2002 ONE CITY ONE STORY June 28 – August 10, 2002  Discussion Toolkit:  Author Biography

Author Biography:

Mark Salzman graduated Phi Beta Kappa, Summa Cum Laude from Yale in 1982 with a degree in Chinese Language and Literature.  From 1982 to 1984, Mr. Salzman lived in China where he taught English at Hunan Medical College.  In 1985 he was the only non-Chinese invited to participate in the National Martial Arts Competition in Tianjin.

In January 1987 Random House published his first book, Iron and Silk, an account of the two years he spent in China.  The book was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for non-fiction, received the Christopher Award and the New York Public Library Literary Lions Award, and has since been translated into twelve languages.  Mr. Salzman wrote the screenplay and starred in the critically acclaimed film version of Iron and Silk, which was shot entirely on location in China.  His second book, The Laughing Sutra, a novel, was published that same year.  His third book, The Soloist, a novel about two cello prodigies of different generations, was published in January 1994, also received a Pulitzer nomination, and was a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for fiction.  His memoir of growing up in suburbia during the 70's, Lost in Place, was published in 1995.  Alfred A. Knopf published his novel Lying Awake in September of 2000, which became a national bestseller, and he was awarded a Guggenheim fellowship for the year 2000-2001 to work on his next book.