| Thomas Eugene Robbins | |
|---|---|
 Tom Robbins at a reading of Wild Ducks Flying Backward in San Francisco on September 24, 2005 |
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| Born | 22 July 1936 Blowing Rock, North Carolina), United States |
| Occupation | novelist, short story writer, essayist |
| Nationality | United States |
| Genres | Fictional prose, Postmodernism |
Thomas Eugene Robbins (born July 22, 1936 in Blowing Rock, North Carolina) is an American author. His novels are complex, often wild stories with strong social undercurrents, a satirical bent, and obscure details. He is probably best known for his novel Even Cowgirls Get the Blues (1976), which was made into a movie in 1993 directed by Gus Van Sant.
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Life
Thomas Eugene Robbins was born in Blowing Rock, North Carolina to George Thomas Robbins and Katherine D'Avalon. He also has three younger sisters, two of whom are still living.
In 1954, Robbins studied journalism at Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Virginia but left after he was ousted from his fraternity for discipline problems. He spent the following year hitchhiking, finally settling in New York as a poet. In 1957 he enlisted in the Air Force after receiving his draft notice and spent two years as a meteorologist in Korea until being discharged in 1959. After he was discharged, Robbins returned to civilian life in Richmond, Virginia.
In 1960, Robbins entered art school at Richmond Professional Institute, which later became Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), and was the editor of the campus newspaper as well as a copy editor for the Richmond Times-Dispatch. Upon graduation, he moved to Seattle to seek a Masters degree at the School of Far Eastern Studies of the University of Washington. While in Seattle, he worked for The Seattle Times and Seattle Post-Intelligencer.
In 1971, Robbins published his first novel Another Roadside Attraction. This novel was well received by critics but his next novel Even Cowgirls Get the Blues (1976) was considered to be his magnum opus. Robbins has published eight novels, a collection of short stories, and a collection of poetry and his next book to be released is a novella called B is For Beer which will be published on April 21, 2009. Robbins' literary career has lasted so far over 35 years.
Personal life
He was a friend of Terence McKenna, whose influence is evident in several of his books. A main character (Larry Diamond) in Half Asleep in Frog Pajamas advocates a theory similar to those of McKenna, involving Psilocybin. In addition, there are striking parallels between one of the main characters of Jitterbug Perfume (Wiggs Dannyboy) and McKenna. He is also an admirer of Indian mystic Osho.1 He is also on the advisory board of the Marijuana Policy Project.
He won the Golden Umbrella award at the Bumbershoot Seattle arts festival in 1997.
Robbins has two sons named Rip and Fleetwood Star. He is married to his third wife Alexa D'Avalon and has lived in La Conner, Washington since 1970.
Partial bibliography
Robbins has written eight novels, and one collection, since 1971. He has also written numerous short stories and essays.2
- Another Roadside Attraction (1971)
- Even Cowgirls Get the Blues (1976)
- Still Life with Woodpecker (1980)
- Jitterbug Perfume (1984)
- Skinny Legs and All (1990)
- Half Asleep in Frog Pajamas (1994)
- Fierce Invalids Home from Hot Climates (2000)
- Villa Incognito (2003)
- Wild Ducks Flying Backward (2005) — a collection of non-fiction essays, reviews, and short stories.
- B Is for Beer (2009) — To be published April 21, 2009.
References
Further reading
- Hoyser, Catherine (1997). Tom Robbins: A Critical Companion. Westport: Greenwood Press. ISBN 0313294186.
- Siegel, Mark (1980). Tom Robbins. Boise: Boise State University. ISBN 0884300668.
- Gabel, Shainee (1997). Anthem: An American Road Story. New York: Avon books. ISBN 0380974193.
- Whitmer, Peter (2000). Aquarius Revisited: Seven Who Created the Sixties Counterculture That Changed America. New York: Citadel. ISBN 0806512229.
External links
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Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Tom Robbins |
- AFTRlife - A Tom Robbins playground (fansite)
- Tom Robbins at Random House Australia
- Interviews and articles
- A 1984 interview with Tom Robbins
- From Blowing Rock to Windy Cliff: A Tentative Chronology
- A biographical essay (2003)
- Basking Robbins Interview (1985)
- Salon.com mini-bio (2000)
- Seattle Weekly interview (2000)
- WGA: How to Write Like Tom Robbins
Wikipedia content modification information:
- This page was last modified on 30 December 2008, at 17:35.
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