Toby Olson

Toby Olson (born Merle Theodore Olson) is an acclaimed American novelist and poet, best known for winning the 1983 PEN/Faulkner Award for his novel Seaview. Born in 1937 near Chicago, he served in the U.S. Navy as a surgical technician, earned degrees from Occidental College and Long Island University, and taught at institutions including Long Island University, The New School, and Temple University while co-founding the Aspen Writers' Workshop. He has authored numerous novels such as Utah and The Bitter Half, alongside several poetry collections, and resides between Philadelphia and North Truro on Cape Cod.