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Ron Charles

b. 1962

American literary critic (born 1962)

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About Ron Charles

Born 1962. Ron Charles is an American literary critic and journalist.

Ron Charles (born 1962 in St. Louis, Missouri) is an American book critic, formerly of The Washington Post. His awards include the 2008 National Book Critics Circle Award Nona Balakian Citation for book reviews, and 1st Place for A&E Coverage from the Society for Features Journalism in 2011. He was one of three jurors for the 2014 Pulitzer Prize in Fiction.

Charles grew up in Town and Country, Missouri, and graduated from Principia College and Washington University in St. Louis before getting a job as a teacher at John Burroughs School. After a student's parent offhandedly suggested he try making a living as a book reviewer, Charles began a series of video book reviews for Post called "The Totally Hip Video Book Review", a satirical look at books in the news and the art of book reviewing. In the series, Charles hams it up with sight gags and intentionally bad jokes; he is sometimes joined by his wife, high school English teacher Dawn Charles.

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

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Important facts

Born
1962
Birth century
Nationality
Education
The Principia, Principia College

People in Ron Charles's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Ron Charles's

Frequently asked questions

Who is Ron Charles?

American literary critic (born 1962)

When was Ron Charles born?

Ron Charles was born in 1962.

What is Ron Charles's occupation?

Ron Charles is a literary critic and journalist.

What nationality is Ron Charles?

Ron Charles is American.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Ron Charles

· Wikidata: Q7363623

· DBpedia: Ron Charles (critic)

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Ron Charles. https://biography.guide/ron-charles/

MLA: "Ron Charles." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/ron-charles/.

Chicago: "Ron Charles." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/ron-charles/.

Data last updated: 2026-09-23 · Spot an error? Report a correction.

Portrait: Wikimedia Commons · author & licence

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