Gordon Lish divides opinion like few others in American literature. Best known as a controversial editor and sought-after creative writing teacher, Lish shaped the work of celebrated authors like Don DeLillo, Raymond Carver, Barry Hannah, Cynthia Oznick, and Amy Hempel. Some critics hail him as “the man who made experimental fiction” (Blumenkranz 2014); others critique his unorthodox teaching methods, excessive editing practice, and his overtly solipsistic prose. Lish has written over a dozen novels and several short story collections, and yet these prolific writing efforts have received little scholarly attention.
Born in 1934 in New York, Lish began his editorial career at the independent journal Genesis West he founded before becoming fiction editor at Esquire in 1969, a position
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Citation: Franzetti, Sindija. "Gordon Lish". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 20 September 2024 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=15211, accessed 21 November 2024.]
