Amor Towles

Amor Towles (born 1964) is an American novelist. He is best known for his bestselling novels Rules of Civility (2011)[1] and A Gentleman in Moscow (2016),[2] the latter of which made him a finalist for the 2016 Kirkus Prize.[3]

Amor Towles
Amor Towles, 2018
BornBoston, Massachusetts, U.S.
OccupationNovelist
ResidenceNew York City, New York, U.S.
NationalityAmerican
Alma materB.A.Yale, M.A.Stanford
Period2011–present
GenreLiterary fiction
Notable worksA Gentleman in Moscow
Website
www.amortowles.com

Early life and education

Towles was born and raised in Boston, Massachusetts. He graduated from Yale College and received an M.A. in English from Stanford University, where he was a Scowcroft Fellow. When Towles was 10 years old, he threw a bottle with a message inside into the Atlantic Ocean. Several weeks later, he received a letter from Harrison Salisbury, who was then the managing editor of The New York Times. Towles and Salisbury corresponded for many years afterward.[4]

Yale-China Association, then careers in Finance and Writing

After graduating from Yale University. Towles was set to teach in China on a two-year fellowship from the Yale China Association. However, this was abruptly canceled due to the Tiananmen Square crackdown in 1989.[5]

From 1991-2012, he worked as an investment banker and director of research at Select Equity Group in New York.[6][7]

When Towles was a younger man, he credits renowned nature writer, novelist and one of the founders of The Paris Review, Peter Matthiessen, as the primary inspiration for writing novels.[8] Towles' first book Rules of Civility was successful beyond his expectations; so much so that the proceeds from the book afforded him the luxury of retirement from investment banking so that he could pursue writing full time.[9]

Personal life

Towles resides in Gramercy Park, Manhattan, New York City, with his wife, Maggie, their son, Stokley, and their daughter, Esmé.[10] Towles is a collector of fine-art and antiques.[10]

Works

Fiction
  • Rules of Civility (2011)
  • Eve in Hollywood (2013)
  • A Gentleman in Moscow (2016)
  • You Have Arrived at your Destination (online novella) (2019)[11]

Essays
  • Channel a More Romantic Era of Transatlantic Travel (2016)[12]

Awards and Honors

In 2019, Bill Gates included A Gentleman in Moscow as one of five books he recommends.[13]

References
  1. Groskop, Viv (2011-07-15). "Rules of Civility by Amor Towles – review". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2016-10-12.
  2. Taylor, Craig (2016-09-23). "A Count Becomes a Waiter in a Novel of Soviet Supremacy". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2016-10-12.
  3. "Fiction Database". fictiondb.com.
  4. Powell, Dannye (2016-09-23). "Five things about novelist Amor Towles". The Charlotte Observer.
  5. Kaufman, Joanne (2016-06-01). "Amor Towles, a Gentleman in Gramercy Park". The New York Times.
  6. "Amor Towles". Goodreads. Retrieved 2016-10-12.
  7. Feldman, Lucy (2016-06-01). "Amor Towles Expands His Portfolio With 'A Gentleman in Moscow'". Wall Street Journal.
  8. Exchange, Oxford (2016-11-09). "An Exclusive Interview with Amor Towles". The Oxford Exchange.
  9. Powell, Dannye (2017-02-08). "Five Things about Novelist Amor Towles". The Charlotte Observer.
  10. Kaufman, Joane (September 23, 2016). "Amor Towles, a Gentleman in Gramercy Park". The New York Times. Retrieved February 23, 2017.
  11. "You Have Arrived at Your Destination". Fantastic Fiction. 2016-09-23.
  12. Towles, Amor (September 7, 2016) [September 2016]. "Channel a More Romantic Era of Transatlantic Travel". Conde Nast Traveler. Retrieved July 1, 2018.
  13. Staff, Entrepreneur (2019-05-20). "5 Books Bill Gates Says You Should Read This Summer". Entrepreneur. Retrieved 2020-06-02.
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