American · b. 1957
Lorrie Moore made her name with short stories that balance wit and devastation in every sentence. "Birds of America" and "Self-Help" established her as a master of the form. The American author's novel "A Gate at the Stairs" (2009) follows a college student working as a nanny for a couple adopting a biracial child; 9/11 lurks in the background, then erupts. Moore writes about heartbreak with a comedic precision that makes the grief land harder.