I grew up on the U.S.-Canadian border, in Windsor, Ontario. My interest in literature began early, when I was about six. My ambition at the time was simple, but the basic premise has remained the same (i.e., when I grow up, I am going to be a writer). I wrote my first book, “The Dark Book,” a title I ripped off from a prop in a 1980s horror film. The book was a protracted commentary on the end of the world and the reader’s imminent death. In grade school, my teachers encouraged my enthusiasm for writing while also lamenting my choice of subject matter (sports and gore featured prominently). In high school, I sank into the routines of map drawing, overhead copying, video watching, and doodle making that defined the bulk of my classes. Yet I knew I wanted to learn something, so I began reading on my own. I discovered Graham Greene, James Joyce, Henry James, Vladimir Nabokov, Arthur Koestler, Emily Dickinson, and others.

I studied English literature and philosophy at the University of Windsor. Enticed by visions of snowy vacancy, I moved steadily north, first to Queen’s University in Kingston and then to McGill University in Montreal. When I entered graduate school, I figured, somewhat vaguely, that I would write a thesis about Henry James and philosophy. At McGill, supervised by Peter Gibian, I got into American philosophy and cultural history. I defended my doctoral dissertation, Figures in American Literary Pragmatism, in 2011. The book version of this project, Henry James and the Philosophy of Literary Pragmatism, was published with Palgrave Macmillan in 2016. About halfway through my PhD, I went on a creative writing binge. I wrote several novels, none of which were publishable, and some short stories, one of which appeared in The Fiddlehead. I think part of this was a reaction against an unavoidable dry spell—at the time, I wasn’t doing much other writing since I was heavily involved in researching and teaching. I realized that in order to function I need to write at all times—diversely, incessantly, and relentlessly.

After splitting some time between Canada and the UK during my post-PhD years, I have now landed between the two countries. At present, I live in Reykjavík, where I am a Professor in the Department of English Studies at the University of Iceland. I have since become interested in the philosophy of science, exploring narratives about the origins of the universe from a philosophical standpoint. What is the purpose of being? Why is there existence instead of nothing? My goal, as I think Bertrand Russell once wrote, is to begin by saying something so obvious that it is not worth stating, and to end by saying something so ridiculous that nobody will believe it. I have also since published two novels, one about an Icelandic (American) football team, and one about a cat that won’t stop growing.