Most Biochemistry grad students eat cyanide and die,I am glad he found a more productive outlet.
Looking forward to reading his book.
8
Besides his other accomplishments, Brandon is one of those authors who have successfully established a presence on social media--his "voice" is funny, charming, and articulate without being snobbish, and sounds genuine and organic. I am probably not the only person who will buy his novel based on his Twitter feed.
And Brandon...your sweater game was strong for this article!
15
A minimal number of comments does not negate the importance of the journey. And your honesty. Only those who have attempted the journey can understand. Well done sir.
13
REAL LIFE by Brandon Taylor is one of the best first novels I have read in years. I could not put it down. I read it in one sitting and when I finished I went back and read it again. I'm currently giving it to everyone. Beautiful, heart wrenching writing. And sexy too.
28
Not saying it isn't good, but books these days seem to have to check off all the right politically correct boxes to get notice or even published. Sheesh.
6
@Mike A quick glance at any bestseller list or even a stroll through the new releases section of a bookstore will confirm that your assessment has no basis in reality. Condolences to white writers who now have to share a stage with writers of color, O the injustice.
41
@Dorothy: As an avid reader of fiction, I completely agree.
When you're used to privilege, equality seems like oppression.
20
Physics was a lot easier for me than writing was. But I came into physics grad school in the Reagan era, when the misogyny was out in the open, and quite shocking by today's standards. I realized that the thing I valued most was my own creativity, my own creative output, and my creativity and output in physics were being diminished by the energy it took to deflect or avoid or argue back with the jerks.
So after my PhD, I took writing classes and started a novel. It felt so much better. You don't have to deal with jerks when you're alone with your words and ideas. That novel is finished but needs a structure-adjusting draft. I just finished a second novel that is almost ready for submission. And plans for two more.
I salute Taylor's courage in going all the way on this tough, ego-challenging, never-safe journey, and I toast his success as a published author.
22
@Patricia: On behalf of my physics colleagues, I apologize.
I also did my graduate work in physics during the Reagan era, and the behavior was appalling. I won't repeat the many affronts I heard--you've heard them all and then some, I'm sure. But I sure got an earful as an academic, when all but one of my graduate students were women. I frequently got them to talk about life as women in this profession.
Again, I'm sorry for what you had to endure, but I admire your interest in writing. I hope someday to read your novels.
13
Excited to read!
3
"... inappropriate encounters with heterosexual men ..."
This quote could have used some elaboration.
6
Very excited for this debut!
2
Jonathan is a Sibling Rivalry Press publication, not from Lambda Literary.
4
Yes! Thank you for writing, Doctor, and thank you for reviewing this, NYT!
4
Good for Mr. Taylor! I look forward to reading his novel.
As a fellow scientist I have grown tired of the incestuous world of literary fiction, a near-monoculture in which similar characters, all drawn from central casting, slog through the same cocktails of troubles. I've gotten to the point with short fiction where I can read the author's bio blurb, glimpse the title and read the first paragraph, and I know what's going to happen. The only suspense is how the author will let the story unfold. It's usually not worth it; it's usually page after page of seductive atmospherics, the characters and plot (to the extent the latter exists) serving only as props for the writer's craftsmanship.
I look forward to a fresh view of the world. Fine literature is an art form sorely in need of input from scientists and non-humanities types. Who knows? If enough scientists are inspired by Mr. Taylor, maybe this moribund genre will become popular again.
16
Not even published yet, a first novel gets NYT coverage. How many first novels get published at all? Luck counts big. Good luck, Brandon.
6
@scrumble Sure, he’s lucky. But he’s also smart, personable, and very talented. And, he’s telling a fresh, unique, and authentic story. The characters in his novel - scientists - are underrepresented fiction, a loss that is created by our society’s unwillingness to mainstream the study of science. Yet, “Real Life” includes a diverse set of well-developed characters, whose conflicts and relationships are relatable to everyone, in part, because each of them can understand how small and impermanent we all are. Mr. Taylor’s book sounds remarkable.
25
10,000 words per day??
17
@John R.
Only 30 pages or so. (!)
5