SHORT BIO
Boris Fishman is the author of the novels A Replacement Life (which won the VCU Cabell First Novelist Award and the American Library Association’s Sophie Brody Medal) and Don’t Let My Baby Do Rodeo, both New York Times Notable Books of the Year; the memoir Savage Feast; and the new novel The Unwanted (March 2025), all from HarperCollins. He has taught at Princeton and the University of Montana, and is now a professor of creative writing and literature at the University of Austin. He also writes about wine.
RECENT WRITING
A Free Press essay about being a liberal who teaches at a conservative university. A Talk of the Town in The New Yorker. + A defense of wine in The New York Times Op-Ed and on its Opinions podcast. + A personal piece for Guardian (UK) Weekend. + A blunt review for The New York Times Book Review. + A profile, for Tablet, of the uncommon owners of an uncommon hotel in Miami Beach. + A Rhône Valley wine piece for Princeton Alumni Weekly. + A “Roving Eye” essay for The New York Times Book Review. + On Ukrainian wine for VinePair.
REVIEWS
In a starred review, Publishers Weekly says The Unwanted is a “rousing near-future saga…. Fishman’s worldbuilding is impeccable…. He skillfully ramps up the tension…. Fans of dystopian classics like 1984 will find much to savor in Fishman’s spellbinding tale.” In its own starred review, Booklist says The Unwanted is “a tense, haunting work that will resonate with many readers in these uncertain times.” The Unwanted is also one of LitHub’s Most Anticipated Books of 2025.