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Mark Binelli Interview, plus links to author biography, book summaries, excerpts and reviews

Mark Binelli
Photo: Corine Vermeulen

Mark Binelli

An interview with Mark Binelli

A brief Q&A with Mark Binelli

Where are you from?
St. Clair Shores, Michigan

Who are your favorite writers?
Nabokov, Pynchon, Flann O'Brien, AJ Liebling, David Foster Wallace, Geoff Dyer, Janet Malcolm, Nicholson Baker, Tom Stoppard.

Which book/books have had the biggest influence on your writing?
White Noise, Don DeLillo; Up in the Old Hotel, Joseph Mitchell; Family, Ian Frazier; The White Album, Joan Didion; 60 Stories, Donald Barthelme.

What is your favorite quote?
"But just wait until now become then. You'll see how happy we were."—Susan Sontag.

What is the question most commonly asked by your readers? What is the answer?
"Detroit - I've always been so fascinated by that city! Should I visit?" If I like the person, the answer is: "Yes."

What inspired you to write your first book?
Watching Abbott and Costello movies with my dad on Sunday mornings instead of going to church, and the vague memory of Sacco and Vanzetti as the only Italians (other than Columbus and occasionally Mussolini) mentioned in U.S. History classes.

Where do you write?
In bed, if it's before noon; in cafés anytime after.

Unless otherwise stated, this interview was conducted at the time the book was first published, and is reproduced with permission of the publisher. This interview may not be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the copyright holder.

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Books by this Author

Books by Mark Binelli at BookBrowse
Detroit City Is the Place to Be jacket
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Read-Alikes

All the books below are recommended as read-alikes for Mark Binelli but some maybe more relevant to you than others depending on which books by the author you have read and enjoyed. So look for the suggested read-alikes by title linked on the right.
How we choose readalikes

  • Xhenet Aliu

    Xhenet Aliu

    Xhenet Aliu's debut fiction collection, Domesticated Wild Things, and Other Stories, won the Prairie Schooner Book Prize in Fiction. Her stories and essays have appeared in Glimmer Train, The Barcelona Review, American Short ... (more)

    If you enjoyed:
    Detroit City Is the Place to Be

    Try:
    Brass
    by Xhenet Aliu

  • Leslie T. Chang

    Leslie T. Chang

    Leslie T. Chang lived in China for a decade as a correspondent for The Wall Street Journal, specializing in stories that explored how socioeconomic change is transforming institutions and individuals. She has also written for... (more)

    If you enjoyed:
    Detroit City Is the Place to Be

    Try:
    Factory Girls
    by Leslie T. Chang

We recommend 12 similar authors


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Membership Advantages
  • Reviews
  • "Beyond the Book" articles
  • Free books to read and review (US only)
  • Find books by time period, setting & theme
  • Read-alike suggestions by book and author
  • Book club discussions
  • and much more!
  • Just $45 for 12 months or $15 for 3 months.
  • More about membership!

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Who Said...

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