Mark Lindquist
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Mark Lindquist is an American novelist and attorney. He is one of the Brat Pack writers of the 1980s. He wrote the novels "Sad Movies," "Carnival Desires," and "Never Mind Nirvana."
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[edit] Author Background
He has been described by critics as a modern spin on classic authors. "Echoes and ties to both Ernest Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald." (Boston Globe) His books are known for mixing literature with pop culture, especially music and movies, and creating "great postmodern literature." (Details magazine) Fans include rock stars such as Peter Buck of R.E.M., filmmakers such as Peter Farrelly and fellow authors such as Bret Easton Ellis and Tama Janowitz. All have blurbs on the trade paperback of "Never Mind Nirvana."
His first two novels were known for insider depictions of Los Angeles and the movie business, while his third novel did the same for the Seattle music scene. All three have been praised for capturing the zeitgeist. He has been criticised for overemphasizing popular culture.
In the 2005 September/October issue of Pages magazine, which featured a cover story on the four brat pack authors, he is quoted as saying the 1980s "were a good time to be a young novelist."
[edit] Biography
He was born and raised in Seattle. He attended the University of Washington, then transferred to the University of Southern California. After graduating, he worked as a copy writer for a movie studio. His first novel, "Sad Movies," was based on this experience. Newsday called it, "Perceptive and hilarious ... one of the best sketches about a young man's attempt to find himself since 'The Graduate.'" It became a bestseller for Atlantic Monthly Press and was published in six languages.
Through this period he wrote screenplays for several studios, including Paramount, 20th Century Fox, Columbia, Warner Brothers, and MGM. He also wrote book reviews for the Los Angeles Times Book Review, the New York Times Book Review, and the Seattle Times, as well as articles for Details, The New York Times Sunday Magazine, Movieline, and other publications. His second novel, "Carnival Desires," chronicled his Hollywood experience. Details magazine called it, "Great postmodern literature. Romantic and cynical, true and original, full of modern ideas and seductive moments ... as of its time as such classics as 'The Day of the Locust' and 'The Last Tycoon.'" Shortly thereafter, he moved back to Seattle and enrolled in Seattle University School of Law and took a writing hiatus. He became a prosecuting attorney in 1995 and moved south of Seattle to Tacoma.
In July of 2000 People Magazine named him as one of the "100 Most Eligible Bachelors" in the country. That same year his third novel,"Never Mind Nirvana," was published by Random House/Villard, and has been subsequently published in five other languages. Bret Easton Ellis wrote, "One of my favorite writers is back with a beautifully paced, original novel which moves so fast that once you start reading it becomes impossible to stop.... I totally welcome his return."
According to his website, his new novel will be published in 2007. The story is set in Tacoma, Washington.
[edit] Bibliography
- Sad Movies, 1987
- Carnival Desires, 1990
- Never Mind Nirvana, 2000
[edit] Trivia
People Magazine, when naming him as one of the "100 Most Eligible Bachelors" in 2000, listed Molly Ringwald, the brat pack actress, as one of his ex-girlfriends.
His loft in Tacoma is the former residence of Krist Novoselic, the bass player for Nirvana.
Filmmaker Sandra Nettelbeck wrote the forward to the German edition of Never Mind Nirvana.
