| Rafi Zabor | |
|---|---|
| Born | Joel Zaborovsky August 22, 1946 |
| Occupation | novelist, music critic |
| Nationality | United States |
| Notable work(s) | The Bear Comes Home |
| Notable award(s) | PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction 1998 The Bear Comes Home |
Rafi Zabor (born Joel Zaborovsky,[1] August 22, 1946[2]) is a Brooklyn, New York music journalist- and musician-turned-novelist. He received the 1998 PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction for his first novel, The Bear Comes Home, which follows an alto saxophonist - who happens to be a bear - in his pursuit of musical perfection.[3] Zabor's second book, the memoir I, Wabenzi, was commercially unsuccessful and met with mixed critical response.[4] In 2008, Zabor received an NEA Literature Fellowship.[4]
Zabor became a jazz critic for Musician in 1977, and later became an editor for the magazine.[4] Zabor is also a jazz drummer.[1][4]