Stephen chbosky biography book

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He answered that he thought good stories always find their way back, that he didn’t think art was ever done. Chbosky was at the Book Fair to promote his new novel, Imaginary Friend. Stephen Chbosky, the giant of young adult literature, radiated kindness and empathy; he was the wise and understanding mentor taken straight out of the genre he helped perfect.

“The fact that it was a successful and a lot of people loved it was very gratifying to me. More books than SparkNotes. It’s invaluable.”   

Perks has a lot of heavy themes including sexuality and sexual abuse, substance abuse, and mental illness. I have no doubt in my mind that each of these authors has read Perks, but none of them come close to capturing the emotions and experiences that come with high school and being a teenager like Chbosky did.

“I think that quality art and entertainment for young people is beyond important,” he said. He listened to me ramble on about how I was a huge fan of his, how I was super excited to meet him, and how I thought about the line from Perks, “We accept the love we think we deserve,” basically every day. Now, I’ll go back to my movie career.’”

Now, twenty-years after Perks was published, Chbosky debuted his second novel, Imaginary Friend.

Chbosky went on to tell Beisch that he wrote the book "for very personal reasons," and was happy that people had been able to relate to it in such a positive way.

stephen chbosky biography book

In addition to film and literature, Chbosky has worked in television; he wrote for the TV drama Jericho, which premiered in September of 2006 but was cancelled in 2008.

Chbosky left Pittsburgh to attend the University of Southern California's Film Writing Program, where he began work on his first film, The Four Corners of Nowhere, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival.

“I will continue to write books and I will continue to make movies, but I know too much about the business to know that when I die, the first line of my obituary will mention The Perks of Being a Wallflower,” he said.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower was Chbosky's first novel, as well as his most successful, but Chbosky's talents extend beyond his role as a novelist.

Naturally, when a film version of the 1999 novel was first announced - originally with the legendary John...

“Perks of Being a Wallflower” author Stephen Chbosky on life, art, and empowering young people

Stephen Chbosky might be the nicest person I’ve ever met. After writing The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Chbosky revealed that the character Bill, a literature teacher, was based on Stern and reflected the positive influence of Stern on his own development.

Because he wouldn’t be Stephen Chbosky without devoting himself to empowering young people and giving them a sense of worth and belonging. Perks is an epistolary novel written entirely in letters from a high school freshman named Charlie simply addressed “Dear Friend.” The latest addition is a newly penned letter; “I wanted to write about what Charlie would say twenty years later.”

The letter is wonderfully reassuring.

I interviewed him as a “Teen Member of the Press” for the Miami Book Fair. It is Chbosky's most famous work, and it has been translated into 31 languages and has remained on the New York Times Bestseller...

The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012 Film)Stephen Chbosky

For many relatively young readers, Stephen Chbosky's novel The Perks of Being a Wallflower is one of the most important books of their lives.

And we can tell.