Dan Neil is an automotive columnist for the Los Angeles Times, noted for his reviews of automobiles. Neil won the Pulitzer Prize for Criticism in 2004[1] for his column Rumble Seat[1] in the Times. In awarding Mr. Neil, the Pulitzer board praised his "one-of-a-kind reviews of automobiles, blending technical expertise with offbeat humor and astute cultural criticism."[1]
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Biography
Neil was born in Pennsylvania in 1960 and moved with his family to New Bern, North Carolina at age 4. He received a B.A. degree in Creative Writing from East Carolina University and an M.A. degree in English Literature from North Carolina State University. He is married (Tina Larsen) and has twin daughters, Rosalind and Vivienne. He has a 23-year-old son, Henry Neil, from his first marriage.
Career
Neil began his professional writing career with the Spectator, a local free weekly, and began working for The News & Observer of Raleigh, North Carolina as a copy editor in 1989.
In 1991 Neil began editing and writing the paper's weekly automotive advertising section. In interviews he has stated that his goals at the time were to "learn to write and see the world", and these goals fit in well with the job of a local automotive reporter, as those writers are often invited to travel on lavish junkets at automakers' expense. Neil was recruited by AutoWeek magazine in 1994 as a senior contributing editor. In 1995, he began contributing reviews to the New York Times, which he continued until 2003.
During his tenure with the N&O Neil began to develop his quirky style of combining humorous observations and anecdotes with a nuts-and-bolts automotive review, often using obscure literary analogies and incorporating tales of his sometimes ribald personal escapades. The most famous incident involved Neil's January 1996 review of the Ford Expedition and a back-seat encounter with his girlfriend. Neil was fired from the paper[1] in 1996 for refusing to allow his column to be edited by members of the classified advertising staff.
Neil next enjoyed a varied career as a free-lance journalist, including five years as contributing editor for Car and Driver. In 1999 Neil was named senior contributing editor for Expedia Travels, a glossy travel magazine. In September 2003 he took on the role of full-time columnist for the Los Angeles Times and quickly gained a following for his unique approach to automotive writing, which routinely incorporated criticism of Detroit automakers and U.S. government policies regarding emissions and safety regulation.
Neil began writing "800 Words," a column about pop culture, in February 2005 for the Los Angeles Times Magazine. The column was syndicated by Tribune Media in 2006. Neil won the American Association of Sunday and Feature editors award for best general commentary column in 2007. The column was discontinued in 2008 after the Los Angeles Times Magazine was transferred from the editorial department to the paper's business division.
Neil also won the Ken Purdy Award for Excellence in Automotive Journalism, from the International Motor Press Association, 2001. His work was selected for Houghton Mifflin's Best American Sports Writing, 2002.
References
- ^ a b c d "Some Highish Brows Furrow as a Car Critic Gets a Pulitzer". The New York Times, April 8, 2004, David Carr. http://www.nytimes.com/2004/04/08/arts/08PULI.html?ex=1396756800&en=b0704c49a59b3ca1&ei=5007&partner=USERLAND.
External links
- Los Angeles Times Magazine (home to Dan Neil's "800 Words" columns)
- Lord of the Rings - May 04, 2008.
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