Matt Ruff Books in Order

Matt Ruff is a novelist born in New York City in 1965 with a lifelong passion for storytelling, which began at the age of five. As a student at Cornell University, he penned his debut novel, Fool on the Hill, as his senior thesis in Honors English, earning the guidance of esteemed professor Alison Lurie, who facilitated his connection with an agent. Following his graduation, Atlantic Monthly Press acquired the rights to Fool on the Hill within six months. Ruff has since devoted himself to novel-writing, leveraging a combination of foreign rights sales, familial support, grants, and a growing backlist to sustain his career. Notable breakthroughs include his third novel, Set This House in Order, which garnered the James Tiptree, Jr. Award, a Washington State Book Award, and a Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association Award, securing him a National Endowment for the Arts fellowship. His subsequent novel, Bad Monkeys, also won multiple awards and has been adapted into a TV series. Ruff resides in Seattle, Washington, with his wife, Lisa Gold, a researcher and rare-book expert.