{{short description|American author and critic (born 1959)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=October 2025}} {{infobox writer |name=Stephen Amidon |birth_date={{birth year and age|1959}} |birth_place=Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |occupation=Author, critic |alma_mater=Wake Forest University |website={{URL|https://www.stephenamidon.com}} }} '''Stephen Amidon''' (born 1959) is an American author and critic.
==Life and career== Amidon was born in Chicago.<ref>{{cite web|title=about|url=http://www.stephenamidon.com/about.html|website=stephenamidon|accessdate=14 September 2014}}</ref> He grew up on the East Coast of the United States of America, including a spell in Columbia, Maryland, which served as the inspiration for his fourth novel ''The New City''.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Amidon|first=Stephen|title=A New Town Childhood|journal=Urbanite|date=Jan 1, 2006|issue=January|url=http://www.urbanitebaltimore.com/baltimore/a-new-town-childhood/Content?oid=1246285|accessdate=20 March 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Interviews & Articles|url=http://www.stephenamidon.com/the-new-city-interviews.html|website=Stephen Amidon|accessdate=28 March 2015}}</ref> Amidon attended Wake Forest University as a Guy T. Carswell Scholar, majoring in philosophy.<ref>{{cite web|title=Healing Reads|url=http://blog.magazine.wfu.edu/2011/12/healing-reads-includes-wake-forest-author-amidon/|website=The Deacon Blog|accessdate=14 September 2014}}</ref> He moved to London, UK, in 1987, where he was given his first job as a critic by Auberon Waugh, who invited him to review a novel for ''The Literary Review''.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Campbell|first=Mark|title=Apocalyptic Times|journal=Crime Time Magazine|date=February 2000|url=http://www.crimetime.co.uk/interviews/stephenamidon.php|accessdate=21 March 2012}}</ref> In 1999 he returned to the US.<ref name="home">{{cite web|url=http://stephenamidon.com/|title=Stephen Amidon's website|accessdate=29 April 2010}}</ref>
His literary criticism and essays have appeared in many publications in North America and the UK <ref>{{cite web|title=Bibliography|url=http://www.stephenamidon.com/bibliography.html|website=Stephen Amidon|accessdate=28 March 2015}}</ref> and he has also worked as a film critic for the ''Financial Times'' and the ''Sunday Times''.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sitesearch.do?turnOffGoogleAds=false&sortBy=newest&offset=0&query=stephen%20amidon&hitsperpage=10§ionId=674|title=Search Times Online|accessdate=29 April 2010 | location=London | work=The Times}}{{dead link|date=September 2024|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> In November 2013, Amidon was on the jury of the 31st Torino Film Festival.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Home-39TFF|url=https://www.torinofilmfest.org/it/|access-date=2021-10-16|website=Torino Film Fest|language=it-IT}}</ref> Amidon has written two non-fiction books: ''The Sublime Engine'' with his brother Tom, a cardiologist,<ref>{{cite news|last=Weintraub|first=Karen|title=It's the Heart of the Matter|url=http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/health/articles/2011/02/14/dr_thomas_amidon_and_his_brother_stephen_discuss_their_book_about_the_human_heart/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131213135810/http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/health/articles/2011/02/14/dr_thomas_amidon_and_his_brother_stephen_discuss_their_book_about_the_human_heart/|url-status=dead|archive-date=December 13, 2013|accessdate=30 May 2012|newspaper=Boston Globe}}</ref> and ''Something Like the Gods'',<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Zirin|first1=Dave|title=Sports Authority|journal=Book Forum|date=November 2012|url=http://www.bookforum.com/inprint/019_03/10043|accessdate=28 March 2015}}</ref> which is dedicated to his son, Alexander, a first-team, all-ACC wide receiver for the Boston College football team.<ref>{{cite web|title=Football Roster|url=http://www.bceagles.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/amidon_alex00.html|work=Boston College Athletics|accessdate=30 May 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Atlantic Coast Conference|title=All ACC Football Team|url=http://www.theacc.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/112612aaf.html|accessdate=15 January 2013}}</ref>
In 2023, Wendy Smith of ''The Washington Post'' wrote, "Over the past three decades, Stephen Amidon has produced a series of novels as compulsively readable as they are hard-edged about such uncomfortable facts of American life as race, class and money."<ref>{{Cite news |title=Review {{!}} 'Locust Lane' is as perceptive as it is compulsively readable |language=en-US |newspaper=Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/books/2023/01/15/stephen-amidon-locust-lane/ |access-date=2023-02-12 |issn=0190-8286}}</ref>
Stephen Amidon sold his first work of fiction in 1989, when the short story "Echolocation" was chosen by Ian Hamilton for inclusion in the Bloomsbury anthology ''Soho Square II''.<ref>{{cite web|title=Anthologies Selected or Edited|url=http://www.ianhamilton.org/writing/anthologies.html|work=Ian Hamilton|accessdate=30 May 2012}}</ref> He was awarded an Arts Council of Great Britain bursary for the short story in 1990. He is the author of a collection of short stories and seven novels, the most recent of which, ''Locust Lane'', was released in 2023.<ref>{{cite web |last1= |first1= |title=Locust Lane |url=https://celadonbooks.com/book/locust-lane-stephen-amidon/ |accessdate=12 February 2023 |website=Celadon Publisher|date= 29 April 2022}}</ref> His fiction has been published in seventeen countries and has appeared on many best-of-the-year lists.<ref>{{cite web|title=about|url=http://www.stephenamidon.com/about.html|website=Stephen Amidon|accessdate=28 March 2015}}</ref> Amidon's novel ''Human Capital'' was chosen by Jonathan Yardley of ''The Washington Post'' as one of the five best works of fiction of 2004.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A30099-2004Dec2.html|title=Jonathan Yardley's Favorites|last=Yardley|first=Jonathan|date=December 5, 2004|newspaper=The Washington Post|accessdate=29 April 2010}}</ref>
An Italian film adaptation of the novel ''Human Capital'' (''Il capitale umano''), directed by Paolo Virzì won best film at the 2014 David di Donatello, Nastro d'Argento, and Globi D'Oro Awards.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.grr.rai.it/dl/grr/notizie/ContentItem-fb786c52-f69b-438d-a257-a2ece7e9f595.html|title=GRR - GR1 del 26/09/2021 05:00}}</ref> The film premiered in the U.S. at the 2014 Tribeca Film Festival,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://variety.com/2014/film/reviews/tribeca-film-review-human-capital-1201157301/|title = Tribeca Film Review: 'Human Capital'|date = 15 April 2014}}</ref> and was Italy's entry for best foreign language film at the 2015 Academy Awards.<ref>{{cite web|title=Italy Picks Paolo Virzi's 'Human Capital' As Its Foreign Oscar Contender|url=https://variety.com/2014/film/news/italy-picks-paolo-virzis-human-capital-as-its-foreign-oscar-contender-1201312703/|website=Variety|date=24 September 2014|accessdate=4 December 2014}}</ref>
In February 2015, Teatro Stabile di Torino premiered 6BIANCA, a serial drama, written by Stephen Amidon and directed by Serena Sinigaglia.<ref>{{cite web|title=6BIANCA|url=http://www.teatrostabiletorino.it/6bianca-progetto-teatrale-stephen-amidon-serena-sinigaglia/|website=Teatro Stabile di Torino|date=5 July 2013|accessdate=4 December 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Castellazzi|title=Chiara|url=http://www.ilsole24ore.com/art/cultura/2015-03-13/con-6bianca-amidon-e-teatro-stabile-080924.shtml?uuid=ABkHWj8C|website=Il Sole 24ore|accessdate=28 March 2015}}</ref>
''The Leisure Seeker'', which Amidon adapted as a screenplay with Virzì, Francesca Archibugi, and Francesco Piccolo, premiered in completion at the 2017 Venice Film Festival.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://variety.com/2017/film/news/venice-film-festival-lineup-george-clooney-darren-aronofsky-guillermo-del-toro-1202507527/|title=Venice Lineup Includes Films From Darren Aronofsky, George Clooney, Guillermo del Toro|last=Vivarelli|first=Nick|date=2017-07-27|work=Variety|access-date=2017-08-01|language=en-US}}</ref> The film stars Helen Mirren and Donald Sutherland,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://variety.com/2016/film/news/helen-mirren-the-leisure-seeker-sony-classics-1201868069/|title = Helen Mirren's 'The Leisure Seeker' Bought by Sony Classics|date = 22 September 2016}}</ref> and the screenplay was nominated for Italian Golden Globe,<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.stampaestera.org/il-globo-doro/edizioni/57-edizione/candidati/#film|title=Stampa Estera - Le Cinquine|website=Stampa Estera|language=it|access-date=2018-06-17}}</ref> and David di Donatello awards.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.daviddidonatello.it/vincitori/vincitori-premi-david-di-donatello.php|title = Accademia del Cinema Italiano - Premi David di Donatello}}</ref>
An American version of ''Human Capital'', directed by Marc Meyers, adapted by Oren Moverman, and starring Liev Schreiber, Alex Wolff, Marisa Tomei, and Maya Hawke, premiered at the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival.<ref>{{cite web |title=TIFF |url=https://www.tiff.net/events/human-capital |accessdate=16 August 2019}}</ref>
January 2020, filming began in Italy on an adaptation of Amidon's novel ''Security'', directed by Peter Chelsom, and starring Marco D'Amore, Valeria Bilello, and Fabrizio Bentivoglio.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Scarpa |first1=Vittoria |title=Cineuropa |url=https://cineuropa.org/en/newsdetail/383897 |accessdate=21 January 2020}}</ref> ''Security'' was released in Italy in May 2021, and elsewhere in June by Netflix, on which it became a worldwide hit.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Chelsea |first1=Peter |title=I Finally Understand the Machine That is Netflix |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2021/jun/29/security-netflix-hit-peter-chelsom-funny-bones |website=The Guardian |date=29 June 2021 |access-date=2 July 2021}}</ref>
==Works==
===Novels=== *''Splitting the Atom'', 1990 *''Thirst'', 1993 *''The Primitive'', 1995 *''The New City'', 2000 *''Human Capital'', 2004; adapted into namesake Italian and American films (See below) *''Security'', 2009 *''The Real Justine'', 2015 *''Locust Lane'', 2023
===Short story collection=== *''Subdivision: Stories'', 1991
===Non-fiction=== *''The Sublime Engine: A Biography of the Human Heart'', 2011 *''Something Like the Gods: A Cultural History of the Athlete from Achilles to LeBron'', 2012
===Screenplay=== *''The Leisure Seeker'', 2017
===Plays=== *''6Bianca - episodes 1-6'', 2015 Teatro Stabilie di Torino - directed by Serena Sinigaglia
===Film adaptations=== *''Human Capital'' (2013) - directed by Paolo Virzì *''Human Capital'' (2019) - directed by Marc Meyers *''Security'' (2020) - directed by Peter Chelsom
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== * {{Official website}} * [http://6bianca.teatrostabiletorino.it 6Bianca website]
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Amidon, Stephen}} Category:Writers from Chicago Category:American male non-fiction writers Category:American film critics Category:Living people Category:1969 births Category:Writers from London