Dan Neil
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Dan Neil is an automotive columnist for the Los Angeles Times, noted for his one-of-a-kind reviews of automobiles, which blend technical expertise with offbeat humor and astute cultural observations. Neil won the Pulitzer Prize for Criticism in 2004[1] for his column Rumble Seat[1] in the Times. In awarding Mr. Neil, the Pulizter board praised his:
| “ | one-of-a-kind reviews of automobiles, blending technical expertise with offbeat humor and astute cultural criticism.[1] | ” |
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[edit] Biography
Neil was born in Pennsylvania in 1960 but moved with his family to New Bern, North Carolina when he was 4 years old. He received a B.A. degree in Creative Writing from East Carolina University and an M.A. degree in English Literature from North Carolina State University.
[edit] Career
Neil began his professional writing career with the Spectator, a local free weekly, and began working for The News & Observer of Raleigh, North Carolina as a copy editor in 1989.
In 1991 Neil began editing and writing the paper's weekly automotive advertising section. In interviews he has stated that his goals at the time were to "learn to write and see the world", and these goals fit in well with the job of a local automotive reporter, as those writers are often invited to travel on lavish junkets at automakers' expense. Neil was recruited by AutoWeek magazine in 1994 as a senior contributing editor. In 1995, he began contributing reviews to the New York Times, which he continued until 2003.
During his tenure with the N&O Neil began to develop his quirky style of combining humorous observations and anecdotes with a nuts-and-bolts automotive review, often using obscure literary analogies and incorporating tales of his sometimes ribald personal escapades. The most famous incident involved Neil's January 1996 review of the Ford Expedition and a back-seat encounter with his girlfriend. Neil was fired from the paper[1] after he overrode objections from the classified advertising department that ran his column by secretly going back to the newsroom at night and reinstating the bawdy details.
Neil next enjoyed a varied career as a free-lance journalist, including five years as contributing editor for Car and Driver. In 1999 Neil was named senior contributing editor for Expedia Travels, a glossy travel magazine. In September 2003 he took on the role of full-time columnist for the Los Angeles Times and quickly gained a following for his unique approach to automotive writing, which routinely incorporated criticism of Detroit automakers and U.S. government policies regarding emissions and safety regulation.
Neil began writing "800 Words," a column about pop culture, in February 2005. The column was syndicated by Tribune Media in 2006.
Neil is a regular contributor to American Public Media's "Marketplace" radio news program, and was a reporter for the PBS program "Wired Science".
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d Some Highish Brows Furrow as a Car Critic Gets a Pulitzer. The New York Times, April 8, 2004, David Carr.
[edit] External links
- Los Angeles Times Magazine (home to Dan Neil's "800 Words" columns)
