Paul Theroux

ABOUT PAUL THEROUX

A popular fiction author and travel writer, he is best known for his 1975 work, The Great Railway Bazaar, which details his four-month train trip across Asia. For his 1981 novel, The Mosquito Coast, he received the James Tait Black Memorial Prize.

He graduated from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst with a degree in English. In 1963, he joined the Peace Corps and worked as a teacher in Malawi.

He published his debut novel, Waldo, while he was living in Uganda.

He was born in Massachusetts to a French-Canadian father and an Italian-American mother. In 1967, he married Anne Castle. The couple's two sons, Louis and Marcel Theroux , grew up to be authors and documentary filmmakers.

He criticized actor Brad Pitt 's charitable efforts for being driven by self-interest.