Micah Nathan

Photograph by Massimo Contini

Micah Nathan is a novelist and essayist whose books have sold more than 200,000 copies worldwide. He is the author of Gods of Aberdeen (Simon & Schuster, 2005), Losing Graceland (Crown / Random House, 2011), and the collection Jack the Bastard and Other Stories.

His fiction and essays have appeared in The Guardian, Vanity Fair, The Paris Review, Glimmer Train, Little White Lies, Kinfolk, and elsewhere. His fiction has been anthologized in The Best American Mystery Stories, and his work has received the Boston University Saul Bellow Prize in Fiction and the Associated Press Short Essay Award. He teaches fiction and nonfiction writing at MIT.

Selected honors

FictionBoston University - Saul Bellow Prize in Fiction
AnthologyBest American Mystery Stories
EssayAssociated Press Short Essay Award
FinalistTobias Wolff Award for Short Fiction
DIAGRAM Innovative Fiction Award

Inquiries

For readings, classroom visits, or conversations, inquire through MIT’s directory.

Selected other work

Consortium9Co-founder and Chief Narrative Officer
LEMON: King of PopHead Copy Editor and Fiction Editor
2013 D&AD Wood Pencil, Magazine & Newspaper Design
Piermont & ThorneAn ongoing fictional archive and narrative-world project

Novels

Cover of Gods of Aberdeen by Micah Nathan

Simon & Schuster, 2005

A haunting novel about a brilliant young man who enrolls at a small New England college and becomes entangled in a mysterious death—and the ultimate scientific quest. Published internationally and translated into five languages.

“Soaked with gothic mood and spiked with sharp dialogue, it’s Dead Poets Society via Stephen King.” — The Hollywood Reporter

“A malevolently thrilling coming-of-ager wrapped in a philosophical detective tale.” — Kirkus Reviews

“A perfectly proportioned gothic mystery, with all the necessary ingredients in its dark depths…” — Elle

“Think Donna Tartt’s The Secret History, with a little magic thrown in… Nathan perfectly captures the angst and pretension of adolescents.” — Publishers Weekly

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Cover of Losing Graceland by Micah Nathan

Crown / Random House, 2011

A recent college graduate, an old man who may be Elvis, and a dangerous road trip toward one final comeback.

“A wild road trip, a yarn spiced with plenty of humor and romance.” — The Washington Post

“Antic originality [and] the near-magic realism of Elvis as a geriatric Ulysses.” — The Boston Globe

“Fast-paced, adrenaline-filled… fantastic dialogue that brings Elvis back to life.” — Booklist

“Less about the hip-swiveling sex icon and more about friendship… about life’s journey through bumps in the road.” — Marie Claire

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Collections

Cover of Jack the Bastard and Other Stories by Micah Nathan

One Peace Books, 2012

A collection of dark, comic stories ranging from Greenwich Village to Tokyo.

“Micah Nathan likes pushing the boundaries of storytelling… Jack the Bastard and Other Stories dances across different genres.” — Chicago Tribune

Anthologies

2013Best American Mystery Stories
Mariner Books · Edited by Lisa Scottoline · Includes “Quarry”Purchase ↗
2019From Sea to Stormy Sea
Pegasus Crime · Edited by Lawrence Block · Includes “Get Him”Purchase ↗

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