Zadoorian, Michael
February 26, 1957 -
Place of Birth: Detroit, MI
Biography:
Michael Zadoorian was born to Rosemary and Normon (a photographer for an electric company) and grew up in the northwest side of Detroit, MI. He attended Wayne State University and achieved both a B.A. and a M.A. in English. He has worked as a copywriter for Michael Floral & Associates, Doner Advertising, and Campbell-Ewald Advertising, where he remains today. Zadoorian has published short stories in a number of literary magazines (both at home and abroad) and released his first, much-praised book, Second Hand, A Novel in 2000.
Selected Works:
- Second Hand, A Novel (2000)
- To Sleep (American Short Fiction, 1997)
- Mystery Spot (Panurge, 1996)
- Traffic Reports (Staple, 1995)
- The Underground (Wisconsin Review, 1991)
Awards:
- 2000 Second Hand, Official Selection, “Discover Great New Writers” Program, by Borders.com Finalist for 2000 Discover Award
- 2000 Second Hand, Official Selection, Book Sense 76 List for March/April 2000; American Booksellers Association
- 2000 Second Hand, selected as one of the “Best of 2000, Fiction and Literature” by Borders
- One of “The Best” of 2000 by the Detroit Free Press
- 2000 One of the “Favorite Books of 2000” by the Chi. Tr.
- 1995 Recipient, Pre-Press Award, Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs/ Pre-Press Publishing of Michigan
- 1991-92 Recipient, Loughead-Eldredge Creative Writing Scholarship; Wayne State University, Detroit
- 1991 Recipient, Tompkins Award; Wayne State University, Detroit, 1st place for Fiction; 1st place for Essay; 3rd place for Fiction
Critical Reception:
Zadoorian’s novel Second Hand has been hailed as an extraordinary work. Judi Clark of Mostly Fiction wrote, “Zadoorian is a crisp and humorous writer. It’s one of those novels where every line in quotable and often profound. The characters are fallible, yet likable, in a human kind of way … in writing this review, I’ve nearly reread the entire novel and will probably do so again. What can I say? Every writer writes their first novel, but not every writer gets it right.” Critic Deborah Straw of Sun Oasis playfully commented “reading Second Hand made me jealous. Jealous of its author…for having such a great idea.”
Relevance of Place to Author’s Work:
Zadoorian demonstrates his knowledge and affection for his hometown by making the setting of his highly acclaimed first book, Second Hand, A Novel, Detroit, MI.