Michael Chabon

Michael Chabon is a celebrity of modern American literature and the winner of the Pulitzer Prize for his novel The Adventures of Kavalier and Clay (2000). Fresh out of the University of California at Irvine with a graduate degree in creative writing, Chabon got a six-figure book deal for his first novel, The Mysteries of Pittsburgh (1988). The success of the book made him a literary star while he was still in his mid-20s. His second novel, Wonder Boys (1995), was made into a hit movie starring Michael Douglas and Tobey Maguire, and his third novel was the prize-winning bestseller Kavalier & Clay. He has also published collections of short stories, worked in Hollywood, written a novel for young readers (2006's Summerland) and overseen the birth of a comic book series (2004's The Amazing Adventures of The Escapist). Like his contemporary Jonathan Lethem, Chabon is considered a talented and versatile writer who blurs the line between low-brow and high-brow literature. His other books include the story collection Werewolves in Their Youth (1999) and the alternative-universe novel The Yiddish Policemen's Union (2007).

Extra credit: Chabon is married to writer Ayelet Waldman.