Victor LaValle

Victor LaValle
Born	(1972-02-03) February 3, 1972 (age 52) New York City, U.S.
Occupation	Author
Education	Cornell University (BA) Columbia University (MFA)
Period	1999–present
Genre	Speculative fiction Horror
Notable works	Slapboxing With Jesus The Ballad of Black Tom The Changeling
Notable awards	Shirley—Novel (2010) BFA—Novella (2017) Shirley—Novella (2017) WFA—Novel (2018) Locus—Horror Novel (2018)
Spouse	Emily Raboteau
Children	2
Website
www.victorlavalle.com

Victor LaValle (born February 3, 1972) is an American author. He is the author of a short-story collection, Slapboxing with Jesus, and five novels, The Ecstatic, Big Machine, The Devil in Silver, The Changeling, and Lone Women. His fantasy-horror novella The Ballad of Black Tom won the 2016 Shirley Jackson Award for best novella.^[1] LaValle writes fiction primarily, though he has also written essays and book reviews for GQ, Essence Magazine, The Fader, and The Washington Post, among other publications.

Early life

Victor LaValle was born on February 3, 1972, and raised in the Flushing and Rosedale neighborhoods of Queens, New York by a single mother who had emigrated from Uganda in her twenties. He attended Woodmere Academy and went on to earn a degree in English from Cornell University and a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from Columbia University.^[2]

Literary career

Slapboxing with Jesus was published in 1999 by Vintage Books. The eleven interconnected stories deal mostly with the lives of young black and Latino men living in New York in the 1970s and 1980s. The collection went on to receive wide critical praise. It won the author a PEN/Open Book Award^[3] and the Key to Jamaica, Queens.^[4]

The Ecstatic was published in 2002 by Crown Publishing Group. The novel continues the story of Anthony James, a character from LaValle's collection of stories. Anthony is a morbidly obese college dropout who may also be experiencing the first signs of schizophrenia. The novel follows the exploits of his family, who are trying their best to save Anthony, but who might be in need of a little saving themselves. The subject matter is dark, and even shocking, but a gallows humor runs throughout. This book received even wider critical acclaim, earning comparisons to writers such as Ken Kesey, Chester Himes, and John Kennedy Toole. In 2003 the novel was a finalist for both the PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction and the Hurston/Wright Legacy Award.^{[citation needed]} It became a favorite novel for rapper Mos Def, who later titled his 2009 studio album after it.^[5]

Big Machine was published in 2009 by Spiegel & Grau. The novel tells the story of Ricky Rice, an ex-junkie survivor of a suicide cult whose life is changed when a mysterious letter arrives summoning him to a remote compound in Vermont. The novel was widely praised upon its release, making many national top ten lists. It also won the Shirley Jackson Award for Best Novel in 2009, as well as the Ernest J. Gaines Award for Literary Excellence and an American Book Award in 2010.

The Devil in Silver, published by Spiegel & Grau in August 21, 2012, is the story of Pepper, a sane man sent for observation to a mental hospital. There he encounters a monster known as the Devil roaming the nighttime halls. He teams up with other patients to fight the mental confusion of the drugs he is required to take, the staff, and the monster.

The Ballad of Black Tom, a novella, was published by Tor Books on February 16, 2016. It is a retelling of the H. P. Lovecraft story "The Horror at Red Hook" from the point of view of a young black man living in Harlem with a reference to the Nation of Gods and Earths.^[6]

The Changeling was published in 2017 by Spiegel & Grau and received critical acclaim. It was selected as one of 2017's ten best books by New York Public Library^[7] and won a 2018 World Fantasy Award for Best Novel,^[8] the 2018 Locus Award for Horror Novel,^[9][10] and the 2018 British Fantasy Award for Horror Novel.^[11]

Destroyer, a graphic novel published in 2017 by Boom! Studios, is a modern retelling of Frankenstein (1818). The story follows an African-American descendant of Dr. Frankenstein, her only son who was killed in a police encounter, and the monster from the original novel who has long given up on peace.^[12]

Lone Women, a novel published in 2023 by One World, is written in the western genre with fantastical elements, and set in 1915 Montana.^[13][14] The story follows protagonist Adelaide Henry, a single woman who, along with a heavy trunk, leaves her family farm in California to establish a homestead in Montana.^[15][16]

Personal life

LaValle is an associate professor at the Columbia University School of the Arts. He lives in New York with his wife, novelist Emily Raboteau, son and daughter.^[17]

Awards and nominations

Literature awards

Year	Nominee	Award	Category	Result	Ref
2002	Slapboxing with Jesus	PEN/Open Book Award	—	Won (co-winner)	[3]
2003	The Ecstatic	PEN/Faulkner Award	—	Shortlisted	[18][19]
		Hurston/Wright Legacy Award	Fiction	Shortlisted	[20]
2009	Big Machine	Shirley Jackson Award	Novel	Won	[21]
2010		American Book Awards	—	Won (co-winner)	[22]
		Ernest J. Gaines Award	—	Won	[23]
2013	The Devil in Silver	Shirley Jackson Award	Novel	Shortlisted	[21]
2016	The Ballad of Black Tom	Bram Stoker Award	Long Fiction	Shortlisted	[21]
		Shirley Jackson Award	Novella	Won	[21]
2017		British Fantasy Award	Novella	Won	[21]
		Hugo Award	Novella	Shortlisted	[21][24]
		Locus Award	Novella	Nominated—3rd	[21]
		Nebula Award	Novella	Shortlisted	[21][25]
		Theodore Sturgeon Award	—	Shortlisted	[21]
		World Fantasy Award	Novella	Shortlisted	[21]
	The Changeling	Dragon Awards	Horror Novel	Won	[21]
		Shirley Jackson Award	Novel	Shortlisted	[21]
2018		British Fantasy Award	August Derleth Award (Best Horror Novel)	Won	[21]
		Locus Award	Horror Novel	Won (1st)	[21]
		Mythopoeic Awards	Adult Novel	Shortlisted	[21]
		World Fantasy Award	Novel	Won (tie)	[21]
2019	Victor LaValle's Destroyer	Bram Stoker Award	Graphic Novel	Won	[21]
2020	A People's Future of the United States	Ignyte Awards	Anthology/Collection	Shortlisted	[21]
		Locus Award	Anthology	Nominated—3rd	[21]
	"Up from Slavery"	Bram Stoker Award	Short Fiction	Won	[21]

Honors

• 1998: Fine Arts Work Center, Fiction Fellow
• 2000: Breadloaf Writer's Fellowship
• 2004: Whiting Award for Fiction
• 2006: United States Artists Ford Fellowship^[26]
• 2010: Guggenheim Fellowship^[27]
• 2010–2011: Dutch Foundation for Literature, Writer-in-Residence, Amsterdam^[28]
• 2016: This Is Horror Novella of the Year (The Ballad of Black Tom)

Best of lists by magazines, editorials

• 2009: Chicago Tribune "Favorite Fiction of 2009" – Big Machine^[29]
• 2009: Los Angeles Times "Best Science Fiction of 2009" – Big Machine^{[citation needed]}
• 2009: in The Nation, John Nichols list "MVPs of 2009": Most Valuable Fiction Book – Big Machine^[30]
• 2009: Publishers Weekly "Top 10 Best Books of 2009" – Big Machine^[31]
• 2009: Washington Post "Best Books of 2009" – Big Machine^[32][33]
• 2012: New York Times "100 Notable Books of 2012" – The Devil in Silver^[34]
• 2012: Publishers Weekly "Top 10 Best Books of 2012" – The Devil in Silver^[35]
• 2012: Washington Post "Best Books of 2012" – The Devil in Silver^[36]
• 2017: New York Times "100 Notable Books of 2017" – The Changeling^[37]

Works

Books

• —— (1999). Slapboxing with Jesus: Stories. Vintage. ISBN 978-0375705908.
• —— (2002). The Ecstatic. Crown. ISBN 978-0609610145.
• —— (2009). Big Machine. Spiegel & Grau. ISBN 978-0385527989.
• —— (2012). The Devil in Silver. Spiegel & Grau. ISBN 978-1400069866.
• —— (2012). Lucretia and the Kroons (ebook ed.). Spiegel & Grau. pp. 1–104. ISBN 978-0812984378.
• —— (2016). The Ballad of Black Tom. Tor. ISBN 978-0765387868.
• —— (2017). The Changeling. Spiegel & Grau. ISBN 978-0812995947.
• —— (2023). Lone Women. One World. ISBN 978-0525512080.

Editor

• ——; Adams, John Joseph, eds. (2019). A People's Future of the United States: Speculative Fiction from 25 Extraordinary Writers. Random House Group. ISBN 978-0525508816.

Essays

• "Long Distance". Granta (110: Sex). Spring 2010.

Comics

• Destroyer. BOOM! Studios. 2018. ISBN 978-1684150557.
• Eve. BOOM! Studios. 2021. ISBN 978-1684158089.
• Sabretooth: The Adversary. Marvel Comics. 2022. ISBN 978-1302931452.

Notes

1. 2016 Shirley Jackson Awards, retrieved October 7, 2017
2. O'Neal Parker, Lonnae (December 3, 2002). "From Fat To Phat: An Author's Happy Ending". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on August 16, 2023. Retrieved August 16, 2023.
3. "PEN Open Book Award Winners". PEN America. April 29, 2016. Retrieved April 28, 2017.
4. Hendrick, Daniel (July 27, 2000). "Jamaica JAMS Kicks Off With Reception Honoring Leaders". Queens Chronicle. Retrieved April 28, 2017.
5. Samuel, Steven (2009). "Mos Def Reveals New Album Details, Bringing Back Def Poetry". SOHH. Archived from the original on August 4, 2016. Retrieved June 4, 2016.
6. LaValle, Victor (February 16, 2016). "What Lovecraft Taught Me About Harlem". Fantastic Stories of the Imagination. Retrieved April 28, 2017.
7. Lobash, Lynn (December 6, 2017). "NYPL's 10 Best Books of 2017". New York Public Library. Retrieved December 10, 2017.
8. "2018 World Fantasy Awards".
9. "2018 Locus Awards Winners". Locus Magazine. June 23, 2018. Retrieved October 15, 2020.
10. Schaub, Michael (June 26, 2018). "Locus Award winners include N.K. Jemisin, Victor LaValle and John Scalzi". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 15, 2020.
11. "British Fantasy Awards 2018 – winners". The British Fantasy Society. October 22, 2018. Archived from the original on October 19, 2020. Retrieved October 15, 2020.
12. Carroll, Tobias (May 25, 2017). "Victor LaValle Resurrects Frankenstein in Socially Conscious New Comic, Destroyer". Paste Magazine. Retrieved September 14, 2018.
13. Armstrong, Vanessa (March 29, 2023). "Victor LaValle's Lone Women Has Been Optioned for TV Adaptation, LaValle to Pen Script". Reactor. Retrieved February 13, 2024.
14. Khatib, Joumana (March 3, 2023). ""In Like a (Literary) Lion: 14 New Releases in March."". The New York Times. pp. C8(L).
15. "Victor LaValle Talks About Horror and 'Lone Women'". The Book Review [podcast] New York Times. March 31, 2023.
16. Elison, Meg (July 4, 2023). "Author Victor LaValle: The Man and the Myths". Black Girl Nerds. Retrieved February 13, 2024.
17. Lavalle, Victor (October 2013). "Here's To The Weird". Specter Magazine (Interview). Interviewed by Mensah Demary. Retrieved May 6, 2017.
18. "The Ecstatic by Victor LaValle". www.fantasticfiction.com. Retrieved June 26, 2022.
19. Weeks, Linton (April 9, 2003). "Sabina Murray's Stories Win PEN/Faulkner Prize". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved June 6, 2022.
20. "Hurston/Wright Legacy Award nominee | Book awards | LibraryThing". www.librarything.com. Retrieved June 26, 2022.
21. "sfadb : Victor LaValle Awards". www.sfadb.com. Retrieved June 26, 2022.
22. "ABA: The American Book Awards / Before Columbus Foundation". March 13, 2013. Archived from the original on March 13, 2013. Retrieved August 4, 2016.
23. Crowder, Courtney. "LaValle's 'Big Machine' wins Ernest J. Gaines Award for Literary Excellence", The Chicago Tribune, Chicago, November 17, 2010.
24. "2017 Hugo Awards". World Science Fiction Society. December 31, 2016. Retrieved April 4, 2017.
25. "SFWA Announces 2016 Nebula, Norton, and Bradbury Award Nominees! - The Nebula Awards". The Nebula Awards. February 20, 2017. Retrieved March 6, 2017.
26. "Victor LaValle". unitedstatesartists.org. Archived from the original on August 22, 2016. Retrieved August 4, 2016.
27. "John Simon Guggenheim Foundation | Victor LaValle". www.gf.org. Retrieved August 4, 2016.
28. "Programs - Letterenfonds". www.letterenfonds.nl. Retrieved August 4, 2016.
29. "Our favorite fiction of 2009". Chicago Tribune. December 4, 2009. Archived from the original on December 13, 2009.
30. Nichols, John (December 22, 2009). "MVPs of 2009". The Nation.
31. "Best Books of 2009". publishersweekly.com. Retrieved August 4, 2016.
32. "Holiday Guide 2009: Best Books - The Washington Post". www.washingtonpost.com. Retrieved June 26, 2022.
33. Noble, Barnes &. "Washington Post Best Science Fiction & Fantasy of 2009, Washington Post Best Books of 2009, Books". Barnes & Noble. Retrieved June 26, 2022.
34. "100 Notable Books of 2012". The New York Times. November 27, 2012. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved August 14, 2022.
35. "Best Books of 2012 | Publishers Weekly Publishers Weekly". PublishersWeekly.com. Retrieved August 14, 2022.
36. "50 notable works of fiction". Washington Post. November 15, 2012.
37. "100 Notable Books of 2017". The New York Times. November 22, 2017. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved August 14, 2022.

External links

Website

• Personal website
• Victor LaValle on Twitter
• Victor LaValle at Goodreads
• Victor LaValle at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database
• Victor LaValle on Fantastic Fiction
• Profile at The Whiting Foundation

Free reading

• The Ecstatic online at Archive.org
• Big Machine online at Archive.org
• The Devil in Silver online at Archive.org

Novel reviews

• Slapboxing with Jesus review by SFGate
• The Ecstatic review by Austin Chronicle
• Big Machine, review by Wall Street Journal

LaValle written reviews and interviews

• LaValle reviews two story collections for Washington Post.
• Extensive interview about "Narrative Voice" and writing craft.
• "Admiring Oe's Talent for Discomfort", Victor LaValle discusses Nobel Laureate Kenzaburō Ōe in 2006 on NPR, August 3, 2006
• Interview in 2021 with Pop-Talk Podcast of WAER-FM
• United States Artists Videos