Lamont - Anne

Anne Lamott

Novelist, essayist, memoirist, activist

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Anne Lamott (born April 10, 1954) is an American novelist and non-fiction writer.

Quick Facts: Born, Occupation …

Anne Lamott
Born	April 10, 1954 (age 65) San Francisco, California, United States
Occupation	Novelist, non-fiction writer, essayist, memoirist
Nationality	American
Genre	Drama, humor, literary fiction, Reviews

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She is also a progressive political activist, public speaker, and writing teacher. Lamott is based in Marin County, California. Her nonfiction works are largely autobiographical.^[1]Marked by their self-deprecating humor and openness, Lamott's writings cover such subjects as alcoholism, single-motherhood, depression, and Christianity.^[2]

Life and career

Lamott was born in San Francisco, and is a graduate of Drew School. She was a student at Goucher College for two years where she wrote for the newspaper.^[3]Her father, Kenneth Lamott, was also a writer. Her first published novel Hard Laughter was written for him after his diagnosis of brain cancer. She has one son, Sam, who was born in August 1989 and a grandson, Jax, born in July 2009.^[4][5]

Lamott's life was documented in Freida Lee Mock's 1999 documentary Bird by Bird with Annie: A Film Portrait of Writer Anne Lamott.^[6]Because of the documentary and her following on Facebook and other online networks, she is often called the "People's Author".^[7]

Lamott has described why she writes: 

I try to write the books I would love to come upon, that are honest, concerned with real lives, human hearts, spiritual transformation, families, secrets, wonder, craziness—and that can make me laugh. When I am reading a book like this, I feel rich and profoundly relieved to be in the presence of someone who will share the truth with me, and throw the lights on a little, and I try to write these kinds of books. Books, for me, are medicine.^[8]

Lamott is cited as a writer who captures well the style of narrative nonfiction called "particularism", coined by Howard Freeman.^[9]

Awards and honors

Lamott was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1985.^[10]She was inducted into the California Hall of Fame in 2010.^[11]

Personal life

On April 13, 2019, when Lamott was 65, she wed for the first time. She married Neal Allen, 63, a former vice president for marketing at the McKesson Corporation in San Francisco. The couple had met in August 2016 through OurTime, a matchmaking site for people over 50. He was a twice-divorced father of four, who had left his job at McKesson to devote himself to writing. He was living alone in a house in the woods in Lagunitas, Calif. She was the mother of 29-year-old Sam Lamott and the grandmother of his son, 9-year-old Jax Lamott. Seven months after Anne Lamott and Neal Allen's first date, they bought a run-down house together in Fairfax, Calif., which they renovated and made their shared home.^[12]

Notes

^{“Anne Lamott’s book, Bird by Bird, first introduced me to the power/importance of index cards. I always have a few in my pocket — along with a small, telescoping pen that fits nicely with the index cards. Thanks for the reminder.”}

Bibliography

More information: Bibliography …

Novels

• Hard Laughter. Viking Press. 1980. ISBN 0-670-36140-2.
• Rosie. Viking Press. 1983. ISBN 0-670-60828-9.
• Joe Jones. North Point Press. 1985. ISBN 0-86547-209-2.
• All New People. North Point Press. 1989. ISBN 0-86547-394-3.
• Crooked Little Heart. Pantheon Books. 1997. ISBN 0-679-43521-2.
• Blue Shoe. Riverhead Books. 2002. ISBN 1-57322-226-7.
• Imperfect Birds. Riverhead Books. 2010. ISBN 1-59448-751-0.

  Non-fiction

  • Operating Instructions: A Journal of My Son's First Year. Pantheon Books. 1993. ISBN 978-0-679-42091-0.
  • Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life. Pantheon Books. 1994. ISBN 978-0-679-43520-4.
  • Traveling Mercies: Some Thoughts on Faith. Pantheon Books. 1999. ISBN 978-0-679-44240-0.
  • Plan B: Further Thoughts on Faith. Riverhead Books. 2005. ISBN 978-1-57322-299-0.
  • Grace (Eventually): Thoughts on Faith. Riverhead Books. 2007. ISBN 978-1-59448-942-6.
  • Some Assembly Required: A Journal of My Son's First Son. Riverhead Books. 2012. ISBN 978-1-59448-841-2. (with Sam Lamott)
  • Help, Thanks, Wow: The Three Essential Prayers. Riverhead Books. 2012. ISBN 978-1-59463-129-0.
  • Stitches: A Handbook on Meaning, Hope and Repair. Riverhead Books. 2013. ISBN 978-1-59463-258-7.
  • Small Victories: Spotting Improbable Moments of Grace. Riverhead Books. 2014. ISBN 978-1-59448-629-6.
  • Hallelujah Anyway: Rediscovering Mercy. Riverhead Books. 2017. ISBN 9780735213586.
  • Almost Everything: Notes on Hope. Riverhead Books. 2018. ISBN 978-0525537441.

    References

    More information: References …

    Further reading