Ethan Canin (1960 - )

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"I'm an old man and I want you to do something for me. Put down your bicycle," I said. "Put down your bicycle and look up at the stars."*

While attending the University of Iowa Writers' Workshop, Canin learned of the many disadvantages of a writing life. Upon earning an M.F.A. degree at Iowa in 1984, he entered medical school at Harvard University with no intentions of writing as a career.**

Born in Ann Arbor, Michigan, he attended Stanford University where he studied physics before switching to English. His writing instructors were so impressed by his stories that they helped him publish his material in magazines. It was Canin's successes at Stanford that earned him his place at the Writers' Workshop. Later, while studying medicine at Harvard, an editor from Houghton Mifflin called to propose a book of his stories. The result was Emperor of the Air.

Canin's other works include Blue River (1991), For Kings and Planets: A Novel (1998), and Carry Me Across the Water: A Novel (2001). He has also been a contributor to Esquire, Newsweek, and Redbook. His work features universal experiences such as growing up, aging, and family matters.

* "Emperor of the Air" in Emperor of the Air: Stories (Houghton, 1988)

** "Canin, Ethan." Contemporary Authors, Volume 135. 1992 ed.