USC.edu

TC Boyle

Distinguished Professor Emeritus of English and Writer in Residence Emeritus
Email tcboyle@email.usc.edu

Video

Biography

Please see my website, tcboyle.com or the fan sites, tcboyle.net and tcboyle.de

Education

  • B.A. , SUNY College at Potsdam
  • M.F.A. , University of Iowa
  • Ph.D. , University of Iowa

  • Summary Statement of Research Interests

    Professor Boyle is the author of twenty-one works of fiction. He is a graduate of the University of Iowa Writers’ Workshop and has taught at USC since 1978, when he founded the undergraduate program in creative writing. His many honors and awards include the 1988 PEN/Faulkner Award for “World’s End”; the 1998 PEN/Malamud Award for the first volume of his collected stories; grants from the Guggenheim Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts; five O. Henry Awards and three inclusions in Best American Stories; as well as France’s Prix Medicis Etranger for best foreign novel of the year (“The Tortilla Curtain”) and the Prix Passion publishers’ prize for his first novel, Water Music. His books have been translated into some twenty-five languages.

  • Book

    • Boyle, T. C. (2003). Doubletakes, ed. T.C. Boyle. Boston: Wadsworth, 2003.

    Novels

      Other

      • Boyle, T. C. (2010). Wild Child and Other Stories. New York: Viking, 2010. Viking.
      • Boyle, T. C. (2005). Tooth and Claw. New York: Viking, 2005.
      • Boyle, T. C. (2005). The Human Fly. New York: Viking, 2005.
      • Boyle, T. (2001). After the Plague. New York: Viking, 2001.
      • Boyle, T. (1998). T.C. Boyle Stories. New York: Viking.
      • Boyle, T. C. (1994). Without A Hero. New York: Viking, 1994.
      • Boyle, T. C. (1989). If the River Was Whiskey. New York: Viking, 1989.
      • Boyle, T. C. (1985). Greasy Lake. New York: Viking, 1985.
      • Boyle, T. C. (1979). Descent of Man. Boston: Atlantic-Little, Brown, 1979.
      • Periodical, U.S., “Balto,” The Paris Review #179, Winter, 2006. Fiction., 2006-2007
      • Periodical, U.S., “Hands On,” The Kenyon Review, Summer, 2007. Fiction, 2006-2007
      • Periodical, U.S., “To Pump Or Not To Pump,” New York Times, 4/30, 2007. Op.Ed. essay., 2006-2007
      • Periodical, U.S., “Admiral,” Harper’s, October, 2007. Fiction., 2006-2007
      • Periodical, U.S., “Sin Dolor,” The New Yorker, October 15, 2007. Fiction., 2006-2007
      • Book, U.S., Talk Talk. New York: Penguin, 2007. Mass-market paperback., 2006-2007
      • Book, U.S., Talk Talk. New York: Penguin, 2007. Trade paperback., 2006-2007
      • Book, U.S., Talk Talk. Detroit: Thomson Gale, 2007. Large print edition., 2006-2007
      • Book, Foreign, Talk Talk, tr. Dirk van Gunsteren. Munich: Bertelsman, 2007. Book Club edition., 2006-2007
      • Book, Foreign, Talk Talk, tr. Dirk van Gunsteren. Frankfurt: Buchergild Gutenberg, 2006. Book Club edition., 2006-2007
      • Book, Foreign, Dr. Sex, tr. Dirk van Gunsteren. Munich: DTV, 2007. The Inner Circle, paperback edition., 2006-2007
      • Book, Foreign, The Inner Circle. Athens: Empiria, 2007., 2006-2007
      • Book, Foreign, Talk Talk. London: Bloomsbury, 2007. English paper edition., 2006-2007
      • Book, Foreign, Le Cercle des Inities, tr. Bernard Turle. Paris: Grasset, 2007., 2006-2007
      • Book, Foreign, Talk Talk, tr. Bernard Turle. Paris: Grasset, 2007., 2006-2007
      • Book, Foreign, Uzderas Ratas, tr. Jovitra Liukute. Vilnius: Alma Litteraria, 2007. (The Inner Circle.), 2006-2007
      • Book, Foregin, World’s End, tr. Werner Richter. Munich: DTV, 2007. New paper edition., 2006-2007
      • Book, Foreign, Talk Talk, tr. Gerda Baardman & Tjadine Stheeman. Amsterdam: Anthos, 2007. Paper., 2006-2007
      • Audiobook, U.S., Pets. New York: Symphony Space, 2007. (“Heart of a Champion,” read by Isaiah Sheffer., 2006-2007
      • Audiobook, U.S., Food Fiction. New York: Symphony Space, 2007. (“Sorry Fugu,” read by Tony Roberts.), 2006-2007
      • Audiobook, Foreign, America, tr. Werner Richter. Munich: Hoverlag, 2007. (The Tortilla Curtain, read by Jan Josef Liefers.), 2006-2007
      • Audiobook, Foreign, America, tr. Werner Richter. Stuttgart: Klett Verlag. (The Tortilla Curtain, read by Jan Josef Liefers, special academic edition.), 2006-2007
      • Film, U.S., “Chicxulub,” directed by Malona Voight. (Short based on “Chicxulub.”), 2006-2007
      • Film, Foreign, “Das Sinkende Haus,” directed by Sara Heinen. (German-language short based on “The Sinking House.”), 2006-2007
      • Film, Foreign, “Die Grosse Werkstatt,” directed by Uwe Nagel. Kurzbilm, Arte TV. (Half-hour German-language film aired in August, 2007, based on “The Big Garage.”, 2006-2007
      • Anthology, U.S., Best American Stories, ed. Stephen King. Boston: Houghton-Mifflin, 2007. (“Balto,” from The Paris Review.), 2006-2007
      • Anthology, U.S., The Scribner Anthology of Contemporary Fiction, ed. Lex Williford and Michael Martone. New York: Scribner’s, 2007. (“Caviar,” from Antaeus.), 2006-2007
      • Anthology, U.S., The Best Dog Stories, ed. Paul Staudohar. Chicago: Chicago Review Press, 2007. (“Dogology,” from The New Yorker.), 2006-2007
      • Anthology, U.S., The Best American Catholic Stories, ed. Dan McVeigh and Patricia Schnapp. Lanham, MD: Sheed and Ward (“The Devil and Irv Cherniske”)., 2007-2008
      • Periodical, U.S., “Ash Monday,” The New Yorker, January 21, 2008. Fiction., 2008-2009
      • Periodical, U.S., “All the Wrecks I’ve Crawled Out Of,” StoryQuarterly Annual, 2007. Fiction., 2008-2009
      • Periodical, U.S., “Final Page,” L.A. Times, February 27, 2008. Essay., 2008-2009
      • Periodical, U.S., “The Lie,” The New Yorker, April 14, 2008. Fiction., 2008-2009
      • Periodical, U.S., “Thirteen Hundred Rats,” The New Yorker, July 7-14, 2008., 2008-2009
      • Periodical, U.S., “Bulletproof,” Best Life, September, 2008. Fiction., 2008-2009
      • Periodical, U.S., “Meat and Potatoes,” Mississippi Review, Volume 36, #3, Fall, 2008. Fiction., 2008-2009
      • Book, Foreign, Zahne und Klauen, tr. Annette Grube and Dirk van Gunsteren. Munich: Hanser Verlag, 2008. Story Collection: Tooth and Claw., 2008-2009
      • Book, Foreign, Identita Rubate, tr. Marila Strazzer. Rome: Einaudi, 2008. Novel: Talk Talk., 2008-2009
      • Book, Foreign, Talk Talk, tr. Dirk van Gunsteren. Munich: DTV, 2008. Mass Market PB., 2008-2009
      • Book, Foreign, Histoires cruelles, tr. Andre Zavriew. Paris: Grasset, 2008. Story Collection: Tooth and Claw., 2008-2009
      • Book, Foreign, Langt Ude, tr. Jan Pock-Steen. Copenhagen: People’s Press, 2008. Novel: Drop City., 2008-2009
      • Book, Foreign, Zahne und Klauen, tr. Annette Grube and Dirk van Gunsteren. Frankfurt am Main: Buchergilde Gutenberg, 2008. Story Collection: Tooth and Claw, Book Club Edition., 2008-2009
      • Book, Foreign, Dr. Seks, tr. Lara Holbling Matkovic. Zagreb: Fraktura, 2008. Novel: The Inner Circle, Croatia., 2008-2009
      • Book, Foreign, Reci reci, tr. David Zalesky and Marketa Zaleska. Prague: Argo, 2008. Novel: Talk Talk., 2008-2009
      • Book, Foreign, Windsbraut, tr. Armin Abmeier. Frankfurt am Main: Buchergilde Gutenberg, 2008. Story: “Swept Away” Chapbook., 2008-2009
      • Book, Foreign, 25 Histoires bizarres, tr. Robert Pepin, Jef Tombeur and Andre Zavriew. Paris: Grasset, 2008. Volume III of the Collected Stories, Livre du Poche edition., 2008-2009
      • Anthology, U.S., Best American Stories, 2008, ed. Salman Rushdie. Boston: Houghton-Mifflin, 2008. Story: “Admiral.”, 2008-2009
      • Anthology, Foreign, Exotic Gothic, ed. Danel Olsen. Ashcroft, B.C.: Ashtree Press, 2008. Story: “The Black and White Sisters.”, 2008-2009
      • Anthology, Foreign, Los Mejores Relatos, ed. Jose Luis Palacios. Caracas: Miguel Angel Garcia y Hijo, 2007. Story: “Tooth and Claw.”, 2008-2009
      • Anthology, Foreign, Lo que cuenta el vecino, ed. Jon Parris Peede. Mexico City: Universidad Autonoma de Mexico, 2007. Story: “Greasy Lake.”, 2008-2009
      • Audiobook, U.S., America, tr. Juan Fernando Merino, read by Sergio Guttierez. Seattle: Blackstone Audio, 2008. Novel: The Tortilla Curtain, Spanish language edition., 2008-2009
      • Audiobook, Foreign, Talk Talk, tr. Dirk van Gunsteren, read by Jan Josef Liefers. Munich: Der Horverlag, 2008. Novel., 2008-2009
      • Radio Performance, U.S., Selected Shorts, National Public Radio: Readings of short stories, “The Lie”; “Heart of a Champion”; “I Dated Jane Austen”; “Balto”; “Chicxulub.”, 2008-2009
      • Periodical, Foreign, “Tooth and Claw,” Innostrayana Literatura, #8, 2008. Moscow., 2008-2009
      • Anthology, Foreign, Upside Down, ed. Alastair Henry. Stockholm: Nature och Kulture, 2008 (“The Champ”)., 2008-2009
      • Book, Foreign, Guten Flug, tr. Werner Richter. Munich: DTV, 2009 (“Friendly Skies” and “The Black and White Sisters,” chapbook)., 2009-2010
      • Periodical, U.S., “Faithless,” Narrative, winter 2009 (excerpt from The Women)., 2009-2010
      • Periodical, U.S., “The Stewart House,” Architectural Digest, January, 2009 (essay)., 2009-2010
      • Periodical, U.S., “The Women,” New York Times, Jan. 26, 2009 (excerpt from The Women)., 2009-2010
      • Periodical, U.S., “Miriam Agonistes,” L.A. Weekly, Jan. 28, 2009 (excerpt from The Women)., 2009-2010
      • Periodical, U.S., “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes,” The Atlantic Monthly, April, 2009 (essay)., 2009-2010
      • Periodical, U.S., “Anacapa,” A Public Space #9, October, 2009 (fiction)., 2009-2010
      • Periodical, U.S., “A Tall Man in a Short House,” Sunset Magazine, Oct. 2009 (essay)., 2009-2010
      • Periodical, U.S., “All the Wrecks I’ve Crawled Out Of,” Narrative Online, Oct. 19, 2009 (essay)., 2009-2010
      • Book, Foreign, The Women. London: Bloomsbury, 2009., 2009-2010
      • Book, Foreign, Die Frauen, tr. Dirk van Gunsteren. Munich: Hanser Verlag, 2009., 2009-2010
      • Book, Foreign, Pricaj Prica, tr. Ivana Ostojcic. Zagreb: Fractura, 2009 (Talk Talk, Croatian)., 2009-2010
      • Book, Foreign, Le Donne, tr. Andrea Buzzi. Milan: Feltrinelli, 2009., 2009-2010
      • Book, Foreign, Talk Talk, tr. Bernard Turle. Paris: Grasset, 2009 (Livre de Poche edition)., 2009-2010
      • Periodical, Foreign, “Balto,” Financial Times of London, December 28-29, 2008 (fiction)., 2009-2010
      • Periodical, Foreign, “Swept Away,” The New Shetlander #247, 2009 (fiction)., 2009-2010
      • Anthology, U.S., Literature, Craft and Voice, ed. Nicholas Delbanco and Alan Cheuse. New York: McGraw Hill, 2009 (“Greasy Lake”)., 2009-2010
      • Anthology, U.S., Short Story Omnibus, ed. David Born, Judith McCue, Donald H. Whitfeld. Chicago: The Great Books Foundation, 2009 (“Greasy Lake”)., 2009-2010
      • Anthology, Foreign, Nicht schon wieder Essen, ed. Daniel Kampa. Zurich: Diogenes Verlag, 2009 (“Sorry Fugu”)., 2009-2010
      • Audio Books, U.S., The Women, read by Grover Gardner. Portland: Blackstone Audio, 2009., 2009-2010
      • Audio Books, U.S., America, read by Sergio Gutierrez. Portland: Blackstone Audio, 2009 (The Tortilla Curtain, Spanish language edition)., 2009-2010
      • Audio Books, U.S., “Swept Away,” read by Rene Auberjonois, Selected Shorts: A Touch of Magic. New York: Symphony Space, 2009., 2009-2010
      • Audio Books, Foreign, Der Polarforscher, tr. Dirk van Gunstern, read by Matthias Matschke, et al. Munich: Der Horverlag, 2009., 2009-2010
      • Film, Foreign, “Zoltan, the Puppet,” directed by Annina Muller (animated short, “The Human Fly”)., 2009-2010
      • Book, Foreign, Hatka City, tr. Antero Tiusanen. Helsinki: Lamplite Ltd., 2009 (Drop City, Finland.), 2009-2010
      • Book, U.S., The Women. N.Y.: Viking, 2010. Trade Paperback., 2010-2011
      • Periodical, U.S., “My Pain Is Worse Than Your Pain,” Harper’s, January, 2010 Fiction., 2010-2011
      • Periodical, U.S., “A Death in Kitchawank,” The New Yorker, January 18, 2010. Fiction., 2010-2011
      • Periodical, U.S., “The Wreck of the Beverly B.,” McSweeney’s #34. Fiction (excerpt from When the Killing’s Done)., 2010-2011
      • Periodical, U.S., “The Silence,” The Atlantic Fiction, 2010. Fiction., 2010-2011
      • Periodical, U.S., “Scorpion Ranch,” Orion, Sept./Oct. Fiction (excerpt from When the Killing’s Done)., 2010-2011
      • Periodical, U.S., “What Separates Us From the Animals,” Harper’s, October, 2010. Fiction., 2010-2011
      • Periodical, U.S., “The Rat Savior,” The Iowa Review, December, 2010. Fiction (excerpt from When the Killing’s Done)., 2010-2011
      • Book, Foreign, De Vrouwen. tr. Gerda Baardman, Tjerdine Stheemen and Otto Voorhoeve. Amsterdam: Anthos, 2010., 2010-2011
      • Book, Foreign, Wild Child and Other Stories. London: Bloomsbury, 2010., 2010-2011
      • Book, Foreign, Les Femmes, tr. Bernard Turle. Paris: Grasset, 2010., 2010-2011
      • Book, Foreign, Zahne und Klauen, tr. Annette Grube and Dirk van Gunsteren. Munich: DTV, 2010 (paperback, Tooth and Claw)., 2010-2011
      • Book, Foreign, The Women. London: Bloomsbury, 2010 (Paperback)., 2010-2011
      • Book, Foreign, Die Frauen, tr. Dirk van Gunsteren. Munich: DTV, 2010 (Paperback)., 2010-2011
      • Book, Foreign, Das Wilde Kind, tr. Dirk Van Gunsteren. Munich: Hanser Verlag, 2010 (Wild Child)., 2010-2011
      • Audio Book, U.S., Wild Child, read by T.C. Boyle. Portland: Blackstone Audio, 2010., 2010-2011
      • Audio Book, U.S., Selected Shorts: Even More Laughs. New York: Symphony Space, 2010 (“The Lie,” read by Stephen Colbert)., 2010-2011
      • Audio Book, Foreign, Das Wilde Kind, read by Boris Aljinovic, tr. by Dirk van Gunsteren. Munich: Der Hoverlag, 2010., 2010-2011
      • Anthology, U.S., The Secret History of Science Fiction, ed. James Patrick Kelly and John Kessel. San Francisco: Tachyon, 2010 (“Descent of Man”)., 2010-2011
      • Anthology, U.S., The Best of Rock Fiction, ed. June Skinner Sawyers and Anthony DeCurtis. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2005 (“All Shook Up”)., 2010-2011
      • Anthology, U.S., The Secret History of Fantasy, ed. Peter S. Beagle. San Francisco: Tachyon, 2010 (“We Are Norsemen”)., 2010-2011
      • Anthology, U.S., Penguin 75, ed. Paul Buckley. New York: Penguin, 2010 (Tooth and Claw essay)., 2010-2011
      • Periodical, Foreign, Diente y Garra, Sexto Piso, Dec./Jan. 2009-2010 (“Tooth and Claw,” tr. Juan Luis de lo Morca)., 2010-2011
      • Periodical, Foreign, “Hands On,” London Times Sunday Magazine, July 2, 2010., 2010-2011
      • USC Distinguished Professor, , 2006/08/15
      • Earphones Award from AudioFile Magazine for narration of Wild Child, 2010, 2010-2011
      • Induction into American Academy of Arts and Letters, 2009-2010
      • Best American Stories Selection, “Admiral”, 2008-2009
      • Audie Prize, 2007, for best audio narration by an author (“The Tortilla Curtain,” Blackstone Audio., 2006-2007
      • Best American Stories Selection, 2007 (“Balto,” from The Paris Review)., 2006-2007
      • Commonwealth Club of California’s Silver Medal in Literature, 76th Annual Awards, 2007. (“Talk Talk.”), 2006-2007
      • Evil Companions Literary Award from the Denver Public Library, 2007. (“Talk Talk.”), 2006-2007
      • Founder’s Award, Santa Barbara Writers’ Conference, 2006, for body of work., 2006-2007
      • National Magazine Award in Fiction, 2007 (“Wild Child,” from McSweeney’s)., 2006-2007
      • Ross Macdonald Award for body of work by a California writer, 2007., 2006-2007
      • Best American Stories Selection, 2004 (“Tooth and Claw,” from The New Yorker)., 2004-2005
      • O.Henry Award, 2003 (“Swept Away,” from The New Yorker)., 2003-2004
      • ‘Drop City’ listed as a “Best Book of 2003” by Los Angeles Times Book Review, 2003
      • Editors’ Choice, New York Times Book Review, “Drop City” named as one of the nine best books of the year., 2003
      • National Book Award Finalist, “Drop City,” 2003., 2003
      • The Southern California Booksellers’ Prize for best fiction book of the year, 2002 (“After the Plague”)., 2002-2003
      • O. Henry Award, 2001 (“The Love of My Life,” from The New Yorker)., 2000-2001
      • O. Henry Award, 1999 (“The Underground Gardens,” from The New Yorker)., 1999-2000
      • Recipient of National or International Prize in Discipline, The Bernard Malamud Prize in Short Fiction from the PEN/Faulkner Foundation, 1999 (“T.C. Boyle Stories, Volume I of the Collected Stories)., 1999-2000
      • Best American Stories Selection, 1997 (“Killing Babies,” from The New Yorker)., 1997-1998
      • Recipient of National or International Prize in Discipline, Prix Medicis Etranger, Paris, for best novel of the year (“The Tortilla Curtain”)., 1997-1998
      • Recipient of National or International Prize in Discipline, Howard D. Vursell Memorial Award from the National Academy of Arts and Letters, for prose excellence, 1993., 1993-1994
      • Doctor of Humane Letters Honorary Degree, State University of New York, 1991., 1991-1992
      • Editors’ Choice, New York Times Book Review, one of 13 best books of the year, 1989 (If the River Was Whiskey)., 1989-1990
      • O. Henry Award, 1989 (“The Ape Lady in Retirement,” from The Paris Review., 1989-1990
      • PEN Center West Literary Prize, best short story collection of the year, 1989 (If the River Was Whiskey)., 1989-1990
      • Recipient of National or International Prize in Discipline, Prix Passion Publishers’ Prize, France, for best novel of the year, 1989 (Water Music)., 1989-1990
      • Commonwealth Club of California’s Gold Medal for Literature, best novel of the year, 57th Annual Awards, 1988 (World’s End)., 1988-1989
      • O. Henry Award, 1988 (“Sinking House,” from The Atlantic)., 1988-1989
      • Guggenheim Fellowship Recipient, , 1988
      • Recipient of National or International Prize in Discipline, PEN/Faulkner Novel of the Year Award for World’s End, 1988
      • Editors’ Choice, New York Times Book Review, one of 16 best books of the year, 1987 (World’s End)., 1987-1988
      • Commonwealth Club of California’s Silver Medal in Literature, 55th Annual Awards, 1986 (Greasy Lake)., 1986-1987
      • Recipient of National or International Prize in Discipline, The Paris Review’s John Train Humor Prize, 1984 (“The Hector Quesadilla Story”). , 1984-1985
      • Recipient of National or International Prize in Discipline, National Endowment for the Arts Grant, 1977., 1983-1984
      • Recipient of National or International Prize in Discipline, The Paris Review’s Aga Khan Prize for Fiction, 1981 (“Mungo Among the Moors”)., 1981-1982
      • Recipient of National or International Prize in Discipline, St. Lawrence Award for Fiction, best short-story collection of the years, 1980 (Descent of Man)., 1979-1980
      • Recipient of National or International Prize in Discipline, National Endowment for the Arts Grant, 1977., 1976-1977
      • Recipient of National or International Prize in Discipline, Coordinating Council of Literary Magazines Fiction Award for the Short Story, 1977., 1976-1977

    • Office Hours

        Monday : 12:45-2:00

    • Administative Appointment

      • Some twenty-five public appearances in support of The Women in the U.S. and Germany; The New Yorker Festival; the L.A. Times Book Festival; the PEN West benefit at the Actors Gang; city- and university-wide community reads of The Tortilla Curtain and World’s End., 2009-2010
      • Public Performances: Swarthmore, Foothill College, Champlain College, The New Yorker Festival, UCLA and the L.A. Times Book Festival., 2008-2009