James wood critic biography

James Wood (born 1965) is an English-American literary critic, essayist, and novelist renowned for his incisive analyses of fiction and his contributions to contemporary literary discourse.^[1][2] He serves as a staff writer and book critic at The New Yorker, a position he has held since 2007, where his essays explore the craft of narrative and the moral dimensions of storytelling.^[1] Wood is also the Professor of the Practice of Literary Criticism at Harvard University, teaching courses on 20th-century literature and the intersections of religion and fiction.^[3][4]Born in Durham, England, to evangelical Christian parents—his father a minister—Wood grew up in a deeply religious household that profoundly shaped his early worldview, later influencing his transfer of "holiness" to literature after losing his faith.^[5][6] He attended Eton College on a scholarship before earning an M.A.

from Jesus College, Cambridge, in 1988, where his studies focused on English literature.^[3][7] In his twenties, Wood emerged as a formidable voice in British criticism, beginning his career as a book reviewer for The Guardian, where he gained notoriety for his sharp, often brutal assessments of contemporary novels.^[6]Wood's professional trajectory accelerated when he became chief literary critic at The Guardian from 1992 to 1995, earning the British Press Young Journalist of the Year Award in 1990 for his early work.^[8] He then relocated to the United States in 1995, serving as a senior editor at The New Republic until 2007, during which time he honed his reputation as one of the leading critics of his generation through essays that blended close reading with broader cultural commentary.^[1][6] At Harvard, he has taught alongside luminaries like Saul Bellow and continues to emphasize the persuasive power of criticism in illuminating literary texts.^[6] His move to The New Yorker solidified his transatlantic influence, and in 2009, he received the National Magazine Award for reviews and criticism, recognizing his exceptional contributions to the field.^[1][8]As an author, Wood has published six collections of essays, including The Broken Estate: Essays on Literature and Belief (1999), which examines faith and fiction; The Irresponsible Self: On Laughter and the Novel (2004); How Fiction Works (2008), a seminal study of narrative techniques; The Fun Stuff (2012); The Nearest Thing to Life (2015), blending memoir and criticism; and Serious Noticing: Selected Essays (2019).^[1][3] He is also the author of two novels: The Book Against God (2003), a philosophical tale of doubt and disbelief, and Upstate (2018), exploring family tensions in contemporary America.^[1] Wood's criticism draws on influences like Virginia Woolf, Henry James, and Samuel Taylor Coleridge, emphasizing "serious noticing"—a meticulous attention to the textures of prose that reveals deeper truths about human experience.^[6] Elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2007, he remains a pivotal figure in Anglo-American letters, celebrated for bridging academic rigor with accessible, eloquent prose.^[8]

Early years

Family background

James Wood was born on 1 November 1965 in Durham, England.^[9]He was the middle child of Dennis William Wood, a professor of zoology at Durham University who also served as a minister, and Sheila Graham Wood, a schoolteacher at a local girls' school.^[10][11]Wood grew up in a strict evangelical household within the Church of England, where his parents' faith shaped every aspect of family life.^[12][13]Daily routines revolved around prayer, Bible study, and church attendance, creating an atmosphere of earnest high-mindedness and central planning under religious principles, with the Scriptures permeating their home—his mother's Scottish Presbyterian and evangelical heritage reinforcing this intensity.^[12][10]This environment profoundly molded Wood's early worldview, instilling a rigorous engagement with faith and doubt that ignited his fascination with literature as both an escape from doctrinal certainties and a space to probe deeper questions of belief and human experience.^[13][12][10]Wood later transitioned to formal education at the Durham Chorister School.^[13]

Education

Wood received his early education at Durham Chorister School, an ecclesiastical institution emphasizing subjects such as Latin, history, divinity, and music, where he sang in the cathedral choir.^[14] Growing up in an evangelical family, this environment helped foster his early literary interests alongside his musical pursuits.^[13]He continued his schooling at Eton College on a music scholarship, supported by a bursary reflecting his family's circumstances, where he further developed his talents as a pianist and trumpet player while engaging with literary studies.^[11][15] At Eton, Wood's exposure to a rigorous academic setting honed his analytical skills, preparing him for advanced critical work.Wood then studied English literature at Jesus College, Cambridge, graduating in 1988 with a First-Class Honours degree, a distinction that underscored his exceptional academic performance in the field.^[11][3] This achievement marked the culmination of his formal education and laid the groundwork for his future as a literary critic.^[16]

Career

Literary journalism

James Wood began his prominent career in literary journalism as the chief literary critic for The Guardian in London, a position he held from 1992 to 1995.^[1] In this role, he established himself as a discerning voice on contemporary literature, contributing incisive reviews that blended close reading with broader cultural analysis.^[17]In 1995, Wood relocated to the United States to assume the role of senior editor at The New Republic, where he remained until 2007.^[1] During this period, he expanded his influence through regular columns that examined the state of fiction and nonfiction, often engaging with major literary figures and trends.^[18] His tenure at the magazine solidified his reputation as a leading transatlantic critic, bridging British and American literary discourse.^[8]Wood joined The New Yorker as a staff writer in 2007, continuing his focus on book reviews and cultural essays.^[18] Over the years, his contributions have appeared in other major outlets, including The New York Times, the New York Review of Books, and the London Review of Books, where he serves on the editorial board.^[19][20][2] These platforms have allowed him to maintain a broad footprint in literary criticism, often intersecting with his academic teaching roles at institutions like Harvard.^[3]In recent years, Wood's journalistic output has remained prolific and diverse.

4 July 2020 . London Review of Books. 29 August 2022 . There he began to plan his last work, The March of Literature (1939). The book dissects techniques like free indirect style, character development, and narrative voice, with a particular emphasis on realism as a mode that captures the texture of lived experience, echoing influences like Gustave Flaubert's precise observation of detail.

https://web.archive.org/web/20190417113828/https://www.thecommononline.org/about/. In a 2014 essay, he recounted an interaction with a U.S. immigration officer who viewed the Green Card as a pathway to citizenship, to which Wood responded that he intended to remain British while living in America.^[57] He shares his Cambridge residence with his wife, the novelist Claire Messud, and their two children.^[54]In his 2014 London Review of Books essay "On Not Going Home," Wood reflects deeply on the experience of expatriation, describing a state of perpetual displacement that he terms "homelooseness." He explores the emotional complexities of leaving England for the U.S., where familiarity with the landscape and customs feels both comforting and alienating, underscoring his ongoing sense of not fully belonging in either place.^[57]