{{Short description|American writer (born 1975)}} {{Infobox person | name = | image = Christopher Bollen Librairie Mollat interview 2016.png | alt = Photo of Christopher Bollen | caption = Bollen in 2016 | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1975|11|26}} | birth_place = Cincinnati, Ohio, US | alma_mater = Columbia University (BA) | occupation = Novelist, editor }} '''Christopher Bollen''' (born November 26, 1975) is an American novelist<ref name=McInerney >{{cite news|last=McInerney|first=Jay|title=Chris Bollen|url=http://www.interviewmagazine.com/culture/christopher-bollen/|access-date=24 April 2012|newspaper=Interview Magazine|date=1 September 2011|archive-date=9 December 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221209083307/https://www.interviewmagazine.com/culture/christopher-bollen|url-status=live}}</ref> and magazine writer/editor who lives in New York City.<ref name=Pollack>{{cite web|last=Pollack|first=Maika|title=Christopher Bollen|url=http://artforum.com/words/id=28982|work=artforum.com|publisher=Artforum|access-date=24 April 2012|archive-date=8 January 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180108120402/https://www.artforum.com/words/id=28982|url-status=live}}</ref>
Describing his novels, ''The Daily Telegraph'' notes that "Bollen writes expansive, psychologically probing novels in the manner of Updike, Eugenides and Franzen, but he is also an avowed disciple of Agatha Christie."<ref name=Telegraph>{{cite news|last=Kerridge|first=Jake|title=Orient by Christopher Bollen, review: 'highly pleasing'|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/bookreviews/11524712/Orient-by-Christopher-Bollen-review-highly-pleasing.html|access-date=24 July 2015|magazine=The Daily Telegraph|date=14 April 2015|archive-date=26 March 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220326165315/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/bookreviews/11524712/Orient-by-Christopher-Bollen-review-highly-pleasing.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
==Early life== Bollen grew up in Cincinnati, where he graduated from St. Xavier High School in 1994.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Meet 19 Authors with Local Ties|first=Eileen|last=Bunch|magazine=Cincinnati|date=October 27, 2020|url=https://www.cincinnatimagazine.com/article/meet-19-authors-with-local-ties/|access-date=April 16, 2023|archive-date=April 16, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230416063914/https://www.cincinnatimagazine.com/article/meet-19-authors-with-local-ties/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite newsletter|title=Alumni In The News|work=Bomber Monthly|location=Cincinnati|publisher=St. Xavier High School|date=November 5, 2025}}</ref> He graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Columbia University in 1998.<ref name=Rouen>{{cite news|last=Rouen|first=Ethan|title=Christopher Bollen '98's Love-Hate Letter to New York City|url=http://www.college.columbia.edu/cct/winter11/bookshelf1|access-date=24 April 2012|newspaper=Columbia Today|date=1 December 2011|archive-date=23 June 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160623012815/http://www.college.columbia.edu/cct/winter11/bookshelf1|url-status=dead}}</ref>
==Career== Bollen was the editor-in-chief of ''Interview'' from early 2008 to mid-2009, after serving as editor-in-chief of ''V''.<ref name="Koblin">{{cite news|last=Koblin|first=John|date=3 March 2008|title=The Post-Sischy Interview|newspaper=The New York Observer|url=https://observer.com/2008/03/the-postsischy-iinterviewi/|access-date=24 April 2012|archive-date=26 March 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220326165324/https://observer.com/2008/03/the-postsischy-iinterviewi/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Management Changes at Interview Magazine|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/20/business/media/20interview.html|access-date=15 October 2012|newspaper=The New York Times|date=19 July 2009|archive-date=6 March 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230306145506/https://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/20/business/media/20interview.html|url-status=live}}</ref> After stepping down as editor-in-chief, he continued on as editor-at-large of ''Interview''.<ref name=Rovzar>{{cite news|last=Rovzar|first=Chris|title=164 Minutes With Christopher Bollen|url=http://nymag.com/news/intelligencer/encounter/christopher-bollen-2011-9/|access-date=24 April 2012|newspaper=New York Magazine|date=11 September 2011|archive-date=3 October 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221003153512/https://nymag.com/news/intelligencer/encounter/christopher-bollen-2011-9/|url-status=live}}</ref> On May 21, 2018, the publication ceased operations completely after nearly 50 years.
Bollen also writes about art and culture at other publications like ''Artforum'' and ''The New York Times''.
===Novels=== Bollen published his first novel, ''Lightning People'', in 2011.<ref name=Bollen>{{cite book|last=Bollen|first=Christopher|title=Lightning People|year=2011|publisher=Soft Skull Press|location=San Francisco|isbn=9781593764197|page=368|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dSYjuAAACAAJ}}{{Dead link|date=December 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> ''Lightning People'' is about downtown New York City in 2007.<ref name=Brown>{{cite news|last=Brown|first=Jacob|title=Asked & Answered: Christopher Bollen|url=http://tmagazine.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/09/20/asked-answered-christopher-bollen/|access-date=24 April 2012|newspaper=The New York Times|date=20 September 2011|archive-date=26 March 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220326165322/https://tmagazine.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/09/20/asked-answered-christopher-bollen/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=Sachs>{{cite news|last=Sachs|first=Sam|title=Rootless Urban Transplants|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424053111904787404576528804116245500|access-date=24 April 2012|newspaper=The Wall Street Journal|date=3 September 2011|archive-date=26 March 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220326165322/https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424053111904787404576528804116245500|url-status=live}}</ref>
His second novel is titled ''Orient,'' a thriller published in May 2015 by HarperCollins named after Orient, New York (the tip of the North Fork of Long Island). The ''Los Angeles Times'' writes that ''Orient'' "might well be this summer's most ambitious thriller or this summer's most thrilling work of literary fiction."<ref name=Pochoda>{{cite news|last=Pochoda|first=Ivy|title=Review: Christopher Bollen's 'Orient' a literary thriller with wit and style|url=http://www.latimes.com/books/jacketcopy/la-ca-jc-christopher-bollen-20150510-story.html|access-date=24 July 2015|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|date=8 May 2015|archive-date=18 September 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230918151825/https://www.latimes.com/books/jacketcopy/la-ca-jc-christopher-bollen-20150510-story.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The Times further describes it as a "juicy mystery at the tip of Long Island at summer's end, when the season's fleeting pleasures have blown away, revealing the fractured and fractious year-round community that remains behind when the casual visitors have returned to the relative safety of New York City."<ref name=Pochoda />
Bollen's third novel, ''The Destroyers'', was published on June 27, 2017, by HarperCollins. It is set on the island of Patmos, Greece, where the Book of Revelation was thought to be written and was describing by the ''New York Times'' as<ref>{{Cite news|url = https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/18/books/review/the-destroyers-christopher-bollen.html|title = Money, Murder and a Missing Heir in a Thriller Set in Greece|newspaper = The New York Times|date = 18 August 2017|last1 = Ziolkowski|first1 = Thad|access-date = 26 February 2021|archive-date = 25 April 2023|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230425041055/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/18/books/review/the-destroyers-christopher-bollen.html|url-status = live}}</ref> "evoking a seductive mood of longing mixed with regret." It was honoured with The Fitzgerald Award in France.<ref>{{cite web |author=<!--Staff writers; no by-line--> |url=https://www.bellesrives.com/site/uploaded/documents/en_documents_fichier_60.pdf |title=The American Christopher Bollen Is the Laureate of the 8th Edition of the Fitzgerald Award |date=8 June 2018 |access-date=29 January 2022 |archive-date=2 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230402002855/https://www.bellesrives.com/site/uploaded/documents/en_documents_fichier_60.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> His fourth novel, ''A Beautiful Crime'', was published in January 2020 by HarperCollins.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/christopher-bollen/a-beautiful-crime/|title=A Beautiful Crime|website=Kirkus Reviews|access-date=2019-12-23|archive-date=2020-12-03|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201203020347/https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/christopher-bollen/a-beautiful-crime/|url-status=live}}</ref> The novel deals with two young gay men involved in a heist in contemporary Venice, Italy.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/978-0-06-285388-2|title=Mystery/Thriller Book Review: A Beautiful Crime by Christopher Bollen. Harper, $27.99 (400p) |isbn=978-0-06-285388-2|access-date=2019-12-23|archive-date=2020-08-19|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200819005738/https://www.publishersweekly.com/978-0-06-285388-2|url-status=live}}</ref> It was a Best Book of the year 2020 by ''Oprah Magazine''.<ref>{{Cite web|url = https://www.oprahmag.com/entertainment/books/a34659750/best-books-of-2020/|title = These Are the Best Books of 2020, According to O, the Oprah Magazine|date = 19 November 2020|access-date = 26 February 2021|archive-date = 27 January 2021|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210127221835/https://www.oprahmag.com/entertainment/books/a34659750/best-books-of-2020/|url-status = live}}</ref> The novel went on to be a finalist for the 2020 ''Los Angeles Times'' Book Prize.<ref>{{cite web| url = https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/books/story/2021-03-02/lat-book-prizes-finalists-2020-wilkerson-emezi-et-al| title = Here are the finalists for the 2020 L.A. Times Book Prizes - Los Angeles Times| website = Los Angeles Times| date = 2 March 2021| access-date = 2021-10-15| archive-date = 2021-05-22| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210522030735/https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/books/story/2021-03-02/lat-book-prizes-finalists-2020-wilkerson-emezi-et-al| url-status = live}}</ref>
Bollen's short story "SWAJ", a queer retelling of Peter Benchley's ''Jaws'' published in the ''Brooklyn Rail'',<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://brooklynrail.org/2020/10/fiction/SWAJ|title=SWAJ|first=Christopher|last=Bollen|date=October 6, 2020|website=The Brooklyn Rail|access-date=October 15, 2021|archive-date=May 31, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230531200256/https://brooklynrail.org/2020/10/fiction/SWAJ|url-status=live}}</ref> was selected for inclusion in 2021's ''The Best American Mystery and Suspense''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/books/2021/10/12/best-american-mystery-suspense-steph-cha-modern-collection/6058638001/|title=Excellent new 'Best American Mystery & Suspense' revives stale genre series with diverse voices|first=Tod|last=Goldberg|website=USA TODAY|access-date=2022-01-29|archive-date=2022-03-26|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220326165323/https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/books/2021/10/12/best-american-mystery-suspense-steph-cha-modern-collection/6058638001/|url-status=live}}</ref>
Bollen's fifth novel, ''The Lost Americans'', was published in March 2023 by HarperCollins.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/christopher-bollen/the-lost-americans/ |title=The Lost Americans |publisher=Kirkus Reviews |date=2023-03-14 |access-date=2023-06-13 |archive-date=2023-03-15 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230315030056/https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/christopher-bollen/the-lost-americans/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Set in Cairo, it deals with the mysterious death of a weapons defense contractor and his sister's attempt to solve the mystery of his murder. Bollen's portrayal of a gay Egyptian character during the current political climate received particular praise. ''New York Times'' called it "sobering, shocking," "gripping and genuinely moving.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/14/books/review/christopher-bollen-lost-americans.html |title=A Body, a Cover-Up and a Dangerous Quest in Cairo |publisher=NY Times |date=2023-03-14 |access-date=2023-06-13 |archive-date=2023-06-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230614043855/https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/14/books/review/christopher-bollen-lost-americans.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The novel was a finalist for the 2024 Joseph Hansen Award for LGBTQ Crime Writing.<ref name=":6">{{Cite web |last= |date=2024-03-18 |title=2024 Publishing Triangle Awards Finalists Announced |url=https://publishingtriangle.org/2024/03/2024-publishing-triangle-awards-finalists-announced/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240428141600/https://publishingtriangle.org/2024/03/2024-publishing-triangle-awards-finalists-announced/ |archive-date=2024-04-28 |access-date=2024-05-20 |website=The Publishing Triangle |language=en-US}}</ref>
Bollen was a jurist for the 2023 PEN/Faulker Award for Fiction, won by Yiyun Li <ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.penfaulkner.org/2023/04/04/announcing-the-winner-of-the-2023-pen-faulkner-award-for-fiction/#:~:text=Announcing%20the%20Winner%20of%20the%202023%20PEN%2FFaulkner%20Award%20for%20Fiction,-Apr%204%2C%202023&text=We%20are%20excited%20to%20announce,PEN%2FFaulkner%20Award%20for%20Fiction. |title=Announcing the Winner of the 2023 PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction |website=penfaulkner.org |date=2023-04-04}}</ref>
Bollen's sixth novel, ''Havoc'', was published in December 2024 HarperCollins.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/9780063378896/ |title=Havoc |website=publishersweekly.com |date=2025-09-09}}</ref> It revolves around the deteriorating sanity of an 81-year-old American widow in a hotel in Luxor, Egypt during the end of the pandemic. She develops an acrimonious relationship with an 8-year-old boy that leads to murder.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2024-12-14/christopher-bollen-havoc-review |title=This tale starts with Agatha Christie vibes, but slips ever closer to Poe|date=April 30, 2005 |website=Los Angeles Times |access-date=October 8, 2025}}</ref> ''Havoc'' was a best thriller of 2024 by the ''New York Times''.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/04/books/review/best-thriller-novels-2024.html |title=The Best Thrillers of 2024|date=April 30, 2005 |website=The New York Times |access-date=October 8, 2025}}</ref> The novel was a finalist for the 2025 Los Angeles Times Book Prize<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.kirkusreviews.com/news-and-features/articles/finalists-for-the-la-times-book-prizes-revealed/ |title=Finalists for the LA Times Book Prize revealed|publisher=Kirkus Reviews |date=April 30, 2005 |website=www.kirkusreviews.com |access-date=October 8, 2025}}</ref> and won the Ohioana Library's Ohio Book Award for fiction.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=2025 Ohio Book Award Winners Announced|first=Gracie|last=Metz|magazine=Ohio Magazine|location=Cleveland|publisher=Great Lakes Studios|date=July–August 2025|accessdate=October 8, 2025|url=https://www.ohiomagazine.com/arts/article/2025-ohio-book-awards-winners-announced}}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== * {{official website}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bollen, Christopher}} Category:Living people Category:1975 births Category:21st-century American novelists Category:Journalists from New York City Category:Writers from Cincinnati Category:American magazine editors Category:Columbia College, Columbia University alumni Category:American crime fiction writers Category:American male novelists Category:American LGBTQ journalists Category:American LGBTQ novelists Category:American gay writers Category:21st-century American male writers Category:Novelists from New York City Category:21st-century American non-fiction writers Category:American male non-fiction writers Category:21st-century American LGBTQ people Category:Vanity Fair (magazine) people Category:St. Xavier High School (Ohio) alumni Category:Gay journalists Category:Gay novelists Category:LGBTQ crime writers Category:LGBTQ people from Ohio Category:Mass media people from Cincinnati