Tom Bissell

Tom Bissell is an American author and journalist best known for his short fiction, nonfiction, and video game writing. He is the author of eight books and his work has been featured in The New Yorker, Esquire, GQ, Harper's Magazine, Wired, The New York Times Magazine, The New Republic, and The Paris Review.

Born in 1973, Bissell grew up in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where he began writing as a child. Despite his early success in writing, Bissell felt compelled to pursue academics and attended college at Yale University. During college, Bissell began writing literary fiction, poetry, and essays, which he submitted to and was published in yearly literary magazines. Bissell graduated from Yale in 1995 and pursued an MFA from Columbia University, where he studied fiction writing.

He began his career as a writer soon after graduating, garnering a great deal of attention for his short stories and essays. In 2002, Bissell’s work was showcased in his first book, God Lives in St. Petersburg and Other Stories, which received critical acclaim and settled Bissell as an esteemed writer. In subsequent years, Bissell has written extensively about his travels, wars he's covered, and his experiences as a war correspondent.

As a journalist, Bissell has written extensively about the television and video game industry. His groundbreaking work on the games he played, and the issues he saw in the industry, was published in his book Extra Lives: Why Video Games Matter. The book exploded into the public consciousness and further cemented Bissell as an innovative video game writer and critic. Bissell’s work on the culture of video games has contributed to the positive view of the industry both domestically and abroad.

Bissell has written eight books, including collections of short stories and essays, novels, and nonfiction works. He has received various awards, such as the Rome Prize in Literature, the Massachusetts Book Award, and the MacArthur Fellowship. His work has been featured in publications such as The New Yorker, Wired, The New York Times Magazine, The New Republic, and The Paris Review, among others. His work has been translated into French, German, Spanish, and Italian.

Tom Bissell is widely considered one of the most successful writers of his generation and is an important figure in the worlds of fiction, journalism, and video games. His versatility and versatility in all the fields he writes in has made him a literary force to be reckoned with and his work has left a remarkable mark on the literary landscape. His books, spanning from fiction to memoirs to criticism of the video game industry, provide vivid insight into the human condition and the popular culture of today.