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Writer's roots run deep in heartland.

Chicago Tribune (Chicago, IL)

| July 30, 2007 | COPYRIGHT 2007 Chicago Tribune. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan.  All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)Copyright

Byline: Robert K. Elder

Jul. 30--Chances are you haven't heard of native Chicagoan Amy Hempel -- even though she's one of the most respected writers working today.

That's because 1) she lives a lowprofile life in New York and 2) has never published a novel. Yet, in writers circles, she's a rock star.

"Writers have always admired her work," says "Fight Club" author Chuck Palahniuk. "A few years ago, I had dinner with Michael Chabon, David Sedaris and Jonathan Lethem and we talked about our favorite authors. Everyone pretty much said, 'Amy Hempel.' "

She's not better known, Palahniuk contends, because "none of her stories have been made into movies."

Another explanation: Her writing spans 25 years but stretches taut over little more than 400 total pages.

But Hempel's status as an iconic minimalist writer (though she -- like colleague Raymond Carver -- prefers the term "precisionist") among other writers has started to move into the mainstream.

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