Lish, Gordon

Lish was born and raised in Hewlett, New York, and graduated from the University of Arizona. He became founder and editor of the avant-garde literary magazine Genesis West, and went on to serve as editor for Esquire from 1969-1977 and Alfred A. Knopf from 1977-1995. Known as Captain Fiction, Lish mentored and championed several of the most prominent American authors of the second half of the 20th century, including Raymond Carver, Don DeLillo, Cynthia Ozick, Barry Hannah, Richard Ford, Amy Hempel, and T. Coraghessan Boyle. Lish is the author of Dear Mr. Capote, Peru, What I Know So Far, and other literary works. He is renowned for his writing seminars, held at many universities across the country as well as the Center for Fiction in New York City.

From the guide to the Lish mss., 1951-2012, (Lilly Library (Indiana University, Bloomington))