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{{Short description|American writer (1951–2022)}}
{{BLP sources|date=March 2009}} {{Use mdy dates|date=March 2022}}
{{Use American English|date=March 2022}}
{{Infobox writer <!--For more information, see ].--> {{Infobox writer <!--For more information, see ].-->
| name = Bruce Duffy | name = Bruce Duffy
| image = Bruce Duffy - Disaster Was My God.jpg
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| birth_name = Bruce Michael Duffy
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'''Bruce Michael Duffy''' (born June 9, 1951) is an American author. He is best known for his novel ''The World As I Found It'',{{Citation needed|date=February 2009}} a fictionalized account of the life of ], a prominent 20th century philosopher.


'''Bruce Michael Duffy''' (June 9, 1951{{snd}}February 10, 2022) was an American author. He was best known for his novel ''The World as I Found It'' (1987). Duffy went on to write two more novels. He won a ] and received a ] in 1988.
In 1988, Duffy won a ] and received a ]. ] named "The World As I Found It" as one of "five great nonfiction novels," calling the book "a bold and original work of fiction" and "one of the most ambitious first novels ever published" (Salon.com). {{Citation needed|date=February 2009}}
==Life==
Duffy was born in Washington, D.C., the son of Irish-American parents and lived his entire childhood in Garrett Park, Maryland.


==Early life==
Duffy does extensive historical research for his ]s and then crafts fiction from what he learns.<ref>Duffy talks about his work process in this discussion: http://ias.umn.edu/2012/09/20/duffy-parini-olsen-biographies/</ref>
Duffy was born in ], on June 9, 1951. His father, Jack, operated a heating and air conditioning business; his mother, Joan (Donnelly) was a housewife who died when he was eleven. Duffy was raised in ]. He studied ] at the ], where he was taught by ], who influenced his writings. After graduating with a ], he worked as a security guard at the Hospital for Sick Children (HSC) in his hometown.<ref name="NYT obit">{{cite news|title=Bruce Duffy, Hailed for His Ambitious First Novel, Dies at 70|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/11/books/bruce-duffy-dead.html|first=Richard|last=Sandomir|date=March 11, 2022|access-date=March 12, 2022|newspaper=The New York Times}}</ref>


==Career==
In October 2010, "The World As I Found It" was republished as a Classic by the New York Review of Books. Duffy has also contributed to ], Time Magazine and Life magazine, among others.
Duffy began writing fiction and poetry on a typewriter he brought to work at HSC. He was later employed as a consultant for Labat-Anderson, before becoming a speechwriter for ] and ]. He also wrote for '']'' and '']''.<ref name="NYT obit"/>

Duffy published his first book, ''The World as I Found It'', in 1987. It was a fictionalized account of the life of ], a 20th-century philosopher, and also included ] and ] as secondary characters. In '']'', Thomas Morawetz (a Wittgenstein expert) characterized the work as "a rich, eloquent, poised masterwork that succeeds beyond one’s most generous expectations", while ] noted in the '']'' that "it is hard to know which is more outsized – the talent of Bruce Duffy or his nerve".<ref name="NYT obit"/> Ten years after it was released, ] named ''The World As I Found It'' as one of "five great nonfiction novels", calling the book "a bold and original work of fiction" and "one of the most ambitious first novels ever published".<ref name="NYT obit"/><ref>{{cite web |first=Joyce Carol |last=Oates |author-link=Joyce Carol Oates |date=September 20, 1999 |url=https://www.salon.com/1999/09/20/oates_2/ |title=The docu-novel |work=]}}</ref> ] of '']'' considered it as "one of the more astonishing literary debuts in recent memory".<ref name="NYT obit"/> Duffy was conferred the ] for emerging writers in fiction in 1988,<ref name="NYT obit"/> as well as a ] that ].<ref>{{cite web |title=Bruce Duffy |url=https://www.gf.org/fellows/all-fellows/bruce-duffy/ |website=John Simon Guggenheim Foundation |access-date=March 13, 2022 |date=1988}}</ref>

One decade elapsed before Duffy released his second book titled ''Last Comes the Egg'' (1997). The plot – partly inspired by Duffy's upbringing in suburban Maryland – centered on a 12-year-old boy who leaves home with two friends in the aftermath of his mother’s death.<ref name="NYT obit"/> It received generally positive reviews, with '']'' complimenting the novel for its originality and tragic humor.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Gehr |first=Richard |date=January 30, 1997 |title=Last Comes The Egg |url=https://www.salon.com/1997/01/29/sneakpeeks_67/ |access-date=March 12, 2022 |website=Salon |language=en}}</ref>

''The World As I Found It'' was later republished as a classic by the '']'' in October 2010.<ref name="NYT obit"/> Duffy's third and final book, ''Disaster Was My God: A Novel of the Outlaw Life of Arthur Rimbaud'', was released by ] on July 19 of the following year.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Romano |first=Carlin |date=August 23, 2011 |title=The Prodigy Burned Out. Why Not Blame Mom? |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/24/books/disaster-was-my-god-by-bruce-duffy-review.html |access-date=March 12, 2022 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> He had spent the intervening years reflecting on the works and wild life of the French poet, in order to "create that oxymoron, a likable ]".<ref name="NYT obit"/> Duffy was working on another novel at the time of his death in 2022, which remained unfinished.<ref name="NYT obit"/>

==Personal life==
Duffy's first marriage was to Marianne Glass. Together, they had two children: Kate and Lily. They eventually divorced. He later married Susan Segal. They remained married until his death.<ref name="NYT obit"/>

Duffy died on February 10, 2022, in hospice care in ]. He was 70, and suffered from ], having been diagnosed with the illness in 2011.<ref name="NYT obit"/>


Duffy also wrote ''Last Comes the Egg''.
This piece, Duffy's second novel, was received with general praise.{{Citation needed|date=February 2009}} '']'' praised the novel for its originality and tragic humor.{{Citation needed|date=February 2009}} His novel "Disaster Was My God: A Novel of the Outlaw Life of Arthur Rimbaud" was released by Doubleday on July 19, 2011.
==Family==
He has two daughters, Lily and Kate.
==Works== ==Works==
* {{cite book| title=The World As I Found It|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=bMhXfJ2cT74C|date=28 December 2011|publisher=New York Review Books|isbn=978-1-59017-565-1}} Original year of publication 1987. * {{Cite book |title=The World as I Found It |url=https://archive.org/details/worldasifoundit00duff |url-access=registration |date=1987 |location=New York |publisher=Ticknor & Fields |isbn=0-89919-456-7}}
* {{Cite book |title=Last Comes the Egg |url=https://archive.org/details/lastcomeseggnove00duff |url-access=registration |publisher=Simon & Schuster |year=1997 |ISBN=978-0-684-80883-3}}
* '''', Simon & Schuster, 1997, ISBN 9780684808833
* {{cite book| title=Disaster Was My God: A Novel of the Outlaw Life of Arthur Rimbaud|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=76BUKlmETgkC|date=7 August 2012|publisher=Anchor Books|isbn=978-0-307-74286-5}} * {{Cite book |title=Disaster Was My God: A Novel of the Outlaw Life of Arthur Rimbaud |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=76BUKlmETgkC |date=August 7, 2012 |publisher=Anchor Books |isbn=978-0-307-74286-5}}


==References== ==References==
{{Reflist}}
<references/>

*''Contemporary Authors Online'', Gale, 2009. Reproduced in ''Biography Resource Center''. Farmington Hills, Mich.: Gale, 2009. http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/BioRC *''Contemporary Authors Online'', Gale, 2009. Reproduced in ''Biography Resource Center''. Farmington Hills, Mich.: Gale, 2009. http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/BioRC


==External links== ==External links==
* from the '']'' * from '']''
* at '']'' * at '']''
* *
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Latest revision as of 07:04, 16 June 2024

American writer (1951–2022)

Bruce Duffy
BornBruce Michael Duffy
(1951-06-09)June 9, 1951
Washington, D.C., U.S.
DiedFebruary 10, 2022(2022-02-10) (aged 70)
Rockville, Maryland, U.S.
Alma materUniversity of Maryland, College Park
GenresNovel, non-fiction

Bruce Michael Duffy (June 9, 1951 – February 10, 2022) was an American author. He was best known for his novel The World as I Found It (1987). Duffy went on to write two more novels. He won a Whiting Award and received a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1988.

Early life

Duffy was born in Washington, D.C., on June 9, 1951. His father, Jack, operated a heating and air conditioning business; his mother, Joan (Donnelly) was a housewife who died when he was eleven. Duffy was raised in Garrett Park, Maryland. He studied English literature at the University of Maryland, where he was taught by Marjorie Perloff, who influenced his writings. After graduating with a bachelor's degree, he worked as a security guard at the Hospital for Sick Children (HSC) in his hometown.

Career

Duffy began writing fiction and poetry on a typewriter he brought to work at HSC. He was later employed as a consultant for Labat-Anderson, before becoming a speechwriter for Fannie Mae and Deloitte. He also wrote for Harper's Magazine and Life.

Duffy published his first book, The World as I Found It, in 1987. It was a fictionalized account of the life of Ludwig Wittgenstein, a 20th-century philosopher, and also included Bertrand Russell and G. E. Moore as secondary characters. In The Philadelphia Inquirer, Thomas Morawetz (a Wittgenstein expert) characterized the work as "a rich, eloquent, poised masterwork that succeeds beyond one’s most generous expectations", while Richard Eder noted in the Los Angeles Times that "it is hard to know which is more outsized – the talent of Bruce Duffy or his nerve". Ten years after it was released, Joyce Carol Oates named The World As I Found It as one of "five great nonfiction novels", calling the book "a bold and original work of fiction" and "one of the most ambitious first novels ever published". A. O. Scott of The New York Times considered it as "one of the more astonishing literary debuts in recent memory". Duffy was conferred the Whiting Award for emerging writers in fiction in 1988, as well as a Guggenheim Fellow that same year.

One decade elapsed before Duffy released his second book titled Last Comes the Egg (1997). The plot – partly inspired by Duffy's upbringing in suburban Maryland – centered on a 12-year-old boy who leaves home with two friends in the aftermath of his mother’s death. It received generally positive reviews, with Salon.com complimenting the novel for its originality and tragic humor.

The World As I Found It was later republished as a classic by the New York Review of Books in October 2010. Duffy's third and final book, Disaster Was My God: A Novel of the Outlaw Life of Arthur Rimbaud, was released by Doubleday on July 19 of the following year. He had spent the intervening years reflecting on the works and wild life of the French poet, in order to "create that oxymoron, a likable Arthur Rimbaud". Duffy was working on another novel at the time of his death in 2022, which remained unfinished.

Personal life

Duffy's first marriage was to Marianne Glass. Together, they had two children: Kate and Lily. They eventually divorced. He later married Susan Segal. They remained married until his death.

Duffy died on February 10, 2022, in hospice care in Rockville, Maryland. He was 70, and suffered from brain cancer, having been diagnosed with the illness in 2011.

Works

References

  1. ^ Sandomir, Richard (March 11, 2022). "Bruce Duffy, Hailed for His Ambitious First Novel, Dies at 70". The New York Times. Retrieved March 12, 2022.
  2. Oates, Joyce Carol (September 20, 1999). "The docu-novel". Salon.
  3. "Bruce Duffy". John Simon Guggenheim Foundation. 1988. Retrieved March 13, 2022.
  4. Gehr, Richard (January 30, 1997). "Last Comes The Egg". Salon. Retrieved March 12, 2022.
  5. Romano, Carlin (August 23, 2011). "The Prodigy Burned Out. Why Not Blame Mom?". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved March 12, 2022.

External links

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