Nicholson Baker is a critically acclaimed American author, essayist, and novelist, born in New York City on January 7, 1957. He grew up in Rochester, New York, and attended the Eastman School of Music before earning his B.A. in English from Haverford College. Baker is well-known for his emphasis on characterization and description in his writing, often exploring the stream of consciousness of his characters. His work delves into a wide range of topics, including literature, poetry, history, library systems, politics, youth, sex, and time manipulation.
Throughout his career, Baker has been a vocal critic of libraries' disregard for historical and public preservation, particularly in their shift towards technology and away from paper-based media. In 1997, he received the James Madison Freedom of Information Award for his efforts. In 1999, Baker founded the American Newspaper Repository, a not-for-profit corporation, to serve as an archive of old newspapers. His book Double Fold (2001) further accuses librarians of neglecting their roles and disregarding historical preservation.
Baker has published sixteen books, with notable works such as The Mezzanine (1988), U and I (1991), Human Smoke (2008), The Anthologist (2009), and Substitute (2016). His writing has been featured in various prestigious magazines, including The New Yorker, The Atlantic, Harper's, the New York Review of Books, Best American Short Stories, and Best American Essays. Over the course of his career, Baker has received numerous awards, including a National Book Critics Circle award, a James Madison Freedom of Information Award, the Herman Hesse Prize, and the Katherine Anne Porter Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters.
Baker and his wife, Margaret Brentano, co-authored The World on Sunday (2005) and established the American Newspaper Repository in 1999 to preserve a large collection of U.S. newspapers. In 2004, the Repository's holdings were gifted to Duke University. Baker and Brentano have two children and reside in Maine, where they are dedicated to their writing and preservation efforts.