Ben Purkert is an American poet, novelist, and creative writing instructor. He is the author of the 2018 poetry collectionFor the Love of Endings and the 2023 novelThe Men Can't Be Saved.[1][2]For the Love of Endings was selected as one ofThe Adroit Journal's Best Poetry Books of the Year in 2018.[3]
Purkert was born in New Jersey.[4] He was raised Jewish.[5] He holds degrees fromHarvard University andNew York University, where he was aNew York Times Fellow.[6]
After graduating college, Purkert worked as a copywriter for a branding agency.[7] He has worked as a creative writing instructor atRutgers University and is currently teaching in the MFA program atSarah Lawrence College.[8][6] In 2018, he founded theGuernica interview series Back Draft, which focuses on the revision process of poets and authors.[9]
Four Way Books published Purkert's debut poetry collection,For the Love of Endings, in 2018.The Adroit Journal includedFor the Love of Endings on its Adroit's Best of: Poetry 2018 list.[3] The book also received favorable reviews fromPublishers Weekly,Flypaper Lit,American Micro Reviews, and more.[10][11][12] About the book,The Kenyon Review wrote: "Purkert corners the reader right at the tight intersection of anxiety and desire, illuminating how often the two can be mistaken for each other."[13] A review fromColorado State University's Center for Literary Publishing called it "an exciting, weird, and weirdly exciting book."[14]
The Overlook Press, an imprint ofAbrams Books, published Purkert's debut novel,The Men Can't Be Saved, in 2023.Kirkus Reviews called the book "Ironic, plangent, gritty, and, ultimately, spiritual."[15] A review inEsquire called it "a 21st-centuryCatcher in the Rye," andThe Washington Post described Purkert as "a sharply funny observer of male foibles, 20-something angst and the modern workplace."[16][17]Publishers Weekly called the book "great fun" and wrote: "the finely wrought prose and spot-on descriptions are undeniable."[18] Surrounding the publication ofThe Men Can't Be Saved, Purkert was interviewed byNPR,Esquire,Bomb,Electric Literature, and elsewhere.[19]
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