Mary Gaitskill
Mary Gaitskill: A Masterful Voice in American Literature
Full Name and Common Aliases
Mary Gaitskill is an American author, essayist, and translator born on September 17, 1952.
Birth and Death Dates
September 17, 1952 – present
Nationality and Profession(s)
American writer, novelist, short story writer, essayist, and translator.
Early Life and Background
Mary Gaitskill was born in Detroit, Michigan. Her family moved to Rochester, New York, where she spent most of her childhood. Growing up in a middle-class household with parents who valued education, Gaitskill developed a love for reading at an early age. She drew inspiration from the works of authors such as James Joyce and Virginia Woolf.
Gaitskill's early life experiences had a profound impact on her writing. Her family struggled financially during her adolescence, forcing her to work multiple jobs while attending high school. This hardship instilled in her a sense of resilience and determination that would shape her future writing career. After graduating from college, Gaitskill moved to New York City to pursue a career in writing.
Major Accomplishments
Mary Gaitskill's literary career spans over four decades, with numerous notable achievements:
Publication of her debut novel, "The Mare" (1996), which explores themes of love, desire, and power dynamics.
Short story collections: "Bad Behavior" (1988) and "Because They Wanted To" (1997), both critically acclaimed for their unflinching portrayal of human relationships and desires.
Essay collection: "Vermeer's Hat" (2010), a historical exploration of art and culture.Notable Works or Actions
Gaitskill's writing often delves into the complexities of human relationships, desire, and power dynamics. Her works are characterized by their:
Unflinching portrayal of characters' inner lives and desires.
Exploration of themes such as love, sex, and identity.
Use of lyrical prose to create a sense of intimacy with her readers.
Impact and Legacy
Mary Gaitskill's influence on contemporary American literature is undeniable. Her work has:
Inspired a new generation of writers to explore the complexities of human relationships.
Challenged societal norms and conventions through her unflinching portrayal of desire and power dynamics.
Cemented her position as one of the most important voices in American literary fiction.Why They Are Widely Quoted or Remembered
Mary Gaitskill is widely quoted and remembered for:
Her unique voice and perspective, which offer a nuanced exploration of human relationships and desires.
Her unflinching portrayal of complex themes and characters, making her work both thought-provoking and deeply personal.
Her influence on contemporary American literature, inspiring new voices and perspectives.
Quotes by Mary Gaitskill
My parents had met in high school and married right after my father came back from World War II. They honeymooned in Paris and returned to that city when my father, in college on the G.I. Bill, was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship.
The appeal of perfume is that it is at once ephemeral and empowering. It creates a shimmering invisible armor that lingers in a room long after its wearer has gone and infuses our imagination with a subtle power, hinting at a hidden identity.
I wasn't ever anybody who had a political thing against marriage, but I just thought, 'Why would I want to do that?'
At 16, I was in Toronto and very shy and not hanging around with anyone who was intellectual in the slightest, so I didn't really have the means to discuss what I was seeing and feeling.
Not being locked into one set of feelings, which you run the risk of mistaking for the truth, you have greater and more intense access to all feeling states, including those you would never choose to act out.
Sometimes I write from the point of view of characters whom I would dislike as people, not as a perverse exercise, but because this cracks the story open and makes me see it in a way I would not see it naturally.
A sad person who is so involved with his sadness that he mistakes it for reality will have a hard time seeing himself as anything but sad. For him, the sadness is not a feeling that he experiences - it is him.
The two basic social identities were Normal and Greaser; although a few sophisticated girls wore peace signs, hippies didn't exist, and while a seminal punk band, Iggy and the Stooges, was playing in nearby Ann Arbor, punk didn't exist yet, either.
The first person to blow up my fashion consciousness was a 14-year-old girl named Sandrine. She was the most beautiful human I had ever seen.