Bernard Malamud
(1914–1987)

In his novels and short stories, Bernard Malamud depicts the struggles of ordinary people, often focusing on their desire to improve their lives. He uses the Jewish people to represent all of humanity, capturing their attempts to maintain a link to their cultural heritage while trying to cope with the realities of the modern world. While some of Malamud's characters achieve success, others experience failure. By portraying people in both victory and defeat, Malamud captures the essence of the human experience and creates a delicate balance between tragedy and comedy in his work.

Malamud was born in Brooklyn, New York, the son of Russian immigrants. His father was a grocer who worked diligently in an effort to forge a better life for his family. After attending City College of New York and Columbia University, Malamud began publishing short stories in a number of well-known magazines. In 1952, he published his first novel, The Natural, which depicted the life of a gifted baseball player. After that, he wrote several other novels, including The Assistant (1957), A New Life (1961), The Tenants (1971), and Dubin's Lives (1979). His novel about czarist Russia, The Fixer (1966), earned him the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award. He also received the National Book Award for The Magic Barrel (1958), a collection of short stories.

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