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Toby Olson

b. 1937

American writer (born 1937)

Novelist Poet Scholar of English
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About Toby Olson

Born 1937. Toby Olson is an American novelist, poet and scholar of English.

Toby Olson (born 1937 Chicago) is an American novelist and winner of the 1983 PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction.

Life Through high school and his four years in the Navy as a surgical technician, he lived in California, Arizona, and Texas.

He graduated from Occidental College and Long Island University.

He co-founded and taught at the Aspen Writers' Workshop, and at Long Island University and The New School For Social Research, and since 1975 Temple University.

Recently, he has collaborated with composer Paul Epstein, including chamber music, songs, a short story set for voice and piano, and two chamber operas, Dorit, and Chihuahua. Both operas were performed by the Temple University Opera Theater.

He lives in Philadelphia and North Truro, on Cape Cod.

Awards 1983 PEN/Faulkner Award, for Seaview 1985 Guggenheim Fellowships 2015 Henry Viscardi Achievement Awards Rockefeller Foundations National Endowment for the Arts

Works Novels

Utah

The Bitter Half. Tampico.

Poetry The Wrestlers & other poems. Barlenmir House, 1984

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Important facts

Born
17 August 1937, Berwyn
Birth century
20th century
Occupation
Novelist, poet, scholar of English
Nationality
United States
Education
Occidental College, Long Island University
Employers
Long Island University, Temple University
Awards
Guggenheim Fellowship; PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction
Also known as
Merle Theodore Olson

People in Toby Olson's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Portrait of Henry Viscardi
Henry Viscardi
1912 – 2004
Disability rights activist
 Portrait of Paul Epstein
Paul Epstein
1871 – 1939
Mathematician

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Toby Olson's

Portrait of Ana Aslan
Ana Aslan
1897 – 1988
Physician
 Portrait of Austin Bradford Hill
Austin Bradford Hill
1897 – 1991
Statistician
 Portrait of C. B. van Niel
C. B. van Niel
1897 – 1985
Microbiologist
 Portrait of Douglas Hartree
Douglas Hartree
1897 – 1958
Mathematician
 Portrait of Francesco Tricomi
Francesco Tricomi
1897 – 1978
Mathematician
 Portrait of Max Newman
Max Newman
1897 – 1984
Cryptographer

Frequently asked questions

Who is Toby Olson?

American writer (born 1937)

When was Toby Olson born?

Toby Olson was born on 17 August 1937 in Berwyn.

What is Toby Olson's occupation?

Toby Olson is a novelist, poet and scholar of English.

What nationality is Toby Olson?

Toby Olson is American.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Toby Olson

· Wikidata: Q3530181

· DBpedia: Toby Olson

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Toby Olson. https://biography.guide/toby-olson/

MLA: "Toby Olson." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/toby-olson/.

Chicago: "Toby Olson." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/toby-olson/.

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