Chris Bachelder books

Chris Bachelder is an American novelist and professor at the University of Cincinnati, known for satirical literary fiction. His novel The Throwback Special was a finalist for the 2016 National Book Award.

Anthologies

Title Published Buy on Amazon
ESPN Quick Pitches: A Star-Studded Lineup of Original Sports Fiction 2011 Buy
Fakes: An Anthology of Pseudo-Interviews, Faux-Lectures, Quasi-Letters, “Found” Texts, and Other Fraudulent Artifacts 2012 Buy
Loosed Upon the World 2015 Buy

Standalone Novels

Title Published Buy on Amazon
Bear v. Shark 2001 Buy
U.S.! 2006 Buy
Abbott Awaits 2011 Buy
The Throwback Special 2015 Buy
Dayswork 2023 Buy

Chris Bachelder was born in Minneapolis in 1971 and grew up in Christiansburg, Virginia. He holds a B.A. from Virginia Tech and an M.F.A. from the University of Florida. He has taught at Colorado College, New Mexico State University, and UMass Amherst, and is currently an associate professor of creative writing at the University of Cincinnati. His fiction and essays have appeared in McSweeney’s, The Believer, and The Paris Review.

His five novels range from the fragmented media satire of Bear v. Shark (2001) to the quiet domestic comedy of Abbott Awaits (2011). The Throwback Special (2015), about 40 men who gather annually to re-enact the NFL play in which Lawrence Taylor broke Joe Theismann’s leg, was a finalist for the National Book Award. His most recent novel, Dayswork (2023), co-written with his wife, poet Jennifer Habel, follows a woman who obsessively researches Herman Melville during pandemic lockdown.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many books has Chris Bachelder written?

Chris Bachelder has written 8 books across 2 series.

What was Chris Bachelder's first book?

Chris Bachelder’s first book is Bear v. Shark, published in 2001.

Has Chris Bachelder won any awards?

Chris Bachelder’s novel The Throwback Special (2015) was a finalist for the 2016 National Book Award for Fiction and won The Paris Review’s Terry Southern Prize for Humor. His 2023 novel Dayswork was named to NPR’s Books We Love, the Washington Post Notable Books list, and the Kirkus Reviews Best Books of the Year.

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