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{{short description|American writer|bot=PearBOT 5}}

factoids

| birth_place = Santa Fe, New Mexico, U.S.| death_date =| death_place =

• Novelist
• short story writer
• photographer
• documentary producer

{edih}| nationality = American| period = 1996–present| genre = Literary fiction| subject =| movement = Postmodern literatureNew RegionalismLGBT literature| notableworks = TidelandA Slight Trick of the MindPeter I. ChangHTTP://WWW.PUBLISHERSWEEKLY.COM/ARTICLE/CA70934.HTMLARCHIVEDATE=2008-10-09LAST=GATHMANDATE=9 APRIL 2001ACCESSDATE=12 AUGUST 2011, | website = }}Mitch Cullin (born March 23, 1968) is an American writer. He is the author of seven novels, and one short story collection. He currently resides in Arcadia, California and Tokyo, Japan with his partner and frequent collaborator Peter I. Chang.WEB,redroom.com/member/mitch-cullin/bio, Red Room bio, Redroom.com, 2013-12-30, dead,redroom.com/member/mitch-cullin/bio," title="web.archive.org/web/20120927095535redroom.com/member/mitch-cullin/bio,">web.archive.org/web/20120927095535redroom.com/member/mitch-cullin/bio, September 27, 2012, {{citation|url=http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-6557412_ITM |last=Weeks |first=Jerome |periodical=The Dallas Morning News |date=May 11, 2005 |accessdate=2008-01-28 |title=A cult writer creates some mainstream buzz |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080304130245www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-6557412_ITM |archivedate=March 4, 2008 }} His books have been translated into over 10 languages, among them French,WEB,evene.lefigaro.fr/livres/livre/mitch-cullin-les-abeilles-de-monsieur-holmes-30585.php, France (Editions Naive), Evene.fr, 2013-12-25, 2013-12-30, Polish,BOOK,www.sklep.gildia.pl/literatura/5876-mitch-cullin-kraina-traw, Polish edition, 2006, Sklep.gildia.pl, 9788374693356, 2013-12-30, Japanese,WEB,books.rakuten.co.jp/rb/1737277/, Japan (Kadokawa), Item.rakuten.co.jp, 2010-07-01, 2013-12-30, and Italian.WEB,www.unilibro.it/find_buy/findresult/libreria/prodotto-libro/autore-mitch_cullin_.htm?redirectt=si, Italy (Giano Editore), Unilibro.it, 2013-12-30,

Personal life

Cullin was born in Santa Fe, New Mexico and claims Scotch-Irish and Cherokee descent.

Reception

The New York Times has described Cullin’s writing as “brilliant and beautiful,“WEB, Jim LewisPublished: September 24, 2000,query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D0CE2D81238F937A1575AC0A9669C8B63&fta=y, 24 September 2000, New York Times, 2000-09-24, 2013-12-30, but the author has confessed that “half the time I’m not even sure why I make choices in writing, or how it works when it works.“WEB,www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA70934.html, Publishers Weekly profile, Publishersweekly.com, 2013-12-30,

Books and film adaptations

Cullin’s novel Tideland was adapted for the screen and directed by Terry GilliamWEB,www.tidelandthemovie.com/, Tideland The Movie, Tideland The Movie, 2013-12-30, in 2003, and the author also made a brief cameo appearance in the film, later stating about his time on the set: “There was a part of me that wanted to watch and experience every aspect of what Terry was doing… and he allowed me to do that while I was there if I wished to… but at the same time, I didn’t want his process to become too demystified… because I wanted to buy a ticket someday and sit down in a dark theater and simply watch the film without knowing too much about how it was filmed.“WEB,www.gilliamdreams.com/tidecul2.htm, Dreams interview, gilliamdreams.com, 2013-12-30, Despite mixed reviews from critics, Gilliam’s film adaptation won the 2005 FIPRESCI prize at San Sebastián International Film Festival.2005 SSIFF {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070831220219www.sansebastianfestival.com/2005/asi_in/asi02_10.htm#01 |date=August 31, 2007 }}In 2005, Cullin published his sixth novel, A Slight Trick of the Mind, a portrait of Sherlock Holmes in old age, for which The New York Times praised the author as being “an unusually sophisticated theorist of human nature,“NEWS,www.nytimes.com/2005/05/15/books/review/15CHIASSON.html, New York Times review, The New York Times, 2005-05-15, 2013-12-30, and Carolyn See of The Washington Post stated that “you don’t read it to be ‘improved’ but for the plain joy of seeing what the language can do in the hands of an affectionate, very accomplished writer.“NEWS,www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A7946-2005Apr21.html, Washington Post, The Washington Post, 2005-04-22, 2013-12-30, The audiobook edition of the novel won the Audio Publishers Association’s 2006 Audie Awards for Unabridged Fiction.WEB,www.highbridgeaudio.com/news-0606-01.html, Audie Awards, Highbridgeaudio.com, 2013-12-30, dead,www.highbridgeaudio.com/news-0606-01.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20080921214042www.highbridgeaudio.com/news-0606-01.html,">web.archive.org/web/20080921214042www.highbridgeaudio.com/news-0606-01.html, September 21, 2008, Cullin’s seventh novel The Post-War Dream was published by Random House in March 2008.WEB,knopfdoubleday.com/imprint/nan-a-talese/?isbn=978-0-385-51329-6, Random House, Random House, 2013-12-30, In April 2012, and to coincide with celebration of National Poetry Month, Cullin published The House of Special Purpose, a long narrative poem written almost two decades previously and featuring illustrations by Peter I. Chang, which chronicles the last days of the Romanov family during the Russian Revolution of 1918.WEB,issuu.com/lo-vi/docs/the_house_of_special_purpose_sample, The House of Special Purpose [SAMPLE PAGES] by Workshop Lo-Vi, ISSUU, 17 April 2012, 2013-12-30, From May 2012 to February 2013, Cullin serialized the novel Everything Beautiful is Far Away as an online monthly magazine through the Issuu publication site. The book was written in collaboration with Peter I. Chang, and featured monthly guest artists and musicians, including Moby, Tsutomu Nakayama, Fights Monsters, Pleq, IP (Identity Problem), Caitlin Kirkley, DJ Terrapin, Chemical Tapes, Wind In Willows, Incompetech, Adriana Pasley, and The Ghost of Mendelsshon. Each monthly issue of Everything Beautiful is Far Away is free to read online via the Issuu site:issuu.com/lo-vi/docs.WEB,issuu.com/lo-vi/docs, Workshop Lo-Vi, ISSUU, 2013-12-30, A film version of Cullin’s A Slight Trick of the Mind, titled Mr. Holmes, with Ian McKellen starring as Sherlock Holmes, written by Jeffrey Hatcher and directed by Bill Condon, was released in 2015.

Career

While attending the University of Houston in the mid 1990s, Cullin befriended the author Mary Gaitskill. Gaitskill taught him in several writing classes. She remained a mentor after he dropped out of college and moved to Tucson, Arizona to write. Since then, Cullin and Gaitskill have stayed friends, and in 2005 they did a one-on-one author appearance at Manhattan’s Housing Works.{{Citation |url=http://www.beatrice.com/archives/001420.html |title=Pages from the social Diary |last=Hogan |first=Ron |publisher=Beatrice.com (blog) |accessdate=2008-01-06}}Some of Cullin’s early unpublished writings (including Afternoon Misdemeanors, The House of Special Purpose, and 6 Poems) are housed at Syracuse University in its archive collection of poet scholar Robert S. Phillips’ papers, letters, manuscripts, and correspondence.{{Citation |url=http://library.syr.edu/digital/guides/p/phillips_rs.htm |title=Robert S. Phillips Papers |publisher=Syracuse University |accessdate=2008-01-06}}Along with writers including Salman Rushdie and Amy Tan, Cullin is a founding author of the non-profit Red Room website.{{Citation|url=http://redroom.com/member/mitch-cullin |title=RedRoom writer profile |publisher=Red Room |accessdate=2008-01-06 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20111113041421redroom.com/member/mitch-cullin |archivedate=November 13, 2011 }}

Music and film work

Cullin has worked with Giant Sand’s Howe Gelb, helping to design the cover and logo for Gelb’s 2003 solo album The Listener.The following year, with Canadian musicians Todd Bryanton and Rob Bryanton, he co-wrote the song “Lift Me Up To Sweet Jesus” for the soundtrack of Terry Gilliam’s Tideland, a film based on his novel of the same name, and in which he has a cameo appearance.Cullin is credited as the producer of Peter I. Chang’s film I Want to Destroy America, a documentary about the life of Hisao Shinagawa,WEB,www.freenewmexican.com/news/53446.html, A rock ‘n’ roll dream that won’t die, Freenewmexican.com, 2013-12-30, dead,www.freenewmexican.com/news/53446.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20131231001853www.freenewmexican.com/news/53446.html,">web.archive.org/web/20131231001853www.freenewmexican.com/news/53446.html, December 31, 2013, and he is also credited as the cinematographer and producer on Peter I. Chang’s 2008 documentary Tokyo is Dreaming.

Works

Books

{| class=“wikitable sortable”! Title! Original Publication Date! Original Publisher! ISBN| Whompyjawed| 1999| The Permanent Presstitle=Whompyjawed last1=Cullindate=June 2007|publisher=Permanent PressPub Company }}Branches (book)>Branches| 2000| The Permanent Presstitle=Branches last1=Cullinyear=2000|publisher=Permanent Press }}| Tideland| 2000| Dufour Editionstitle=Tideland last1=Cullinyear=2006|publisher=Dufour Editions }}| The Cosmology of Bing| 2001| The Permanent Presstitle=The Cosmology of Bing last1=Cullinyear=2001|publisher=Permanent Press }}| UnderSurface| 2002| The Permanent Presstitle=UnderSurface url=https://archive.org/details/undersurfacenove0000cull first1=Mitch publisher=Permanent Press }}| A Slight Trick of the Mind| 2005| Doubledaytitle=A Slight Trick of the Mind last1=Cullinyear=2006|publisher=Knopf Doubleday Publishing }}The Post-War Dream (novel)>The Post-War Dream| 2008| Doubledaytitle=The Post-War Dream last1=Cullinyear=2008|publisher=Nan A. Talese/Doubleday }}| The House of Special Purpose| 2012| Workshop Lo-Vi Editionstitle=The House of Special Purpose |asin=B007V9X0BO}}| Everything Beautiful is Far Away| 2012 to 2013, serialized novel| Workshop Lo-Vi Editions| “>

Short story collections{| class“wikitable sortable”

! Title! Original Publication Date! Original Publisher! ISBN| From the Place in the Valley Deep in the Forest| 2001| Dufour Editionstitle=From the Place in the Valley Deep in the Forest url=https://archive.org/details/fromplaceinvalle00cull first1=Mitch publisher=Dufour Editions }}“>

Anthologies{| class“wikitable sortable”

! Title! Story Contribution! Original Publication Date! Original Publisher! ISBN| Best Gay Erotica 1996| Playing Solitaire| 1996| Cleis Presstitle=Best Gay Erotica 1996 last1=Fordyear=1996|publisher=Cleis Press }}| Happily Ever After| The Snow Prince & The Bear| 1996| Masquerade Bookstitle=Happily Ever After url=https://archive.org/details/happilyeverafter00ford first1=Michael publisher=A Richard Kasak Book, published by Masquerade Books, Incorporated }}| Best American Gay Fiction 2| Sifting Through| 1997| Little, Browntitle=Best American Gay Fiction 2 url-access=registration last1=Bouldrey date=September 1997 |publisher=Little, Brown }}| Circa 2000: Gay Fiction at the Millennium| Excerpt from ‘The Cosmology of Bing’| 2000| Alyson Bookstitle=Circa 2000: Gay Fiction at the Millennium url=https://archive.org/details/circa2000gayfict0000unse first1=Robert first2=Terry publisher=Alyson Books }}| Afterwords| Aguas de Marco| 2001| Alyson Bookstitle=Afterwords last1=Bentleyyear=2001|publisher=Alyson Books }}| M2M: New Literary Fiction| Fall| 2003| AttaGirl Presstitle=M2M: New Literary Fiction url-access=registration last1=Woelz year=2003 |publisher=AttaGirl Press }}| Wonderlands: Good Gay Travel Writing| Crows in the Hair| 2004| The University of Wisconsin Presstitle=Wonderlands: Good Gay Travel Writing last1=Wildyear=2007|publisher=Social Disease }}| The Flash| Bullets| 2007| Social Diseasetitle=The Flash last1=Wildyear=2007|publisher=Social Disease }}| スウィート・ドリームス第１号Sweet Dreams #1| At the Nageku Kinenhi| 2007| Sweet Dreamstitle=Sweet Dreams #1 |isbn=978-4-9903771-0-6}}“>

Photography{| class“wikitable sortable”

! Title! Original Publication Date! Original Publisher! Notes| INKEI/KAO| 2007| Workshop Lo-ViPUBLISHER=REDROOM.COM URL-STATUS=DEAD ARCHIVEDATE=SEPTEMBER 27, 2012, | Tokyo is Dreaming| 2008| Workshop Lo-ViPUBLISHER=REDROOM.COM URL-STATUS=DEAD ARCHIVEDATE=SEPTEMBER 27, 2012,

Filmography

• Tideland (2005) – as passenger on bus; Terry Gilliam’s film version of Mitch Cullin’s novel
• Getting Gilliam (2006) – as himself; Vincenzo Natali’s documentary about Terry Gilliam and the making of Tideland
• This Band Has No Members (2006) – as himself; unreleased concert film of Howe Gelb performing in Kyoto, Japan
• I Want to Destroy America (2006) – producer/interviewer; Peter I. Chang’s documentary about Hisao Shinagawa
• Making of Tideland (2007) – as himself; featurette on US, Canadian, and UK DVD editions of Terry Gilliam’s Tideland
• Regina Monologue (2007) – as himself; short film released only as an Easter egg on Disc 2 of the UK DVD edition of Terry Gilliam’s Tideland
• Q&A with Terry Gilliam and Mitch Cullin at the Hay Festival (2007) – as himself; bonus feature on the UK DVD edition of Terry Gilliam’s Tideland
• Tokyo is Dreaming (2008) – producer/cinematographer; Peter I. Chang’s documentary about modern-day Tokyo
• Mr. Holmes (2015) – an adaptation of Cullin’s novel A Slight Trick of the Mind

References

{{Reflist}}

External links

• Cullin at Random House website
• redroom.com/member/mitch-cullin" title="web.archive.org/web/20111113041421redroom.com/member/mitch-cullin">Mitch Cullin’s profile and blog at Red Room
• Official movie website for Terry Gilliam’s adaptation of Tideland

{{Mitch Cullin novels}}{{Authority control}}