Ann Arensberg
Born(1937-02-21)February 21, 1937
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, US
DiedJanuary 14, 2022(2022-01-14) (aged 84)
Sharon, Connecticut, US
Education
Occupation(s)Book publishing editor and author
Years active1967-1999

Ann Arensberg (February 21, 1937 – January 14, 2022) was an American book publishing editor and author. She worked for E. P. Dutton and the Metropolitan Museum of Art before joining Viking Press in 1967. Arensberg worked as an editor there until she began her writing career in 1974. Her stories "Art History" and "Group Sex" were chosen for the 1975 and 1980 O. Henry Award Stories collections. After writing her two novellas, Arensberg won the American Book Award for First Novel in 1981 with Sister Wolf while the award replaced the National Book Awards during the 1980s. Her later publications include a novelization of "Group Sex" in 1986 and an additional novel, Incubus, in 1999.

Early life and education

Arensberg was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on February 21, 1937.[1] Arensberg's father was employed by a glassmaking company in Havana, Cuba.[2] Her mother worked in education before she co-created Free Cuba Radio with the Central Intelligence Agency.[3]

In 1946, Arensberg started living in Havana and grew up there until she was in her early twenties.[4] For her education, Arensberg started her creative writing experience while attending Concord Academy as a teenager.[5] As a post-secondary student, Arensberg completed a Bachelor of Arts from Radcliffe College in 1958. She then received a Master's degree in French literature from Harvard College in 1962.[1][6]

Career

Arensberg began her career in various places including book publisher E. P. Dutton and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Arensberg continued her literary career in 1967 when she became an editor for Viking Press. Upon leaving Viking in 1974, Arensberg wrote the story "Art History" for Antaeus that year.[1][6] Prior to "Art History", Arensberg discarded her first attempt at writing.[5]

After publishing "Group Sex" for Canto magazine in 1979, Arensberg moved away from novellas the following year with the release of her first novel Sister Wolf in 1980.[7][4] Later on in her writing career, Arensberg republished "Group Sex" as a novel in 1986 and wrote her third novel Incubus in 1999.[1] Following the release of Incubus, Arensberg had two books in progress by March 1999.[5]

Awards and honors

Arensberg appeared in the O. Henry Award Stories in 1975 with "Art History" and 1980 with "Group Sex".[8] When the National Book Awards were replaced with the American Book Awards during the 1980s, Arensberg won the American Book Award for First Novel in 1981 with Sister Wolf.[9][10]

Personal life and death

Arensberg was married twice and had three step-children.[1] She died from complications of COVID-19 in Sharon, Connecticut, on January 14, 2022, at the age of 84.[2]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Peacock, Scot, ed. (2000). "ARENSBERG, Ann 1937-". Contemporary Authors. New Revision. Vol. 85. Detroit: Gale Group. p. 4. ISBN 0787630950.
  2. 1 2 Risen, Clay (January 21, 2022). "Ann Arensberg, Insightful Novelist of Mysteries and Manners, Dies at 84". The New York Times. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
  3. ↑ "Mariada Bourgin". The Washington Post. November 18, 2005. Retrieved January 24, 2022.
  4. 1 2 "First Novelists". Library Journal. 105 (17): 2112. 1 October 1980. Retrieved 8 September 2019.
  5. 1 2 3 Goodyear, Dana (March 8, 1999). "Ann Arensberg: Close Encounters of a Novelist". Publishers Weekly. Vol. 245, no. 10. Retrieved January 24, 2022.
  6. 1 2 Abrahams, William Miller (1975). Prize stories 1975 : the O. Henry awards. Garden City, New York: Doubleday & Company Inc. p. 151. ISBN 0385035136. Retrieved 8 September 2019.
  7. ↑ Bellow, Saul; Abrahams, William (1980). Prize stories 1980: the O. Henry Awards. Doubleday. p. 271. ISBN 0385151063. Retrieved 8 September 2019.
  8. ↑ "The O. Henry Prize Stories Past Winners List". Random House. Retrieved 8 September 2019.
  9. ↑ Fehrman, Craig (October 28, 2011). "The Short, Unsuccessful Life of the American Book Awards". The New York Times. p. 35 sec. Sunday Book Review. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
  10. ↑ "'China Men' given American Book Award". St. Petersburg Times. May 2, 1981. p. 7B.
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