Ann Beattie

Introduction

Ann Beattie

Ann Beattie is something of a paradox. Though she taught for several years (and even went to graduate school herself), she remains ambivalent about the benefits of university writing programs. By her own admission, she values education but does not always see a clear correlation between school and the eventual growth and development of a young writer. Beattie's own growth as a writer, however, is clearly attributable to her success in the short story form. In her hands, a short story is as satisfying as a long novel but still has the force of a quick, hard punch. Now considered one of the most important literary voices of the turbulent 1960s, Beattie frequently explores the strange, unpredictable nature of familial and romantic relationships.

Essential Facts

1. Beattie has received many honors, including a PEN award, for her achievement in the short story form.
2. Beginning writers, take heart. Beattie had more than twenty of her stories rejected by The New Yorker before finally getting one published in the mid-1970s.
3. Her first novel, Chilly Scenes of Winter, was later adapted into a film of the same title starring John Heard and Mary Beth Hurt. Her novel is resoundingly considered the superior work.
4. Beattie was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2004.
5. Beattie is known for employing a dry wit in her portrayal of dissatisfied upper-class characters, earning her comparisons to John Updike.