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Jennifer Egan
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Jennifer Egan
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Jennifer Egan (born September 7, 1962) is an American novelist and short-story writer. Her novel, A Visit from the Goon Squad, won the 2011 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and National Book Critics Circle Award for fiction. From 2018 to 2020, she served as the president of PEN America.[1]

Key Information

Early life

[edit]

After graduating from Katherine Delmar Burke School and Lowell High School, Egan majored in English literature at the University of Pennsylvania. While an undergraduate, she dated Steve Jobs, who installed a Macintosh computer in her bedroom.[2] After graduating, she spent two years at St John's College, Cambridge, supported by a Thouron Award, where she earned an M.A.[3][4] She came to New York in 1987 and worked an array of jobs, including catering at the World Trade Center, while learning to write.[5]

Career

[edit]
Egan at LiteratureXchange Festival in Aarhus (Denmark 2019)

Egan has published short fiction in the New Yorker, Harper's, Zoetrope: All-Story, and Ploughshares,[6] among other periodicals, and her journalism appears in the New York Times Magazine. Her first novel, The Invisible Circus, was released in 1995 and adapted into a film of the same name released in 2001.[5] She has published one short story collection and six novels, among which Look at Me was a finalist for the National Book Award in 2001.

Egan has been hesitant to classify A Visit from the Goon Squad as either a novel or a short story collection, saying, "I wanted to avoid centrality. I wanted polyphony. I wanted a lateral feeling, not a forward feeling. My ground rules were: every piece has to be very different, from a different point of view. I actually tried to break that rule, later; if you make a rule, then you also should break it!" The book features form-breaking content, such as a chapter entirely formatted as a Microsoft PowerPoint presentation. Of her inspiration and approach to the work, she said, "I don't experience time as linear. I experience it in layers that seem to coexist One thing that facilitates that kind of time travel is music, which is why I think music ended up being such an important part of the book. Also, I was reading Proust. He tries, very successfully, in some ways, to capture the sense of time passing, the quality of consciousness, and the ways to get around linearity, which is the weird scourge of writing prose."[7]

Awards

[edit]
Work Year & Award Category Result Ref.
Look at Me 2001 National Book Award for Fiction Finalist
A Visit from the Goon Squad 2010 Los Angeles Times Book Prize Fiction Won
2010 National Book Critics Circle Award Fiction Won
2011 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction Won
2011 PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction Shortlisted
2011 British Book Awards International Author of the Year Won
2012 International Dublin Literary Award Shortlisted
Manhattan Beach 2017 Goodreads Choice Awards Historical Fiction Nominated [8]
2018 Andrew Carnegie Medals Fiction Won
2018 Walter Scott Prize Shortlisted
The Candy House 2023 Kurd Laßwitz Award Foreign Work Nominated [9]
2023 BookTube Prize Fiction Octofinalist [10]
2024 Tähtivaeltaja Award Shortlisted

Egan received a Thouron Award in 1986,[4] was the recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship, and a Guggenheim Fellowship for Fiction in 1996.[11] In 2002, she wrote a cover story on homeless children that received the Carroll Kowal Journalism Award.[5] She was a fellow at the Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center for Scholars and Writers at the New York Public Library in 2004–2005.[12] Her 2008 story on bipolar children won an Outstanding Media Award from the National Alliance on Mental Illness.[5] and was made an Honorary Fellow at St John's College, Cambridge.

Reception

[edit]
Egan at the 2010 Brooklyn Book Festival

Academic literary critics have examined Egan's work in a variety of contexts. David Cowart has read Egan's project in A Visit from the Goon Squad as indebted to modernist writing but as possessing a closer affinity to postmodernism, in which "she meets the parental postmoderns on their own ground; by the same token, she venerates the grandparental moderns even as she places their mythography under erasure and dismantles their supreme fictions," [clarification needed] an aspect also touched upon by Adam Kelly.[13][14] Baoyu Nie has focused, alternatively, on the ways in which "Egan draws the reader into the addressee role" through the use of second-person narrative technique in her Twitter fiction. Finally, Martin Paul Eve has argued that the university itself is given "quantifiably more space within Egan's work than would be merited under strict societal mimesis", leading him to classify Egan's novels within the history of metafiction.[15]

In 2013, the first academic conference event dedicated to Egan's work was held at Birkbeck, University of London, entitled "Invisible Circus: An International Conference on the work of Jennifer Egan".[16]

Personal life

[edit]

Egan lives in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn with her husband and two sons.[17]

Bibliography

[edit]

References

[edit]

Further reading

[edit]
[edit]
Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia

Jennifer Egan

View on Grokipedia
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Jennifer Egan is an American novelist and short-story writer, born on September 7, 1962, in Chicago, Illinois, best known for her innovative works exploring themes of time, technology, and human connection, including the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel A Visit from the Goon Squad (2010). Raised in San Francisco by her mother and stepfather, Egan grew up during the cultural shifts of the Haight-Ashbury era, an experience that influenced her early interest in storytelling and history. She graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a degree in English literature and later studied at St. John's College, Cambridge, in England, before moving to New York City in 1987 to pursue writing. Egan's debut novel, The Invisible Circus (1998), was adapted into a feature film starring , marking her entry into with a focus on personal loss and the . Her subsequent works, such as Look at Me (2001), a finalist, and the short-story collection (1996), established her reputation for blending genres and perspectives. The breakthrough novel A Visit from the earned the 2011 , the , and the , praised for its unconventional structure incorporating a PowerPoint chapter. Later novels like Manhattan Beach (2017), a set in II-era New York that won the Medal for Excellence in Fiction, and The Candy House (2022), a companion to Goon Squad named one of the New York Times's 10 Best Books of the Year, further solidified her as a versatile and acclaimed author, with the 2025 Medal of Honor for Literature recognizing her contributions. In addition to fiction, Egan has contributed journalism to outlets including and , and she served as president of from 2017 to 2020, advocating for free expression. A Guggenheim Fellow and grant recipient, she has also held the position of at the University of Pennsylvania's English Department, where she teaches 19th- and 20th-century literature. Married to theater director David Herskovits since the 1990s, Egan lives in with her husband and their two sons.

Early Life and Education

Childhood and Family Background

Jennifer Egan was born on September 7, 1962, in , , into an Irish Catholic family with deep roots in the city's South Side. Her paternal grandfather, a prominent police commander, served as a for President Harry Truman during his visits to , embodying the family's ties to and . Egan's parents, Donald Egan, a , and Kay, an art dealer originally from , divorced when she was two years old, a separation her father initially resisted on religious grounds before it was annulled. Following the divorce, Egan had limited contact with her biological father, who remained in and later started a new family, though she visited him annually during summers. Her mother remarried hotelier Bill Kimpton, and the family relocated to when Egan was seven, where she grew up alongside her half-brother Graham, born when she was six and a half. In , Egan was immersed in the fading echoes of the during the , an environment marked by cultural experimentation that later subtly informed her explorations of societal shifts in her writing. As a teenager, she navigated the city's vibrant, rebellious scenes, including punk music and youthful forays into drugs and , shaping her early worldview amid this dynamic backdrop.

Academic Pursuits

Egan attended the Katherine Delmar Burke School in from third through eighth grade, followed by Lowell High School, where she navigated the transition from a private girls' institution to a large public high school during the . Her San Francisco upbringing provided a vibrant cultural backdrop that influenced her early interests in and . She pursued a degree in English literature at the , graduating in 1985. At Penn, Egan immersed herself in experimental narratives and , studying works by authors such as , , and , which honed her distinctive narrative style. Following graduation, she received the Thouron Award scholarship, enabling her to earn a in English literature at St John's College, , where she engaged deeply with classic texts and began conceptualizing her early writing projects. In the fall of 1987, after completing her studies at , Egan relocated to to dedicate herself fully to writing. To support her ambitions, she took on various entry-level positions, including working in a typing pool, reading unsolicited manuscripts for , and ghostwriting a for Aline, Countess of Romanones. These roles, which involved proofreading and editorial tasks, provided practical experience in language and narrative while sustaining her transition to a professional writing career.

Writing Career

Early Publications and Debut

Egan began her professional writing career in the late 1980s by publishing short stories in prominent literary magazines, including , Harper's, and . These early pieces established her reputation for exploring complex emotional landscapes and interpersonal dynamics, often drawing on themes of displacement and self-discovery. Her debut short story collection, Emerald City and Other Stories, compiled several of these works and was published in 1996, marking her initial foray into book form. Egan's first novel, The Invisible Circus, appeared in 1995 under Nan A. Talese/Doubleday. Inspired by her own post-college travels through and a fascination with the 1960s she had missed as a younger generation, the narrative centers on Phoebe O'Connor, an 18-year-old woman haunted by the 1970 suicide of her older sister, , in . Phoebe embarks on a journey retracing Faith's path across —from to to and eventually —seeking answers about her sister's involvement in radical activism and the personal disillusionments that led to her death, while grappling with her own sense of inadequacy and longing for that era's idealism. The novel was adapted into a 2001 film directed by Adam Brooks, featuring as Faith and as Phoebe, which premiered at the and received mixed reviews for its handling of the source material's emotional depth. Securing publication for The Invisible Circus proved challenging, a process that underscored the hurdles of entering the industry without established credentials. Initial critical responses praised the novel's sensitive portrayal of generational and familial , with reviewers noting Egan's assured and her ability to evoke the seductive yet destructive pull of countercultural ideals. Publications like highlighted its exploration of identity and loss through Phoebe's quest, positioning Egan as a promising new voice in American fiction, though some critiqued its thematic emphasis over plot momentum.

Major Works and Developments

Egan's second novel, Look at Me (2001), delves into themes of identity and the pervasive influence of media in a post-9/11 world, following a fashion model whose face is reconstructed after a car accident, intertwining her story with those of a teenage girl and a potential terrorist. The narrative presciently explores the commodification of personal stories and the fragility of self-perception amid societal upheaval, earning recognition as a finalist for the in Fiction. Building on her earlier short stories that experimented with fragmented perspectives, this work marked Egan's growing ambition in weaving multiple viewpoints into a cohesive exploration of American life. Her third novel, The Keep (2006), blends gothic elements with contemporary , set in a remote where a media mogul builds a labyrinthine structure, exploring themes of isolation, , and the blurring of and through nested narratives. Egan achieved a major breakthrough with A Visit from the Goon Squad (2010), a Pulitzer Prize-winning structured as a series of interconnected stories spanning decades in the lives of figures and their associates, incorporating innovative elements such as a chapter presented in PowerPoint slides to depict a child's fragmented family dynamics. The book examines the inexorable passage of time and cultural shifts through non-linear timelines, blending humor and in its portrayal of aging and obsolescence. This experimental approach culminated in a , The Candy House (2022), which expands the Goon Squad universe by introducing a called Own Your Unconscious that allows users to externalize and share memories, probing deeper into themes of digital connectivity, authenticity, and collective remembrance. In Manhattan Beach (2017), Egan shifted toward , setting the story in WWII-era and following Anna Kerrigan, a young woman who becomes the Brooklyn Navy Yard's first diver while searching for her missing amid wartime secrets and . This novel represents a departure from her prior experimental forms, adopting a more linear, immersive to evoke the era's social constraints on women and the homefront's undercurrents of mystery and resilience. Throughout her career, Egan's style has evolved from the bold, multi-voiced experiments of Look at Me, The Keep, and A Visit from the Goon Squad—characterized by non-linear timelines and genre-blending—to a more traditional yet richly detailed approach in Manhattan Beach, while retaining her signature fusion of personal intimacy with broader societal commentary. As of 2025, no major new novels have been announced, though Egan continues to explore innovative storytelling in ongoing projects.

Institutional Roles and Contributions

In 1996, Jennifer Egan received a in Fiction, which supported her early writing career alongside a Fellowship in Fiction and a Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Fellowship at the . Egan served as president of PEN America from 2018 to 2020, leading the organization in its mission to defend free expression and protect writers facing persecution. During her tenure, she advocated against global censorship, notably calling for justice in the murder of journalist to underscore the risks of truth-telling, and addressed threats to free speech amid the , including suppression of information and attacks on journalists. Egan has held teaching positions and residencies at several institutions, most notably as in the English Department at the on two occasions, where she taught courses on 19th- and 20th-century literature. She has also conducted residencies and workshops at universities including the and , contributing to and literary education. Beyond her fiction, Egan has contributed nonfiction articles and journalism to prominent literary magazines, including cover stories for on topics such as homeless children and in youth, as well as long-form reporting on street for . Her short stories have appeared in outlets like , , , and . Egan's public engagements, including extensive book tours and interviews, have reinforced her role as an author-activist, particularly through discussions on literature's political power and the importance of free expression during her leadership.

Awards and Honors

Major Literary Prizes

Jennifer Egan's novel A Visit from the Goon Squad (2010) earned her the in 2011, recognizing its innovative structure as a collection of linked stories exploring time, , and human connections in industry. The award, administered by , honors distinguished fiction by an American author published in the preceding year and is selected through a process involving nominations from publishers, review by a of three literary experts, and final approval by the 18-member Board. Egan's victory, announced on April 18, 2011, marked a pivotal moment in her career and establishing her as a major voice in contemporary amid a cultural shift toward narratives. The same novel also secured the for Fiction in 2011 (for books published in 2010), awarded by the NBCC, an organization of over 600 professional book reviewers, through a nomination process by members followed by voting among the board and finalists. This honor, presented on March 10, 2011, at the in New York, highlighted the book's experimental form—blending traditional prose with a PowerPoint chapter—and its competition against high-profile works like Jonathan Franzen's , underscoring Egan's innovative approach during a year of debates over literary form and accessibility. A Visit from the Goon Squad additionally won the 2011 for Fiction, awarded annually for outstanding works of fiction published in the previous year, selected by a panel of judges including authors, critics, and booksellers. Announced on April 22, 2011, the prize further affirmed the novel's critical acclaim. In 2018, Egan received the Medal for Excellence in Fiction for Manhattan Beach (2017), a historical novel set during that follows a woman's journey into underwater at the . Administered by the American Library Association's Reference and User Services Association, the medal recognizes outstanding fiction for adult readers published in the U.S. the previous year, selected by a panel of nine library professionals based on criteria emphasizing narrative impact and reader engagement. Announced on January 28, 2018, at the ALA Midwinter Meeting, the award affirmed Egan's versatility in shifting from postmodern experimentation to historical realism, contributing to the novel's status as a New York Times bestseller and broadening her international readership. Egan's The Candy House (2022), a mosaic sequel to A Visit from the Goon Squad delving into memory-sharing technology, received a nomination in 2023 for the Kurd-Laßwitz-Preis in the category of Best Foreign Work (for its German translation Candy Haus, published by S. Fischer in 2022). This prestigious German award, named after science fiction pioneer Kurd Laßwitz and voted on by readers of the magazine Science Fiction Times, honors translated non-German SF works; the nomination, announced on March 15, 2023, among seven finalists, reflects growing recognition of Egan's speculative elements in European genre circles. The Finnish translation of The Candy House, titled Piparkakkutalo, was shortlisted for the 2024 Tähtivaeltaja Award, Finland's premier and fantasy prize, selected by a for the best translated SF/F work published in the previous year. The shortlist was announced on February 12, 2024.

Fellowships and Other Recognitions

In 1986, Egan received the Thouron Award, which funded her graduate studies at the , where she earned a in English literature. Egan was awarded a in 1996 to support her . She also received a Fellowship in Fiction, recognizing her contributions to . Additionally, she held a Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Fellowship at the , providing dedicated time for her literary projects. Her novel Look at Me earned her a place as a finalist for the in Fiction in 2001, marking an early milestone in her career. Egan's works have achieved commercial success, with Manhattan Beach becoming a New York Times bestseller in 2017 and The Candy House following suit in 2022. In 2025, she was honored with the National Arts Club's Medal of Honor in Literature, joining distinguished figures such as and in recognition of her lifetime achievements.

Critical Reception

Themes and Narrative Style

Jennifer Egan's fiction frequently explores the inexorable passage of time as a destructive force, often symbolized by the "goon squad" metaphor in her Pulitzer Prize-winning novel A Visit from the Goon Squad, where time erodes personal connections and cultural artifacts alike. This theme intertwines with technology's role in fragmenting human experience, as seen in her depictions of digital media's impact on and identity, where characters grapple with the ephemerality of online interactions and the loss of authentic recollection. emerges as a central motif, portrayed not as a reliable but as a malleable construct influenced by collective cultural disconnection, evident in her narratives of aging rock musicians and post-9/11 alienation. Egan's narrative style is marked by innovative experimentation, favoring non-linear structures that mimic the disjointed nature of memory and time. She employs multiple perspectives to weave interconnected stories, creating a mosaic effect that challenges traditional , as in A Visit from the Goon Squad's spanning decades. A hallmark of her approach is the integration of unconventional formats, such as the PowerPoint presentation chapter in A Visit from the Goon Squad, which visually represents data-driven emotional narratives and critiques technological mediation of personal stories. These techniques draw from postmodern traditions, emphasizing fragmentation to reflect contemporary life's discontinuities. Egan's oeuvre demonstrates an evolution from the realism of her 1990s debut novel The Invisible Circus, which adopts a linear, introspective style to examine personal loss amid historical upheaval, to the postmodern experimentation of works like The Candy House, while incorporating more traditional historical narrative in novels such as Manhattan Beach. In The Invisible Circus, set against the backdrop of and family tragedy, her prose is grounded in psychological depth and chronological progression, reflecting early influences of . By contrast, her post-2000s novels incorporate speculative elements and hybrid forms, signaling a shift toward broader cultural critiques. Historical events profoundly shape this storytelling, with informing the espionage and resilience in Manhattan Beach, and the underscoring themes of disconnection in The Keep. Throughout her work, Egan delves into and identity, particularly through complex protagonists who navigate societal expectations and personal agency. In The Keep, the character Ray's reflections on women's roles highlight tensions between vulnerability and power, while Manhattan Beach centers on Anna Kerrigan's defiance of 1940s norms in a male-dominated wartime world. These explorations often intersect with themes of memory and technology, as in The Candy House, where characters confront identity erosion in a networked society of shared . Egan's portrayals emphasize resilience amid disconnection, using identity as a lens to critique broader cultural shifts.

Scholarly and Cultural Impact

Egan's work has garnered significant scholarly attention, beginning with the first international academic conference dedicated to her oeuvre, titled "Invisible Circus: An International Conference on the Work of Jennifer Egan," held at Birkbeck, University of London, in April 2014 and organized by Zara Dinnen. The event explored her contributions to postmodernism and metafiction, particularly through analyses of narrative innovation in novels like A Visit from the Goon Squad (2010). Subsequent scholarship has delved into her fragmented narrative structures, which disrupt linear storytelling to mirror the disjointed experiences of modern life, as seen in examinations of A Visit from the Goon Squad. Additionally, critics have highlighted her incisive commentary on the digital age, including the ways technology reshapes identity and communication in works such as The Candy House (2022). On the cultural front, Egan's novels have inspired adaptations that extend her reach beyond . Following the 2001 film version of Look at Me, directed by , efforts to adapt A Visit from the Goon Squad for television include HBO's 2011 development deal, which aimed to capture the novel's ensemble format but ultimately stalled. In 2023, announced a series of both A Visit from the Goon Squad and The Candy House, with set to direct, though the project remained in development without realization by 2025. These attempts underscore the perceived adaptability of her thematic concerns, such as time, technology, and human connection, to visual media. Egan's influence extends to contemporary authors, who have drawn on her genre-blending approaches to explore and narrative experimentation in . Her books are staples in university curricula, frequently assigned in courses on modern and ; for instance, A Visit from the Goon Squad appears in syllabi at institutions like the and , while Egan herself has taught seminars on at the , her . As of November 2025, scholarly analysis of her post-2022 publications continues to emerge, with studies on The Candy House—such as examinations of digital overload and the resurgence of —indicating growing academic interest though still less comprehensive than critiques of her earlier works.

Personal Life

Marriage and Family

Jennifer Egan married David Herskovits, a theater director and founding of the experimental Target Margin Theater in , on June 25, 1994. The couple, who met while studying at the and dated for several years before their wedding, waited nearly a decade to start a family, reflecting their deliberate approach to commitment. They share a supportive creative partnership, with Herskovits's work in theater complementing Egan's literary career, often involving discussions of narrative and performance that enrich their family life. The couple has two sons, Emmanuel (known as Manu) and Raoul, born in the early 2000s. Egan has spoken about the challenges and joys of early parenthood, including traveling with their infant son to France in 2001 for one of Herskovits's directing projects, which highlighted the family's adaptability. As her sons grew, Egan adapted her writing schedule around family responsibilities, dedicating mornings to drafting by hand—typically five to seven pages in one to two hours—before school pickups, a routine that helped her transition from to more focused novelistic work amid motherhood's demands. Egan's choice to reside in Brooklyn's Fort Greene neighborhood was influenced by the need for a vibrant, family-oriented community that supported both and her professional life, avoiding the isolation she associated with suburbs while embracing the area's literary stimulation and proximity to schools. By 2017, with her sons aged 15 and 17, Egan noted greater ease in balancing her career, as their increasing independence allowed more uninterrupted time for writing and promotion. As of 2017, no significant changes to their family structure have been reported, with the couple continuing to live in .

Residences and Daily Life

Jennifer Egan relocated to the Fort Greene neighborhood of in 2000, purchasing a that has since served as her primary residence and a stable foundation for her writing endeavors. This move from provided a quieter, community-oriented environment conducive to , with the home's dedicated writing room—filled with bookshelves of influential literature—becoming central to her process. Bordering Clinton Hill, the area has allowed her to immerse in 's vibrant cultural scene without major disruptions, and no significant relocations have been reported as of 2022. Her daily life revolves around a disciplined routine that balances writing with responsibilities. Egan typically dedicates the mornings to composition, aiming for four hours of focused work, often producing five to seven pages in longhand to maintain momentum without exhaustion. Afternoons and evenings incorporate neighborhood walks, such as those along the or through , which spark ideas and provide reflective space amid her family-oriented lifestyle with her husband and two sons. These outings foster a sense of connection to her surroundings, enhancing the urban texture in her narratives. Egan's personal habits reflect deep interests in music, art, and urban exploration, which shape her home environment and creative output. A former frontwoman for an band and a student of and , she curates spaces infused with these elements, drawing inspiration from Brooklyn's architectural and cultural landmarks during exploratory strolls. She maintains a low profile on personal matters, including health or private challenges, prioritizing in her public persona.

Bibliography

Novels

Jennifer Egan has published five novels to date, with no additional works announced or released between 2022 and November 2025. The Invisible Circus (Nan A. Talese/Doubleday, 1995; 352 pages) follows eighteen-year-old Phoebe O'Connor as she journeys across in 1978 to unravel the mystery surrounding her older sister's death eight years prior. The novel has been translated into languages including French, German, Italian, and Spanish, and reissued in paperback by Anchor Books in 2007. Look at Me (Nan A. Talese/Doubleday, 2001; 432 pages) traces the converging paths of a disfigured former model returning to her Midwestern roots and a family navigating personal crises in the aftermath of , 2001. It has appeared in international editions, such as translations in French (by Éditions de l'Olivier) and German (by Kiepenheuer & Witsch). A Visit from the Goon Squad (, 2010; 288 pages) comprises thirteen linked stories that span over forty years, chronicling the lives of figures and their associates amid evolving cultural and technological shifts. The book has been widely translated, including into French, Spanish, Italian, and Chinese, and issued in various formats such as audiobooks and e-books. Manhattan Beach (Scribner, 2017; 448 pages) depicts the life of Anna Kerrigan during in New York, as she assumes a perilous role in the while probing her father's disappearance. It has been published in multiple languages, such as French (by Globe) and German (by Luchterhand), and adapted into an narrated by the author. The Candy House (Scribner, 2022; 352 pages) weaves a sequel mosaic to A Visit from the Goon Squad, examining how a revolutionary memory-access reshapes the connections and trajectories of returning and new characters. Available in translations including French, Italian, and Spanish, it features special editions with signed bookplates through independent booksellers.

Short Story Collections and Selected Stories

Jennifer Egan's debut short story collection, and Other Stories, was published in 1996 by /Doubleday and gathers eleven pieces previously featured in magazines like . The stories examine characters in moments of transition and yearning, often amid travel or urban dislocation, with settings spanning New York, , and suburban America. Among the standout entries is "Why ?", first appearing in in 1995, which traces a disgraced banker exiled to who encounters a former associate and confronts the betrayals that led to his downfall, all while neglecting his family back home. Another key story, "," depicts a ninth-grade Catholic schoolgirl navigating her parents' through an intense, unrequited infatuation with a rebellious classmate, blending adolescent confusion with subtle explorations of identity. The title story, "," portrays an aspiring photographer assisting a fashion shoot in New York, where the glamour of the "" masks personal disillusionment and fleeting connections. Beyond the collection, Egan has produced notable standalone short fiction in leading outlets. "The Stylist," published in The New Yorker in 1989, follows a veteran hairdresser facing an ethical crisis when a longtime client proposes a morally compromising arrangement. In a bold formal experiment, "Black Box" appeared in The New Yorker in 2012 as a serialized spy narrative delivered via 140-character tweets over ten days, chronicling an operative's covert mission in a Middle Eastern country through fragmented, second-person updates. Egan's contributions extend to anthologies and periodicals, including "Out of Body" from (2010), selected for , which delves into a young man's hallucinatory reflections on and loss during a New York night out. Her work has also featured in and through the early 2020s, showcasing concise explorations of memory and technology. No new short stories by Egan have been published since 2022 as of November 2025. Egan's short fiction frequently functions as an experimental arena, where she tests unconventional structures—like the tweet-length bursts of —that later influence her novelistic techniques, emphasizing brevity and potential over linear plotting.

References

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  10. https://www.nytimes.com/2001/04/05/business/bill-kimpton-65-the-chairman-of-a-group-of-boutique-hotels.html
  11. https://www.burkes.org/news-detail?pk=1407044
  12. https://penntoday.upenn.edu/news/Jennifer-Egan-english-major-cheerleader-champion
  13. https://www.simonandschuster.com/authors/Jennifer-Egan/408817737
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  25. https://www.npr.org/2017/10/05/554560481/in-manhattan-beach-jennifer-egan-dives-deep-into-wwii-new-york-city
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  31. https://pen.org/a-coronavirus-update-from-pen-america/
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  34. https://liberalarts.tulane.edu/newsletter/pulitzer-prize-winner-jennifer-egan-spotlights-power-fiction-during-great-writers-series
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  36. https://www.chicagohumanities.org/media/video-jennifer-egan-political-power-writing/
  37. https://www.theguardian.com/books/2011/apr/19/jennifer-egan-pulitzer-prize
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  58. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/387410045_Ruins_of_the_Future_The_Crisis_of_Communication_in_Jennifer_Egan%27s_The_Candy_House_Sladana_Stamenkovic
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  67. https://www.washingtonpost.com/books/interactive/2023/jennifer-egan-home-library/
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  72. https://www.audible.com/blog/jennifer-egan-asks-how-much-sharing-is-too-much-sharing
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  77. https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Manhattan-Beach/Jennifer-Egan/9781476716732
  78. https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/jennifer-egan/the-candy-house-egan/
  79. https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/45391/emerald-city-by-jennifer-egan/
  80. https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1995/04/24/why-china
  81. https://www.thecommononline.org/resisting-the-path-of-least-resistance-an-interview-with-jennifer-egan/
  82. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10436928.2020.1709713
  83. https://shortstoryproject.com/stories/emerald-city/
  84. https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1989/03/13/the-stylist
  85. https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2012/06/04/black-box
  86. https://sloopie72.wordpress.com/2011/11/03/bass-2011-jennifer-egan-out-of-body-from-tin-house/
  87. https://www.nationalbook.org/people/jennifer-egan/
  88. https://jenniferegan.com/
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