Benjamin Moser (born September 14, 1976) is an American writer and translator. He received the Pulitzer Prize in 2020 for his biography of Susan Sontag, titled Sontag: Her Life and Work.
Biography Born in Houston, Moser attended St. John's School and graduated from Brown University with a degree in history. He came to Brown with the intention of studying Chinese, but soon switched to Portuguese, a choice that would have great influence on his subsequent work. He worked briefly in publishing and was living in New York City when he met his partner, Dutch novelist Arthur Japin. Moser then moved to several different cities in Europe before eventually settling in the Netherlands where he earned his MA and PhD from Utrecht University. He is the brother of author and progressive political activist Laura Moser.
Career and work Why This World: A Biography of Clarice Lispector Moser’s first book, Why This World, was published in 2009, and was widely recognized as introducing the Brazilian writer Clarice Lispector, up until that point largely unknown in the United States, to an international public.
The book was translated in many countries and was a bestseller in Brazil.
Autoimperialismo In 2016, Moser published a book of essays in Portuguese called Autoimperialismo: três ensaios sobre o Brasil (Autoimperialism: Three Essays on Brazil). The book was dedicated to Ocupe Estelita. Ocupe Estelita was an attempt to reclaim Brazilian urban spaces from the corporations that were changing the historic city of Recife, seen as attempts to privatize public space for the benefit of the wealthy. Proceeds from the book were dedicated to the movement. In his book, Moser described the constant violence of Brazilians upon other Brazilians as a form of “autoimperialism.” He described the rhetoric around the construction of the capital of Brasília, the statuary in São Paulo that honors the bandeirantes, and the history of building in Rio de Janeiro that aimed to create a city unconnected to its own past through modern architecture. The book was noted for its harsh criticism of Oscar Niemeyer.
The book received positive reviews and was a bestseller in Brazil.
Sontag: Her Life and Work In 2013, he was named the authorized biographer of the American writer Susan Sontag. In 2019, he published Sontag: Her Life and Work, which won the Pulitzer Prize for Biography in 2020. The citation called it "An authoritatively constructed work told with pathos and grace, that captures the writer’s genius and humanity alongside her addictions, sexual ambiguities and volatile enthusiasms.
The book received critical acclaim from such publications as Artforum, the Times Literary Supplement, and The New Republic.
In February 2023, it was announced that Kristen Stewart would be playing Sontag in a film adaptation of the book, directed by Kirsten Johnson.
The Upside-Down World: Meetings with the Dutch Masters In 2022, Moser published The Upside-Down World, a personal account of his moving to the Netherlands when he was young, and his encounters with the Dutch artists of the age of Rembrandt and Vermeer. The book received positive reviews in the Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal.
Anti-Zionism: A Jewish History As of April 2025, Moser was writing a history of Jewish anti-Zionism. He wished to sharply separate Zionism from Judaism and Jewishness and tout the history of Jews opposed to Zionism and the state of Israel. In September 2026, he published Anti-Zionism: A Jewish History.
Translation work Clarice Lispector translation project Following his publication of Why This World, Moser was named Series Editor at New Directions Publishing for a new translation of the complete works of Clarice Lispector. The ongoing project, which now stretches to eleven volumes, was carried out with a team of translators, with Moser contributing several translations of his own.
The series has been recognized for its contribution toward the increased readership of Lispector. "The revival of the hypnotic Clarice Lispector has been one of the true literary events of the 21st century," wrote Parul Sehgal in The New York Times.
For his work as biographer, editor, and translator of Lispector, Moser was awarded the Prize for Cultural Diplomacy from the Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Relations in 2016.
On October 7, 2021, he was elected to one of the twenty chairs reserved for foreigners at the Brazilian Academy of Letters, a lifelong position.
Other translation work In addition to translations from Portuguese, Moser has also published translations from French.
Journalism Moser served as New Books Columnist for Harper's Magazine from 2009 to 2011, and was a Bookends columnist at The New York Times Book Review.
Moser is currently a contributing writer at The Nation.
Personal life Moser has lived in France, the Netherlands, and elsewhere. He currently lives in the Netherlands and in France. His partner is the Dutch novelist Arthur Japin.
Awards and honors 2009 National Books Critics Circle Award (Biography) finalist for Why This World 2014 Nona Balakian Citation for Excellence in Reviewing finalist 2016 Prêmio Itamaraty de Diplomacia Cultural 2017 Guggenheim Fellowship 2020 Pulitzer Prize for Biography or Autobiography for Sontag: Her Life and Work 2021 Sócio Correspondente of the Brazilian Academy of Letters
Bibliography Books Why This World: A Biography of Clarice Lispector, Oxford University Press (2009)/Haus Publishing Limited, (US), 978-1906598426 (UK) Autoimperialismo: três ensaios sobre o Brasil, Planeta, 2016 Sontag: Her Life and Work, Ecco 2019. Frans Hals op de tweesprong, Arbeiderspers, 2020. ("Frans Hals at the Crossroads") The Upside-Down World: Meetings with the Dutch Masters, Liveright, 2023 Anti-Zionism: A Jewish History, Doubleday, 2026
Translations Luiz Alfredo Garcia-Roza: The Silence of the Rain: An Inspector Espinosa Mystery. Macmillan (2003) Southwesterly Wind: An Inspector Espinosa Mystery, trans. Benjamin Moser. (2004) December Heat: An Inspector Espinosa Mystery, trans. Benjamin Moser. Macmillan (2004) Pursuit: An Inspector Espinosa Mystery, trans. Benjamin Moser. Macmillan (2006) Bernard-Henri Lévy, Left in Dark Times: A Stand Against the New Barbarism. Random House Publishing Group (2008) Clarice Lispector: The Hour of the Star. New Directions (2011) The Chandelier, co-translated with Magdalena Edwards. New Directions (2018) The Woman Who Killed the Fish. New Directions (2022). The Apple in the Dark. New Directions (2023).
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