Text Box: Ann Beattie was born Charlotte Ann Beattie on September 8, 1947 to James and Charlotte Beattie (Current). Raised in the suburbs of Washington D.C., she showed an interest in art at an early age but struggled academically in her teen years (Clark). She began to take school and writing seriously when she earned her Bachelors in English at American University (Current). She continued her education by earning her M.A. at the University of Connecticut and immediately followed this with working on her doctorate (Clark). During this time she began writing heavily; mostly due to boredom with her studies (Clark). She submitted numerous stories to publications but was met with numerous rejections (The New Yorker rejected 22 of her stories) (Clark). The “turning point” for Beattie came when The New Yorker published her story, “A Platonic Relationship” in April of 1974 (Current). Although very close to obtaining her doctorate, Beattie left academia to pursue her writing career (Current). In later years, she would eventually return as a creative writing and Edgar Allan Poe professor (Current). Ann Beattie would go on have her short stories published in numerous journals and magazines. Her first collection of stories, Distortions, as well as her first novel, Chilly Scenes of Winter, was published in 1976 (Clark). In terms of literary content and writing style, Beattie has been grouped in the minimalist movement alongside writers like Raymond Carver and Tobias Wolff (Clark). Beattie is known for relying less on plot and more on details to drive her stories (Contemp). Many of her characters reflect the “baby-boom generation”; white middle class and how their lives and relationships play out over the decades that follow the sixties (Contemp). Beattie’s chronicling of her generation has been compared to that of John Updike and J.D. Salinger (Contemp). Her use of short sentences and an “emotionless tone” echo Ernest Hemingway, one of her noted influences (Current). Works Cited “Ann Beattie.” Contemporary Authors Online. Detroit: Gale, 2007. Literature Resource Center. Infotrac. Richard Stockton College Lib., Pomona, NJ. 8 Jun. 2009 <http://infotrac.galegroup.com>. “Beattie, Ann.” Current Biography. 1985. Biography Reference Bank. H.W. Wilson. Richard Stockton College Lib., Pomona, NJ. 8 Jun. 2009 <http://vnweb.hwwilsonweb.com>. Clark, Miriam Marty. “Ann Beattie.” American Novelists Since World War II: Seventh Series. Ed. James & Wanda Giles. Dictionary of Literary Biography Vol. 278. Detroit: Gale, 2007. Literature Resource Center. Infotrac. Richard Stockton College Lib., Pomona, NJ. 8 Jun. 2009 <http://infotrac.galegroup.com>. Works: Distortions (short stories), Doubleday (New York, NY), 1976, reprinted, Vintage Books (New York, NY), 1991. Chilly Scenes of Winter (novel), Doubleday (New York, NY), 1976, reprinted, Vintage Books (New York, NY), 1991. Secrets and Surprises (short stories), Random House (New York, NY), 1979. Falling in Place (novel), Random House (New York, NY), 1980. The Burning House (short stories), Random House ( New York, NY), 1982. Love Always (novel), Random House (New York, NY), 1985. Spectacles, Workman Publishing (New York, NY), 1985. Where You'll Find Me, and Other Stories, Linden Press/Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1986. Alex Katz (art criticism), Abrams (New York, NY), 1987. Picturing Will (novel), Random House (New York, NY), 1989. What Was Mine (short stories), Random House (New York, NY), 1991. (With Bob Adelman) Americana, Scribner (New York, NY), 1992. (With Andy Grundberg) Flesh Blood: Photographers' Images of Their Own Families, New York Picture Project (New York, NY), 1992. (Selector) The American Story: Short Stories from the Rea Award, edited by Michael M. Rea, Ecco Press (Hopewell, NJ), 1993. Another You, Knopf (New York, NY), 1995. My Life, Starring Dara Falcon, Knopf (New York, NY), 1997. (Author of introduction) Mary M. Kalergis, With This Ring: A Portrait of Marriage, Chrysler Museum Library (Norfolk, VA), 1997. Park City: New and Selected Stories, Knopf (New York, NY), 1998. Perfect Recall (short stories), Scribner (New York, NY), 2001. The Doctor's House (novel), Scribner (New York, NY), 2002. Follies: New Stories (novel), Scribner (New York, NY), 2005. Text Box: Web Links to Stories: “Coping Stones” “The Rabbit Hole as Likely Explanation”

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Beattie Biography