Stephen Dobyns
Stephen Dobyns, born in 1941 in Orange, New Jersey, is a distinguished American poet and mystery novelist. He graduated from Wayne State University and earned his MFA from the University of Iowa. While Dobyns has written numerous mystery novels, he identifies primarily as a poet, dedicating himself to poetic craft and exploring a wide range of themes, including philosophical musings and social commentary. His poetry is noted for its sharp wit and controlled verse, often addressing the chaos of the world around him.
Dobyns is best known for his crime fiction series featuring Charlie Bradshaw, set in Saratoga Springs, New York. The character of Bradshaw reflects a relatable, flawed detective navigating personal crises. In addition to this series, his psychological thriller "The Church of Dead Girls" has garnered attention for its exploration of fear and societal paranoia. In the 21st century, Dobyns continued to blend poetry and novel writing, publishing collections like "Winter's Journey" and novels such as "The Burn Palace" and "Is Fat Bob Dead Yet?" which intertwine humor with darker themes. His work is recognized for its honesty, depth, and an often sardonic perspective on life.
Stephen Dobyns
American poet and mystery novelist.
- Born: February 19, 1941
- Place of Birth: Orange, New Jersey
Biography
Stephen Dobyns was born in Orange, New Jersey, in 1941, to Lester and Barbara Dobyns. He attended Shimer College from 1959 to 1960, and graduated with a BA from Wayne State University in 1964. He received his MFA in 1967 from the University of Iowa. He has worked as an English instructor, reporter, and lecturer.
Dobyns has written a number of mystery novels, but he defines himself first and foremost as a poet. “Although I sometimes write fiction, I do it only as a diversion,” he has said. “I consider myself entirely a poet, am concerned with it twenty-four hours a day, feel that it requires that attention if one is to be successful, feel there is no subject which cannot be best treated by poetry, feel that myself and any poet is always at the beginning of his craft.”
Dobyns has attained success as a poet. A contributor to Poetry magazine wrote that Dobyns’s poetry “blends philosophical musings with daft, deft metaphors and a cheeky vernacular.” Another critic said, “Dobyns looks warily at the chaotic world, dislikes what he sees, and responds to its disorder in crisply controlled verse keyed to a sardonic wit one scale above cynicism.”
His novels have also received critical acclaim. Dobyns’s best-known crime fiction series features Charlie Bradshaw and is set in Saratoga Springs, New York. A critic wrote, “An ex- cop and ex-security guard. . . Bradshaw is passing through a midlife crisis and getting nowhere. . . He has no method to his detection and usually bumbles in and out of crimes or strikes them head on.”
In addition to his Bradshaw series, Dobyns has written several other mystery novels. The mystery novelist Lawrence Block said in a review of Dancer with One Leg (1983), “His writing is honest, tough-minded, and as uncompromising as his unforgettable hero. There’s not a false sentence anywhere, not a moment where interest flags.” Dobyns’s psychological thriller The Church of Dead Girls (1997) also received critical acclaim. “This chiller is about the awful power of fear,” said a reviewer for Publishers Weekly. “When the people of Aurelius go looking for a monster, monsters are all they can see.”
In the twenty-first century, Dobyns continued the pattern of writing a mixture of poetry and novels. In 2010, he published the collection of poems Winter's Journey, in which he characteristically uses poems capturing everyday events, such as taking a walk, to meditate on philosophical truths that are often tragically comical. However, over the next few years, he transitioned back to the novel form, publishing two works that still maintain that familiar sense of often dark humor regardless of the genre. The Burn Palace (2013) serves as a caustic horror story in a similar vein as Stephen King. Is Fat Bob Dead Yet? (2015), on the other hand, is a satirical thriller that is simultaneously layered with poignancy.
Author Works
Long Fiction:
A Man of Little Evils, 1973
Charlie Bradshaw series, 1978–98
Dancer with One Leg, 1983
Cold Dog Soup, 1985
A Boat off the Coast, 1987
The Two Deaths of Senora Puccini, 1988
Cold Dog Soup, 1988
The House on Alexandrine, 1990
After Shocks / Near Escapes, 1991
The Wrestler's Cruel Study, 1993
The Church of Dead Girls, 1997
Boy in the Water, 1998
Eating Naked, 2000
The Burn Palace, 2013
Is Fat Bob Dead Yet?, 2015
Nonfiction:
Best Words, Best Order: Essays On Poetry, 1996
Next Word, Better Word: The Craft of Writing Poetry, 2011
Poetry:
Concurring Beasts, 1972
Griffon, 1976
Heat Death, 1980
The Balthus Poems, 1982
Cemetery Nights, 1987
Body Traffic, 1990
Velocities: New And Selected Poems 1966-1992, 1994
Common Carnage, 1996
Black Dog, Red Dog, 1997
Pallbearers Envying the One Who Rides, 1999
The Porcupine's Kisses, 2002
Mystery, So Long, 2005
Winter's Journey, 2010
Short Fiction:
Eating Naked, and Other Stories, 2000
Bibliography
Canfield, Kevin. "Is Fat Bob Dead Yet? Review: An Antic Story on Scams and Gangsters." Rev. of Is Fat Bob Dead Yet?, by Stephen Dobyns. Washington Post. Washington Post, 27 Aug. 2015. Web. 26 Apr. 2016. A largely positive review of Dobyns's 2015 novel.
Cheuse, Alan. Review of The Burn Palace, by Stephen Dobyns. Boston Globe. Boston Globe Media Partners, 16 Feb. 2013. Web. 26 Apr. 2016. A review of Dobyns's 2013 novel.
deNiord, Chard. Rev. of Winter's Journey, by Stephen Dobyns. Harvard Review. President and Fellows of Harvard College, 8 Feb. 2012. Web. 26 Apr. 2016. A review of Dobyns's 2010 poetry collection.
Dobyns, Stephen. Next Word, Better Word: The Craft of Writing Poetry. New York: Palgrave, 2011. Print. A writer's guide for would-be poets in which Dobyns also discusses his own writing experiences.
Dobyns, Stephen. "Poetry Questions: Stephen Dobyns." Interview by Rebecca Foresman. New Yorker. Condé Nast, 2 Apr. 2012. Web. 26 Apr. 2016. In this interview, Dobyns discusses his poetry-writing process.