Jen Beagin

American novelist and writer

Genre

Fiction
essays

Notable works

Notable awardsWhiting Award

Jen Beagin (born 1971) is an American novelist and writer.

Life and career

Early life and education

Beagin grew up in Torrance, California, and moved to Lowell, Massachusetts, in her youth.^[1] She returned to college in her mid-30s,^[2] and attended the University of Massachusetts Boston.^[3] She earned an MFA in Writing from the University of California, Irvine.^[4]^[5]

Professional life

Among other jobs, Beagin was a long time housecleaner. This inspired the character of Mona, who is the housecleaner protagonist of her first two books.^[6]

Published works

Pretend I'm Dead (2015)

Pretend I'm Dead, her first novel, received a starred review from Kirkus Reviews which also noted it among the Best Fiction of 2018.^[7] Pretend I'm Dead was shortlisted for the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize.^[8] The popular website Emily Books gave an early positive review of the book,^[9] the first edition of which was published by Northwestern University Press in 2015.^[10] The novel was reissued as a hardcover in 2018 by Simon & Schuster.^[11]

Vacuum in the Dark (2019)

Vacuum in the Dark,^[12] a sequel to Pretend I'm Dead, received a starred Kirkus review and was named a best book for February 2019 by Oprah Magazine.^[13] Publishers Weekly has a starred review, calling it "a sharp and superb novel" that "pulls no punches—this novel is viciously smart and morbidly funny."^[14]

Big Swiss (2023)

Big Swiss is about a woman who transcribes sex therapy sessions and how she falls for a client Flavia, the titular "Big Swiss".

Publishers Weekly Tip Sheet notes that "This unconventional love story has a surplus of appeal from page one."^[15]

Critical reception

Entertainment Weekly said: "Beagin stands out among fiction's fresh crop of promising voices."^[16] NPR Books says that "Beagin is a wonderfully funny writer who also happens to tackle serious subjects."^[17]

Awards and nominations

Awards

2017: Whiting Award for fiction^[18]^[19]
2018: Pretend I'm Dead shortlisted for the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize.^[20]
2019: Vacuum in the Dark shortlist for the Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse Prize for Comic Fiction.^[21]

Bibliography

Novels

— (2018). Pretend I'm Dead. Simon & Schuster. ISBN 978-1501183935.
— (2019). Vacuum in the Dark. Simon & Schuster. ISBN 978-1501182143.
— (2023). Big Swiss. Simon & Schuster. ISBN 978-1982153083.

Short fiction

— (2013). Juked, Issue 11. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)

Essays

— (2018). PowellsBooks.Blog: Original Essays. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
— (2019). Publishers Weekly. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)

References

^ Gutman, Jennifer. "Hole In One: Jen Beagin". Chronogram Magazine. Retrieved 2019-03-12.
^ Ragsdale, Melissa (2015-12-17). "Somewhere on the Path Towards Self-Awareness: An Interview with Jen Beagin". Electric Literature. Retrieved 2019-03-12.
^ Gutman, Jennifer. "Hole In One: Jen Beagin". Chronogram Magazine. Retrieved 2019-03-12.
^ "UCI M.F.A. alumna Jen Beagin '11 receives Whiting Award in fiction". www.humanities.uci.edu. Retrieved 2019-03-03.
^ "UC Irvine MFA Alumni Publications". Retrieved 2019-03-17.
^ Jen Beagin on How She Began to Write Fiction (Video), Simon & Schuster, 2019-01-28, retrieved 2019-03-12
^ "Kirkus Review: Pretend I'm Dead by Jen Beagin". Kirkus Reviews. 15 May 2018.
^ "2018 Short List for Fiction First Novel Prize". centerforfiction.org. Retrieved 2019-03-18.
^ "Pretend I'm Dead | Emily Books". www.emilybooks.com. Retrieved 2019-03-01.
^ "Pretend I'm Dead | Northwestern University Press". nupress.northwestern.edu. Retrieved 2019-03-01.
^ Beagin, Jen (2018). Pretend I'm Dead. Simon & Schuster. p. 240. ISBN 9781501194429.
^ Beagin, Jen (2019). Vacuum in the Dark. Simon & Schuster. ISBN 9781501182143.
^ "These 4 Newly-Released Books Will Give You Plenty to Talk About at the Dinner Table". Oprah Magazine. 2019-02-12. Retrieved 2019-03-01.
^ "Fiction Book Review: Vacuum in the Dark by Jen Beagin". www.publishersweekly.com. Retrieved 2019-03-01.
^ "Big Swiss by Jen Beagin". www.publishersweekly.com. Retrieved 2022-10-15.
^ Canfield, David (2019-02-26). "Jen Beagin on writing bad boyfriends, worse behavior, and a hilarious new literary hero". EW.com. Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2019-03-01.
^ Schaub, Michael (2019-02-26). "'Vacuum In The Dark' Is Fun, Funny — But Never Frivolous". NPR.org. NBR Books. Retrieved 2019-03-01.
^ Beagin, Jen. "Jen Beagin, 2017 Winner in Fiction". www.whiting.org. Retrieved 2019-03-01.
^ "Whiting Honorees". The Paris Review. 2017-03-22. Retrieved 2019-03-06.
^ "2018 First Novel Prize Shortlist". centerforfiction.org. Retrieved 2019-03-01.
^ Press Association (2019-04-17). "Wodehouse prize for comic fiction returns with six nominees". Evening Express. Retrieved 2019-04-18.
^ "Yoko & Yoko". louisville.edu. University of Louisville Miracle Monocle, Issue #8. Retrieved 2019-03-12.
^ Honorees, Whiting (2017-03-22). "Jen Beagin, Fiction". The Paris Review. Retrieved 2019-03-30.
^ "Vacuum in the Dark". Literary Hub. 2019-02-26. Retrieved 2019-03-12.