Tony Tulathimutte

Tony Tulathimutte is an American novelist and short story writer. He writes satirical fiction about identity, relationships, and contemporary social life. He is known for Private Citizens (2016) and Rejection (2024). He received a Whiting Award in Fiction and an O. Henry Award.

Tony Tulathimutte grew up in Massachusetts in a family of immigrants from Thailand. He studied symbolic systems at Stanford University, where he completed bachelor’s and master’s degrees. He later earned an MFA from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop.

Before focusing on fiction, Tulathimutte worked in San Francisco as a writer and user experience researcher. He later left that career to write full-time. Alongside fiction, he contributed essays and criticism to publications including The Paris Review, The New York Times, The New Yorker, The Atlantic, and Playboy.

His debut novel, Private Citizens (2016), follows four Stanford graduates after university. The book examines ambition, friendship, technology, and emotional instability among young professionals. Critics noted its portrayal of millennial life and internet culture. New York Magazine described it as “the first great millennial novel.”

Tulathimutte later published Rejection (2024), a linked collection of stories centred on humiliation, loneliness, and failed connection. The book follows recurring characters whose lives intersect through dating apps, social media, friendships, and sexual relationships. Each story examines emotional collapse through satire and dark humour.

Among the stories are “The Feminist,” about a man whose political identity becomes tied to resentment, and “Pics,” which follows a story of obsessive attraction and self-destruction. Another story, “Ahegao; or, The Ballad of Sexual Repression,” examines social anxiety and sexual inexperience. Across the collection, Tulathimutte studies how desire and self-image become distorted online.

Rejection (2024) was longlisted for the National Book Award and the Story Prize. Critics praised its sharp prose and comic intensity. Reviews highlighted its treatment of internet culture, liberal identity politics, and emotional alienation.

As of 2024, Tulathimutte lives in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. He also works as a lead instructor at CRIT, a creative writing workshop based in New York.

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