Paul Theroux

Novelist

Birthday April 10, 1941

Birth Sign Aries

Birthplace Massachusetts

Age 82 years old

#213964 Most Popular

About

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.

Before Fame

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.

Trivia

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

Family Life

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.

Associated With

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