Simon Rich

Simon Rich

Simon Rich appearing as a guest on the May 20, 2009 episode of WFMU's Seven Second Delay
Born (1984-06-05) June 5, 1984
New York City, United States
Occupation Writer
Language English
Nationality United States
Education Harvard University
Genre Comedy
Notable works Man Seeking Woman
Saturday Night Live
Ant Farm: And Other Desperate Situations
Free-Range Chickens
Elliot Allagash
What in God's Name
Relatives Frank Rich (father)
Nathaniel Rich (brother)

Simon Rich (born June 5, 1984) is an American humorist, novelist, and screenwriter. He has published two novels and three collections of humor pieces, several of which appeared in the New Yorker, and his novels and short stories have been translated into over a dozen languages. Rich was one of the youngest writers ever hired on Saturday Night Live and served as a staff writer for Pixar.[1] On January 14, 2015, Man Seeking Woman, a television comedy series from Rich, based on his The Last Girlfriend on Earth, premiered on FXX.[2]

Background and career

Rich was born and raised in New York City. He attended The Dalton School and then enrolled at Harvard University where he became president of the Harvard Lampoon. His older brother is novelist and essayist Nathaniel Rich, and his parents are Gail Winston and New York Times author Frank Rich. His step-mother is New York Times reporter Alex Witchel. After graduating from Harvard, Rich wrote for Saturday Night Live for four years where the staff was nominated for the Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing in a Variety, Music or Comedy Series in 2008, 2009, and 2010 and won the Writers Guild of America Award for Comedy/Variety Series in 2009 and 2010. Rich then departed to work as a staff writer for Pixar.[1] In 2013 and 2014, Rich was named to Forbes' 30 Under 30 List.[3][4]

Books

Ant Farm: And Other Desperate Situations (2007)

As an undergraduate at Harvard University in 2007, Rich received a two-book contract from Random House.[5] Rich's first book, a collection of short humor pieces entitled Ant Farm: And Other Desperate Situations was published in 2007 and was nominated for the Thurber Prize for American Humor.

Free-Range Chickens (2009)

His second collection, Free Range Chickens, was published in 2008.

Elliot Allagash: A Novel (2010)

Rich's third book and first novel, Elliot Allagash, was released in May 2010.[6] Academy Award-nominated director Jason Reitman has optioned the movie rights to Elliot Allagash.[7]

What in God's Name: A Novel (2012)

In 2012, Rich published his second novel, What in God’s Name, which the New York Times Sunday Book Review compared to Douglas Adams’ Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.[8]

The Last Girlfriend on Earth: And Other Love Stories (2013)

Rich released his third collection of stories, The Last Girlfriend on Earth in 2013. Reception was favorable, with The Washington Post praising the book as "hilarious," declaring, "it just might be the best one-night stand you’ll ever have."[9]

Spoiled Brats (2014)

Rich's fourth story collection, Spoiled Brats, debuted in 2014. The Guardian described it as "simply the funniest book of the year," adding "there are sometimes three laugh-out-loud moments within the same paragraph."[10] The Evening Standard also praised Spoiled Brats, saying Rich "is... a Thurber, even a Wodehouse, for today. Who could ask for more? You can give his books to people and just watch them laugh."[11]

Magazines and anthologies

Rich has written for McSweeney's, the Believer,[12] GQ,[13] the Guardian's Observer magazine,[14] Mad Magazine,[15] French Vanity Fair,[16] UK Glamour, Italian GQ, Italian Granta,[17] npr.com,[18] NPR's "Selected Shorts,"[19] the Barcelona Review,[20] and other publications. His writing has also been selected for numerous anthologies including The Best of McSweeney's,[21] Care To Make Love In That Gross Little Space Between Cars?: A Believer Book of Advice, Disquiet, Please!: More Humor Writing from The New Yorker, The McSweeney's Book of Politics and Musicals, Humorous American Short Stories: Selections from Mark Twain to others much more recent, and I Found This Funny, edited by Judd Apatow.[22]

Upcoming projects

Sony Pictures acquired the film rights to Rich's four-part novella Sell Out, which was originally published by the New Yorker. Seth Rogen is attached to produce.[23]

Rich is slated to write the script based on the illustrated book Unicorn Executions, to be produced by Universal Studios.[24]

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role
2015 Inside Out Additional story material 2016 The Secret Life of Pets Additional characters

Television

Year Title Role Notes
2007–2011 Saturday Night Live Writer, actor 78 episodes
2009 CH Live: NYC Himself
2014 Late Night with Seth Meyers Himself Episode: "Episode 121"
2015–present Man Seeking Woman Creator, writer, executive producer 20 episodes

Selected online works

References

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