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Donald Ray Pollock

ドナルド・レイ・ポロック

Donarudo Rei Porokku

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1954-12-23 （Ross County, Ohio, U.S. (Knockemstiff)）
Nationality
United States
Languages
English
Residence History
Knockemstiff, Ohio (birthplace) → Chillicothe, Ohio (long-term residence)

Career

Occupations
Writer, Former paper mill laborer, Former truck driver
Active Years
2008-

Education

Ohio University - Chillicothe
Country: United States
Reported to have studied at Ohio University - Chillicothe later in life; specific degree/year not specified.

Awards

PEN/Robert W. Bingham Prize
2009
Work: Knockemstiff
Organization: PEN America
Result: winner
Devil's Kitchen Award in Prose
2009
Work: Knockemstiff
Organization: English Department, Southern Illinois University Carbondale
Result: winner
Publishers Weekly Top Ten Books of the Year
2012
Work: The Devil All the Time
Organization: Publishers Weekly
Result: listed
Guggenheim Fellowship
2012
Organization: John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation
Result: recipient
Thomas and Lillie D. Chaffin Award for Appalachian Writing
2012
Work: The Devil All the Time
Result: recipient
Grand Prix de Littérature Policière
2012
Work: The Devil All the Time
Organization: Grand Prix de Littérature Policière (France)
Result: recipient
Deutscher Krimi Preis (International Category)
2013
Work: The Devil All the Time
Category: Third Place (2013)
Organization: Deutscher Krimi Preis
Result: third place
Prix Mystère de la critique
2013
Work: The Devil All the Time
Category: First Place
Organization: Prix Mystère de la critique (France)
Result: winner
Deutscher Krimi Preis (International Category)
2017
Work: The Heavenly Table
Category: First Place (International Category)
Organization: Deutscher Krimi Preis
Result: winner

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Knockemstiff

2008 Gothic / Short story collection

A collection of connected short stories set in rural Ohio, depicting violence, poverty and religious fervor among flawed characters.

ViolencePovertyReligionRural Midwestern life
Translations
  • French translation and others

The Devil All the Time

2011 Gothic / Novel

An interwoven narrative of multiple characters in postwar southern Ohio, exploring violence, faith and the search for redemption.

ViolenceFaith and fanaticismMoral decay
Adaptations
  • [Film] The Devil All the Time / Antonio Campos (2020)
Translations
  • Translated into French, German, Spanish, Italian, Dutch and many others (21 languages reported as of 2015)

The Heavenly Table

2016 Novel

A novel exploring family, desire and violence, showcasing Pollock's dark, hallucinatory style.

FamilyDesireViolence
Translations
  • German translation and others

Bibliography

  • Knockemstiff (2008)
  • The Devil All the Time (2011)
  • The Heavenly Table (2016)

Adaptations

  • The Devil All the Time (film adaptation, 2020)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Hillbilly GothicSouthern Ohio GothicDark realism
Recurring Motifs
ViolenceReligious fanaticismPovertyMidwestern decay

Legacy

Pollock is regarded as a prominent voice in contemporary American "Hillbilly Gothic"; his short stories and novels have received critical acclaim and wide international translation.

In Popular Culture

  • Participated as the narrator for the film adaptation of The Devil All the Time (2020)

Trivia

  • Worked at a paper mill and as a truck driver until around age 50.
  • Debut short story collection Knockemstiff was published in 2008.
  • The Devil All the Time was adapted into a film in 2020; Pollock served as the narrator.
  • Knockemstiff has been published in France, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, Italy and the UK.