Michael Dirda

Michael Dirda
Dirda in 2009
Born1948 (age 77–78)
EducationOberlin College (BA)
Cornell University (MA, PhD)
OccupationBook critic

Michael Dirda (born 1948) is an American book critic who worked at The Washington Post from 1978 to 2026. He has been a Fulbright Fellow and won a Pulitzer Prize in 1993.

Career

Having studied at Oberlin College for his undergraduate degree in 1970, Dirda earned an M.A. in 1974 and a Ph.D. in 1977 from Cornell University in comparative literature. In 1978 Dirda started writing for the "Book World" section of The Washington Post;[1] in 1993 he won the Pulitzer Prize for his criticism.[2] He was a weekly book columnist for the Post.[3]

In 2002, Dirda was invested as a member of The Baker Street Irregulars.[4]

In 2026, Dirda was laid off by The Washington Post when it reduced its staff by one-third and eliminated the newspaper's books and sports sections.[5][6]

Works

Two collections of Dirda's literary journalism have been published:[7]

  • Readings: Essays and Literary Entertainments (Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2000) ISBN 0-253-33824-7
  • Bound to Please (New York: W. W. Norton, 2005) ISBN 0-393-05757-7

He has also written:

  • An Open Book: Coming of Age in the Heartland (New York: W. W. Norton, 2003) ISBN 0-393-05756-9 (autobiography)
  • Book by Book: Notes on Reading and Life (New York: Henry Holt, 2005) ISBN 0-8050-7877-0
  • Classics for Pleasure (Orlando: Harcourt, 2007) ISBN 0-15-101251-2
  • On Conan Doyle; or, The Whole Art of Storytelling (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2011) ISBN 0-691-15135-0
  • Browsings: A Year of Reading, Collecting, and Living with Books (New York: Pegasus, 2015) ISBN 978-1-60598-844-3

On Conan Doyle was awarded the 2012 Edgar Award in the Best Critical/Biographical category.[8] (Reviewer Darrell Schweitzer lauds the book in The New York Review of Science Fiction.[9])

Family

Dirda lives in Silver Spring, Maryland, with his wife, Marian Peck Dirda, a prints and drawings conservator at the National Gallery of Art. They have three sons: Christopher (b. 1984), Michael (b. 1987), and Nathaniel (b. 1990).[10]

See also

References

  1. ^ Dirda, Michael (September 22, 2022). "Book World began on Watergate's heels: A look back at the early days". The Washington Post. Retrieved February 5, 2026.
  2. ^ Fischer, Heinz-Dietrich; Fischer, Erika J. (2002). Complete Biographical Encyclopedia of Pulitzer Prize Winners, 1917–2000. The Pulitzer Prize Archive. Vol. 16. Munich: K. G. Saur. p. 58. ISBN 3-598-30186-3. Retrieved January 21, 2010.
  3. ^ Dirda, Michael (March 25, 2005). "XXX". The Washington Post. Retrieved October 5, 2010.
  4. ^ Dirda, Michael (August 16, 2017). "If you love Sherlock Holmes, you'll love this book". The Washington Post. Retrieved January 2, 2019.
  5. ^ Bauder, David (February 4, 2026). "Washington Post cuts a third of its staff in a blow to a legendary news brand". Associated Press. Retrieved February 5, 2026.
  6. ^ Spratford, Sam (February 4, 2026). "WashPo Shutters Books Section Amid Widespread Layoffs". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved February 5, 2026.
  7. ^ "Local Author Bibliography: Michael Dirda". Lorain Public Library System. Archived from the original on July 18, 2011. Retrieved January 21, 2010.
  8. ^ "Washington Post's Michael Dirda Wins Edgar Award". The Washington Post. April 26, 2012. Retrieved May 14, 2012.
  9. ^ Schweitzer, Darrell (January 2012). "On Conan Doyle; or, The Whole Art of Storytelling by Michael Dirda". The New York Review of Science Fiction. 24 (5). Pleasantville, NY: Dragon Press: 7.
  10. ^ "WOSU Presents Ohioana Authors: Michael Dirda". Ohioana Authors. Retrieved January 12, 2012.
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