Biography.guide
Home › People › Writer › Matt Ruff
Portrait of Matt Ruff

Matt Ruff

b. 1965

American writer

Don't just read it — keep itBiographies to ownE-book · Audio · Video From $7 →

About Matt Ruff

Born 1965. Matt Ruff is an American writer, novelist and science fiction writer.

Published works Ruff's first novel, Fool on the Hill, is a fantasy that drew on his experiences living in Risley Residential College at Cornell. It was first written as his senior thesis in Honors English. It was published shortly after Ruff graduated from the university.

His second book, Sewer, Gas & Electric: The Public Works Trilogy, is postcyberpunk.

His third book, Set This House in Order: A Romance of Souls, focuses on two protagonists displaying a fictionalized version of dissociative identity disorder; while not technically science fiction, it nonetheless contains significant speculative elements.

Fool on the Hill (1988) – Sewer, Gas & Electric: The Public Works Trilogy (1997) – Set This House in Order: A Romance of Souls (2003) – Bad Monkeys (2007) – The Mirage (2012) – (; ) Lovecraft Country (2016) – (; ) 88 Names (2020) – (; ) The Destroyer of Worlds: A Return to Lovecraft Country (2023) –

Awards Set This House in Order was long-listed for the 2005 International Dublin Literary Award and won the 2007 James Tiptree, Jr. Award, a PNBA Book Award, and a Washington State Book Award. Ruff is also the recipient of a 2006 National Endowment for the Arts Literature Fellowship in Prose

Bad Monkeys received the 2008 Washington State Book Award for Fiction, a PNBA Book Award, and an Alex Award.

The Mirage was nominated for the Sidewise Award for Alternate History.

Lovecraft Country was nominated for the World Fantasy Award in 2017 in the Novel category.

Biography shop

Don’t just read it —
keep it.

Full-length biographies made to live with: read them, listen on the way to work, watch them tonight.

  • E-book
  • Audio
  • Video
Browse the shop — from $7

Instant download · yours to keep · every purchase keeps this site free

Important facts

Birth century
Nationality
Education
Cornell University, Stuyvesant High School
Awards
Otherwise Award
Also known as
Matthew Theron Ruff

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Matt Ruff's

Frequently asked questions

Who is Matt Ruff?

American writer

When was Matt Ruff born?

Matt Ruff was born on 8 September 1965 in Queens.

What is Matt Ruff's occupation?

Matt Ruff is a writer, novelist and science fiction writer.

What nationality is Matt Ruff?

Matt Ruff is American.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Matt Ruff

· Wikidata: Q558138

· DBpedia: Matt Ruff

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Matt Ruff. https://biography.guide/matt-ruff/

MLA: "Matt Ruff." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/matt-ruff/.

Chicago: "Matt Ruff." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/matt-ruff/.

Data last updated: 2026-09-20 · Spot an error? Report a correction.

Page generated 2026-09-27 05:26 UTC