Raymond Federman (born 1928) is an American novelist and academic, known also for poetry, essays, translations and criticism. He held positions at the University at Buffalo from 1973 to 1999, where he is now Distinguished Emeritus Professor. Federman is a writer in the experimental style, one that seeks to deconstruct traditional prose. This type of writing is quite prevalent in his book Double or Nothing, where the linear narrative of the story has been broken down and restructured so as to be nearly incoherent. Words are also often arranged on pages to resemble images or to suggest repetitious themes.

He was born in France (in Montrouge), emigrating to the U.S. in 1947. He studied at Columbia University, and as a graduate at U.C.L.A., where he earned a doctorate in comparative literature on Samuel Beckett. He is also a co-founder of the Fiction Collective, a publishing house dedicated to experimental fiction and its writers.

Works

---

• Journey into Chaos : Samuel Beckett's Early Fiction (1965)
• Among the Beasts / Parmi Les Monsters (1967)
• Samuel Beckett, His Works and His Critics: An Essay in Bibliography (1970) with John Fletcher
• Double or Nothing (1971)
• The Voice in the Closet (1979)
• Me Too (1975)
• Surfiction: Fiction Now and Tomorrow (1975) editor
• Take It Or Leave It (1976)
• The Twofold Vibration (1982)
• To Whom It May Concern (1990)
• Now Then / Nun denn (1992) poems
• Critifiction: Postmodern Essays (1993)
• Smiles on Washington Square (1995)
• The Supreme Indecision of the Writer: The 1994 Lectures in Turkey. (1995)
• Loose Shoes (2001),
• Aunt Rachel's Fur (2001)
• The Song of the Sparrow (2002)
• Here and Elsewhere: Poetic Cul de Sac (2003)
• The Precipice and Other Catastrophes (2003)
• My Body in Nine Parts (2005)
• The Twilight of the Bums with George Chambers

More on [ Raymond Federman ]

NPR Topics: Authors

Welsh Awards Snafu Leaves Red Faces
Thu, 03 Jul 2008 17:41:00 -0400
Welsh Assembly Culture Minister Rhodri Glyn Thomas has apologized for naming the wrong person winner of the Wales Book of the Year. He named Tom Bullough, who briefly thought he had won. Dannie Abse was the actual winner. Thomas apologized to both.
Who Wrote Shakespeare's Plays? Debate Goes On
Thu, 03 Jul 2008 00:01:00 -0400
Centuries later, doubts persist that William Shakespeare penned the works that bear his name. Skeptics include not only scholars but also famous folks, ranging from Orson Welles to Mark Twain.
'Netherland' Flirts With Greatness Of 'Gatsby'
Wed, 02 Jul 2008 10:53:00 -0400
With plenty of nods to The Great Gatsby Joseph O'Neill's Netherland explores dreams and ambition in post-Sept. 11 New York City. Maureen Corrigan calls the novel "marvelous."
The Twisted Journey Of 'Napoleon's Privates'
Wed, 02 Jul 2008 09:22:00 -0400
How did Napoleon's penis end up in New Jersey? Tony Perrottet, the author of the new book, Napoleon's Privates: 2,500 Years of History Unzipped, outlines the route the emperor's organ took from the island of St. Helena in 1821 to a briefcase under the bed of a New Jersey urologist.
Rival Actors Sparked Fatal 'Shakespeare Riots'
Wed, 02 Jul 2008 09:40:00 -0400
Shakespeare's works inspire strong emotions both on stage and off. Author Nigel Cliff talks about his book The Shakespeare Riots: Revenge, Drama and Death in 19th-Century America, which tells the story of an argument between two actors that led to a deadly riot.
1960: A Pivotal Year For The Olympics
Tue, 01 Jul 2008 16:00:00 -0400
The 1960 Rome Olympics were the first commercially televised games, saw the first doping scandal and the first commercial endorsement. David Maraniss, author of "Rome 1960: The Olympics that Changed the World," calls the year pivotal for the games.

Subscribe to Authors RSS feed