Anthony James Taylor

Brandon Taylor, born in 1989 in Alabama, is an American writer recognized for his critically lauded fiction. He pursued higher education at Auburn University at Montgomery, the University of Wisconsin–Madison, and the University of Iowa, where he was an Iowa Arts Fellow. Taylor's background, including a religious upbringing and a family with limited literacy, has informed his writing. His essays and short stories have been featured in numerous literary publications.

Taylor gained significant recognition for his debut novel, 'Real Life' (2020), which was shortlisted for the Booker Prize and adapted into a film. His short story collection, 'Filthy Animals' (2021), received The Story Prize. His subsequent novels include 'The Late Americans' (2023) and 'Minor Black Figures' (2025). Taylor's work often delves into the complexities of relationships, the excavation of meaning from the mundane, and the experiences of marginalized individuals. He is also an editor and has contributed to various literary platforms.

Born in Prattville, Alabama, in 1989, Brandon Taylor spent his formative years in a conservative Baptist environment outside Montgomery. His family's background, characterized by limited literacy, meant he often assisted with reading official documents. Taylor taught himself to read using his brother's textbooks and drew from a varied reading list that included romance novels, nursing manuals, and the Bible. He attended Auburn University at Montgomery for his undergraduate studies before transitioning from a graduate biochemistry program to a career in creative writing. He furthered his education at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and the University of Iowa, where he participated in the Iowa Writers' Workshop as an Iowa Arts Fellow.

Taylor's literary output includes short stories and essays published in prominent journals such as Granta, The New Yorker, and Guernica. He also holds editorial positions at Electric Literature and Literary Hub. His debut novel, 'Real Life' (2020), a campus novel focusing on a gay Black student, garnered critical acclaim and was a finalist for the Booker Prize. The collection 'Filthy Animals' (2021) earned him The Story Prize. Taylor's novels, including 'The Late Americans' (2023) and 'Minor Black Figures' (2025), explore themes of loneliness, desire, purpose, and the intricate dynamics of human connection, often examining the profound within ordinary experiences. He has cited authors like Mavis Gallant, Jane Austen, and Alice Munro as influences.

Taylor, who identifies as queer, resides in New York City. His engagement with Émile Zola's 'Les Rougon-Macquart' cycle led to reflections on alcoholism, drawing parallels to his observations of his parents' struggles, particularly the depiction in 'L'Assommoir.' This personal connection highlights his tendency to explore deep emotional and psychological landscapes in his writing. His work is noted for its controlled intensity, careful intellectual rigor, and its capacity to delve into the subterranean aspects of character and narrative, as praised by critics who have compared his voice to a 'controlled roar of rage and pain.'

“I was like, I'm going to sit down and knock this out so I can get on with my life.... Writing a novel ruins your life in really specific ways. Because you have to live inside of it. It's just this sustained exercise in being miserable.”

“His voice might best be described as a controlled roar of rage and pain, its energy held together by the careful thinking of a mind accustomed to good behavior.”

“It is a curious novel to describe, for much of the plot involves excavating the profound from the mundane. As in the modernist novels of Woolf and Tolstoy cited in passing throughout, the true action of Taylor's novel exists beneath the surface, buried in subterranean spaces.”

“Taylor's book isn't about overcoming trauma or the perils of academia or even just the experience of inhabiting a black body in a white space, even as Real Life does cover these subjects. Taylor is also tackling loneliness, desire and — more than anything — finding purpose, meaning and happiness in one's own life... How fortunate we are for Real Life, another stunning contribution from a community long deserving of the chance to tell its stories.”

“I hope that it's a novel that challenges people to think about the ways that we fit together in our relationships with one another. I hope it makes people think really deeply about both the ways that they are harmed, and that they do harm to others.”