Amor Towles at an elegant 'Table for Two'". Tampa Bay Tims.
  24. ^ Towles, Amor (September 7, 2016) [September 2016]. "Channel a More Romantic Era of Transatlantic Travel". Conde Nast Traveler. Retrieved July 1, 2018.
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