Malamud, Bernard

Bernard Malamud was an American author born in Brooklyn, New York, to a family of Russian Jewish immigrants. The family owned a grocery store where Malamud helped out as a teenager. He attended City College, New York, and Columbia University, graduating with a Master of Arts in 1942. While still at university he taught at evening school and began to write – two of his short stories were published in 1943. He taught at Oregon State College between 1949 and 1961 and then at Bennington College, Vermont. He married Ann de Chiara in 1945. The couple had two children together. Because his wife had an Italian background, they visited Italy on a regular basis.