Brandon Taylor

Brandon Taylor is an accomplished American writer and essayist, the author of the novels The Late Americans and Real Life, which was shortlisted for the Booker Prize and the National Book Critics Circle John Leonard Prize.

Brandon Taylor was born in Prattville, Alabama. He grew up in a deeply religious and conservative setting. Although he grew up in an illiterate family, he developed an early love for reading, a foundation for his education and later writing.

Taylor attended Auburn University in Montgomery to study biochemistry. Writing, however, led him to change his career path radically. He earned graduate degrees from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the University of Iowa, where he was an Iowa Arts Fellow at the prestigious Iowa Writers' Workshop.

He emerged on the literary scene with his debut novel Real Life, published in 2020, which garnered critical acclaim. The story explores the nuanced experiences of a gay black student in a predominantly white academic environment, offering a sharp critique of the subtle racism and microaggressions present in such settings.

His next was Filthy Animals in 2021, a collection of interconnected short stories that won The Story Prize and was shortlisted for the Dylan Thomas Prize, cementing Taylor's reputation as a significant voice in modern fiction.

Taylor's works are notable for their emotional depth and psychological insight, characteristics that have drawn comparisons to the works of writers such as Alice Munro and Raymond Carver. In his stories, characters wrestle with their desires and identities in an indifferent or hostile world.

In the spring of 2024, Real Life was withdrawn from sale in Russia due to the country's laws banning LGBTQ+ "propaganda."

Brandon Taylor currently resides in New York City.

Photo Credit: Brandon Taylor