Keir Graff
Encyclopedia
Keir Graff is an American
novel
ist and literary editor
.
. He has had four novels published and is also the editor of Booklist Online, a publication of the American Library Association
that consists chiefly of book reviews. He currently resides in Chicago.
. In 2005 Graff was named senior editor of the newly created Booklist Online. His first novel, Cold Lessons, was published under the pseudonym Michael McCulloch in 2007. Other books soon followed under his real name: My Fellow Americans (2007), One Nation Under God (2008), and The Price of Liberty (2010). Graff's first children's book, The Other Felix, will be published in fall 2011. He also is under contract to write a second children's book.
Reviews of The Price of Liberty were positive, with Library Journal calling it "another winner" and Publishers Weekly concluding "Graff's cynical take on government waste and corporate greed plays well." . Other review sources offered praise, including ForeWord ("Graff's writing keeps the reader anxious for the next scene."), the Chicago Sun-Times ("Other contemporary thriller writers resort to the exotic and outlandish to sustain their narrative, but Graff builds suspense around real people in the real world.") , Blogcritics.org ("a first-class thriller that sweeps the reader along on a bouncy, jarring ride" , and more.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
ist and literary editor
Literary editor
A literary editor is an editor in a newspaper, magazine or similar publication who deals with aspects concerning literature and books, especially reviews. A literary editor may also help with editing books themselves, by providing services such as proof reading, copy-editing, and literary...
.
Biography
Graff was born and raised in Missoula, MontanaMissoula, Montana
Missoula is a city located in western Montana and is the county seat of Missoula County. The 2010 Census put the population of Missoula at 66,788 and the population of Missoula County at 109,299. Missoula is the principal city of the Missoula Metropolitan Area...
. He has had four novels published and is also the editor of Booklist Online, a publication of the American Library Association
American Library Association
The American Library Association is a non-profit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world, with more than 62,000 members....
that consists chiefly of book reviews. He currently resides in Chicago.
Career
Graff moved to Chicago, Illinois in 1996. After quitting his job in 1997 to go on "wife support," he wrote and tried to sell screenplays before finding more success as a freelance writer. In 2001 he accepted a position as editorial assistant at BooklistBooklist
Booklist is a publication of the American Library Association that provides critical reviews of books and audiovisual materials for all ages. It is geared toward libraries and booksellers and is available in print or online...
. In 2005 Graff was named senior editor of the newly created Booklist Online. His first novel, Cold Lessons, was published under the pseudonym Michael McCulloch in 2007. Other books soon followed under his real name: My Fellow Americans (2007), One Nation Under God (2008), and The Price of Liberty (2010). Graff's first children's book, The Other Felix, will be published in fall 2011. He also is under contract to write a second children's book.
Reviews
Critical response to Graff's novels has been mixed at times but appears to be improving. Reviewing My Fellow Americans, Library Journal wrote that "Graff . . . has a light but sure hand. Jason's harrowing adventures, perfectly paced and leavened by touches of humor, are gripping from start to finish." Publishers Weekly disagreed: "While many thoughtful observers have wondered whether the war on terror will cost the U.S. its soul, Graff barely scratches the surface of the challenging ideas his intriguing conceit presents." Publishers Weekly was also critical of One Nation, Under God, calling it "unconvincing fictional effort to paint the extreme religious right as a major threat." The Chicago Sun-Times, however, noted that " . . . One Nation evokes such paranoid 1970s thrillers as The Parallax View and Six Days of the Condor."Reviews of The Price of Liberty were positive, with Library Journal calling it "another winner" and Publishers Weekly concluding "Graff's cynical take on government waste and corporate greed plays well." . Other review sources offered praise, including ForeWord ("Graff's writing keeps the reader anxious for the next scene."), the Chicago Sun-Times ("Other contemporary thriller writers resort to the exotic and outlandish to sustain their narrative, but Graff builds suspense around real people in the real world.") , Blogcritics.org ("a first-class thriller that sweeps the reader along on a bouncy, jarring ride" , and more.
Awards
Graff was named a finalist for the Society of Midland Authors Fiction Prize in 2011, for his book The Price of Liberty.Novels
- Cold Lessons (2007) (written under the pseudonym Michael McCulloch)
- My Fellow Americans (2007)
- One Nation, Under God (2008)
- The Price of Liberty (2010)