Craig Nova (born July 5, 1945, in Los Angeles) is an American writer and novelist. Since 1972, he has published 14 novels and 1 autobiography, with his 15th novel, The Last Sweet Taste, slated for release on July 7, 2026. His 2002 Wetware was made into a 2018 film of the same name starring Jerry O'Connell. His writing has appeared in Esquire, The Paris Review, and The New York Times Magazine, among others. His awards include a Guggenheim Fellowship, three National Endowment for the Arts fellowships, and an American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters Award in Literature.
Biography Nova was born in Los Angeles and raised in Hollywood, California. His father worked in the aerospace industry. Growing up, he played with the daughter of Jayne Mansfield and raced cars with Steve McQueen. At age 17, he lived with a family friend, whose father was a writer. Nova completed a BA at University of California, Berkeley and an MFA at the Columbia University's writing program.
Nova's first novel, Turkey Hash (1972), won the Harper-Saxon award in its publication year. This book was followed by The Geek (1975), which featured illustrations by Brad Holland. Nova was inspired to write The Good Son (1982), which follows a former military pilot in the aftermath of World War II, by his father-in-law, who himself was imprisoned in a German concentration camp after being shot down in combat. The novel is broken up into different "books", each narrated by a different character. The sequel, All the Dead Yale Men, was released in 2013. Nova's book Cruisers (2004) was inspired by the 1997 Colebrook Incident in New Hampshire. The Constant Heart (2012) was included in that year's New Yorker's Best Books list. As of April 2026, he has released 14 novels and 1 autobiography, with another novel slated for release in July 2026.
In addition to writing, Nova has also taught at Duke University and the University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG). He was a visiting creative writing instructor at Drew University in 1975. In 2005, he was made the Class of 1949 Distinguished Professor in the Humanities at UNCG. He served on the judge panels for the 2006 National Book Awards and the 2012 PEN/Hemingway Award.
Personal life Nova is married to Christina Barnes, a graduate of MIT and a former employee of CBS News. They wed in New York City before moving to Vermont, where Nova's maternal grandfather had land, to start a family. They have two daughters, Abby and Tate. In 2004, they lived in Putney, Vermont, but have since moved to North Carolina. The couple's Hillsborough house was featured in The News & Observer in 2022.
Awards and honors
1971: National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship 1972: Harper-Saxon Award, Turkey Hash 1975: National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship 1975: New York State Creative Artists Public Service Award 1977: Guggenheim Fellowship 1984: American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters Award in Literature 1985: National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship ? O. Henry Award for short story "The Prince"
Bibliography Novels
Autobiography
External links
1994 and 2004 interviews by Michael Silverblatt on KCRW's Bookworm 2004 audio interview by John Walters on New Hampshire Public Radio (2005 archive)
References