“Mark Helprin belongs to no literary school, movement, tendency, or trend. As many have observed, and as Time Magazine has phrased it, ‘He lights his own way.’” This introduction on his website is as true of the man as it is of the writer. Born in Manhattan in 1947, Helprin grew up in the Hudson River Valley. He attended Harvard, Princeton, and Oxford.
His 20s delivered another sort of education. Between and beyond his academic studies, Helprin worked jobs that ranged from washing dishes in restaurants to his service in both the Israeli army and air force. Characters in his eight novels, bestsellers like “A Soldier of the Great War” and the recent “The Oceans and the Stars,” his short stories, and his three children’s books reflect this mix of wanderlust, adventure, and brushes with all manner of people. His books have won numerous literary prizes, been translated into more than 20 languages, and touched the lives of fans around the world.
