Quick Facts
Biography
Sarah Bartlett Churchwell (born 1970) is an American-born academic who is the Professor of American Literature and Public Understanding of the Humanities, and director of the Being Human festival at the University of London, UK. She is known for her expertise in twentieth- and twenty-first-century fiction. She regularly appears on British television and radio and has also judged several literary prizes, including the Booker Prize, the Women's (Orange) Prize for Fiction, and the David Cohen Prize for Literature.
Early life
She grew up in Winnetka, near Chicago, Illinois and was awarded a BA in English Literature from Vassar College and an MA and PhD in English and American Literature from Princeton University.
Career
Churchwell has lectured at the University of East Anglia between 1999 and 2016, when she took up the role of Professor of American Literature and Public Understanding of the Humanities, and director of the Being Human festival at the School of Advanced Study, University of London, UK. She has written for many publications including The Times Literary Supplement, The New York Times Book Review, The Spectator, The New Statesman, The Guardian and The Observer. Her works include a book about Marilyn Monroe entitled The Many Lives of Marilyn Monroe (2004) and a book about F. Scott Fitzgerald and The Great Gatsby entitled Careless People: Murder, Mayhem and the Invention of The Great Gatsby (2013). Her television appearances include Newsnight, Question Time, The Review Show, and The Sharp End with Clive Anderson.
Churchwell was a member of the judging panel for the 2014 Man Booker Prize.
She was the Eccles Centre for American Studies Writer in Residence for 2015.
Work
- The Many Lives of Marilyn Monroe. Picador, 2005. ISBN 0312425651.
- What Americans Like. Henry Holt, 2010. ISBN 080508164X.
- Careless People: Murder, Mayhem and the Invention of The Great Gatsby. Little, Brown Book Group Ltd., 2013. ISBN 1844087670.