Author Bio
• Birth—January 22, 1978
• Where—Peoria, Illinois, USA
• Education—B.A., Colorado State University; M.F.A.,
University of Montana, 2003
• Awards—The Rona Jaffe Award, 2005; National Magazine
Award in Fiction, 2005
• Currently—lives in Missoula, Montana
Aryn Kyle is a graduate of the University of Montana writing program. Her first published short story, "Foaling Season" (which became the first chapter of her debut novel, The God of Animals), won a National Magazine Award for Fiction for the Atlantic Monthly in 2004. Other stories by her have appeared in the Georgia Review, Alaska Quarterly Review, Best New American Voices 2005, and Ploughshares.
In 2005 she was awarded the Rona Jaffe Foundation Writers' Award, which is given to women writers at an early stage in their careers who demonstrate exceptional talent and promise. She was born in Illinois, but spent most of her childhood in Grand Junction, Colorado, and now lives in Missoula, Montana. (Author biography courtesy of MacMillan.)
Extras
From a 2007 Barnes & Noble interview:
When asked what book influenced her career as a writer, here is her response:
It's impossible to name one. There have been so many books that have influenced my life—so many books that have influenced the way that I think about the world.
The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood—is probably the first book that I remember as being truly important to me. I was fourteen when I read it, and when I finished, I remember feeling like the world was a larger place than it had been before. Like I was seeing it all for the first time. For weeks afterward, I walked around feeling like I had been asleep for a long time and was suddenly wide awake. It was one of the first books I'd read that really made me want to be a writer. Other favorites would include...
Housekeeping by Marilynne Robinson—Her prose is perfection. I was assigned this novel for a college class, and during that time I followed my roommate around our apartment, reading lines aloud to her while she was trying to do laundry or clean the kitchen. I think she wanted to strangle me.
That Night by Alice McDermott—McDermott takes a subject so familiar and makes it absolutely mythic through her telling. I first read this on an overseas flight. It's such a slim little novel that I finished it long before my plane landed. I was so overwhelmed by the book that after I finished it, I turned back to the first page and read it a second time through.
Middlesex by Jeffery Eugenides—The scope of point of view throughout this novel is really incredible. I don't use the term "Great American Novel" lightly, but I can think of no other to describe this book. If I didn't love it so much, I'd be insanely jealous.
To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf— It seems that everyone I meet prefers Mrs. Dalloway, which I liked just fine. But there are parts of To the Lighthouse which have stayed with me long after. I love the way that the abandoned summer house becomes its own character and the deaths of people become, literally, parenthetical.
Escapes by Joy Williams—Oh, Joy Williams is my hero! Seriously, I want to be her when I grow up. Her short stories are absolutely devastating (in a good way).
Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov— I won't embarrass myself by trying to say anything new or insightful about Lolita. It's simply an amazing, beautiful book. I reread it every few years or so, and I always have a moment or two when I think I should just give up on writing altogether. With books like this already out there, I wonder sometimes if we really need more.
Alice In Wonderland by Lewis Carroll—This is a favorite of mine from childhood, but I've read it more than once as an adult and I still love it. I can't explain exactly why, but there's something about the darkness and nonsense that, for me, really captures the isolation and confusion of childhood.
Catch-22 by Joseph Heller—In general, I'm not a big fan of war books, which is why you should trust me when I say that this book is something remarkable. I first read it at seventeen and was literally awed by the impact it had on me. Heller was writing about World War II, but really, he could have been writing about any war. Every war. Especially in our current political climate, I think that this book goes beyond great; it's important.
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen—I'm a true fan of each of Jane Austen's books, but this is my favorite. I love the sharpness of Austen's wit, the snarky bite of her humor. I wish she was alive so that we could be friends.
The Secret History by Donna Tartt —I started reading this book and didn't come up for air until I had finished. Clear the decks before you read it. Really. If you have to put it down to go to work, feed the kids, answer the phone, or bathe, you're going to curse your life. (Author bio from Barnes & Noble.)