Joseph Epstein

Joseph Epstein is an American essayist and author known for his extensive contributions to literary criticism and American letters. Epstein has written 31 books, including works on divorce, ambition, snobbery, friendship, envy, and gossip, as well as 17 collections of essays and four books of short stories. His essays and stories have appeared in The New Yorker, Harper's Magazine, Atlantic Monthly, Commentary, New Criterion, Times Literary Supplement, Claremont Review of Books, The New York Review of Books, and Poetry, among other publications in the United States and internationally.

Epstein's career includes editorial leadership and a significant body of published work. He served as editor of The American Scholar, contributing essays under the pseudonym Aristides, and regularly wrote for Phi Beta Kappa's quarterly journal. Epstein also taught writing and literature at Northwestern University. He edited "The Norton Book of Personal Essays" and served as guest editor for "Best American Essays," establishing his expertise in the essay form.

Epstein is the author of "Snobbery" and "Friendship," as well as the short story collections "The Goldin Boys" and "Fabulous Small Jews." "The Goldin Boys" was recognized as a New York Times notable book. He received the Ribalow Prize for Fiction for "Fabulous Small Jews" and the Heartland Prize for "Partial Payments: Essays on Writers and Their Lives." His essay collections from Axios Press, including "Essays in Biography," "A Literary Education and Other Essays," "Wind Sprints: Shorter Essays," "The Ideal of Culture: Essays," and "Gallimaufry: A Collection of Essays, Reviews, Bits," have contributed to his standing in the field of literary nonfiction.

Epstein was awarded the National Humanities Medal, a significant honor in the humanities. His essay "Who Killed Poetry?," published in Commentary, generated ongoing discussion in the literary community. He has contributed columns to the Wall Street Journal, maintaining a presence in American intellectual and literary circles.

Epstein is also the author of the autobiography "Never Say You've Had a Lucky Life: Especially If You've Had a Lucky Life," which offers a portrait of changes in American life and the literary world. The memoir has been noted by publications such as The New York Times and Washington Post for its perspective on the evolution of American literature and culture. Epstein's career reflects a sustained engagement with essay writing, literary criticism, and American cultural commentary.