Zigman, Laura 1962-

PERSONAL:

Born August 11, 1962, in Boston, MA; daughter of Bernard and Bernice Zigman; married; children: a son. Education: University of Massachusetts at Amherst, B.A., 1985; Harvard University, certificate in publishing, 1985.

ADDRESSES:

Home and office—Boston, MA. Agent— Bill Clegg, Burnes & Clegg, Inc., 1133 Broadway, Suite 1020, New York, NY 10010. E-mail—lzigman@aol.com.

CAREER:

Writer. Vintage Books, New York, NY, senior publicist, 1986-89; Atlantic Monthly Press, New York, NY, marketing manager, 1989-91; Random House, Inc., New York, NY, publicity director for Turtle Bay Books, 1991-93; Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., New York, NY, promotions manager, 1993-95; writer, 1995—; project manager, Smithsonian Institution, 1996; consultant for Share Our Strength.

WRITINGS:

Animal Husbandry (novel), Dial (New York, NY), 1998.

Dating Big Bird (novel), Dial (New York, NY), 2000.

Her (novel), Knopf (New York, NY), 2002.

Piece of Work (novel), Warner Books (New York, NY), 2006.

Contributor to periodicals, including USA Weekend, Washington Post, Marie Claire, and New York Times.

ADAPTATIONS:

Animal Husbandry was adapted to film as Someone like You, 2001; Piece of Work has been optioned for film by Playtone Pictures.

SIDELIGHTS:

Laura Zigman is an acclaimed novelist whose works chronicle the more amusing aspects of male-female relationships. In 1998 she published her first book, Animal Husbandry, which concerns a doomed romance between a television producer and her boss, who ends the relationship as it grows increasingly intimate and domestic. The heroine thereupon formulates the notion that men, like bulls, inevitably desire new mates. Lisa Schwarzbaum, writing in Entertainment Weekly, deemed Animal Husbandry a "light first novel." Jill Smolowe, however, wrote in Time that Zigman's literary debut constitutes "a naughty vivisection of male dating rituals," while a Publishers Weekly reviewer described the novel as "a tenaciously observed saga."

Zigman followed Animal Husbandry with Dating Big Bird, the story of a marketing director who longs for parenthood though her boyfriend, a divorced writer recovering from both alcoholism and the death of his own child, refuses to engage in sexual relations. Faced with a mate unwilling to impregnate her, the heroine eventually considers artificial insemination from a host of individuals, including a Muppet character from public television. Library Journal reviewer Jo Manning contended that the finale of the novel is "unbelievable," but she nonetheless described Dating Big Bird as "a fast, funny read." Similarly, a Publishers Weekly critic decried the novel's ending as "too pat" but deemed the book "a lark of a read." Jane Sicilliano wrote in Book Reporter.com that Dating Big Bird is "a hilariously human and touching work."

In her third novel, Her, Zigman relates the emotional anguish experienced by a graduate school student when her boyfriend's former girlfriend settles nearby. "Envy," Zigman told a Booklist interviewer, "compels you to learn things." Book reviewer Susan Tekulve called Her an "entertaining, fast-paced book," and Booklist critic Kristine Huntley found the novel "captivating." In Publishers Weekly, a critic acknowledged Her as "a wild tale," while the Borzoi Reader's reviewer hailed Zigman's book as a "smart, deeply satisfying romantic comedy."

A stay-at-home mom reenters the working world in Piece of Work, Zigman's 2006 novel. Thirty-six-year-old Julia Einstein, a former publicist for A-list celebrities, happily left her career behind to raise her young son, Leo. When Julia's husband, Peter, loses his high-powered job and cannot find another, she is forced to take a position at John Glom Public Relations, a firm which represents the has-beens of the entertainment industry. Julia's first client is actress Mary Ford, a surly seventy-year-old who hopes to jumpstart her fading career by pedaling "Legend," a foul-smelling perfume. While Julia must shake off the years of rust at the office, Peter proves surprisingly adept at managing the household, forming a strong bond with Leo and displaying exceptional culinary skills. "That Julia finds an antidote for Mary's dwindling fame is predictable," noted a critic in Publishers Weekly, "but the process generates its share of chuckles." Karen Core, writing in the Library Journal, called Zigman's work "humorous and well-written." Booklist contributor Carol Haggas praised the handling of her main character, stating: "Vulnerable yet persistent, Zigman's plucky heroine succeeds through an engaging combination of warmth, wit, and wisdom."

Zigman attributes her development as a novelist, at least in part, to her ability to mislead herself with regard to her own talent. "It takes a long time to trust your voice, to talk yourself in to the idea that you know what you are doing," she told an interviewer in the Borzoi Reader. "This is best accomplished, I think, by tricking yourself: you tell yourself what a genius you are even though, deep down, you know you're a giant loser."

In a BookReporter.com interview, Zigman conceded: "It's very hard not to be your own personal flesh-eating virus—that is, to self-criticize … and self-edit everything that comes out on the page or before it even makes it to the page. It's one of the hardest impulses to stifle." She added: "You get to a point … where you fight this internal war as a matter of course … and you learn to accept it's presence and simply ignore it."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Book, May-June, 2002, Susan Tekulve, review of Her.

Booklist, September 15, 1998, Whitney Scott, review of Animal Husbandry, p. 249; March 1, 2000, Kristine Huntley, review of Dating Big Bird, p. 1148; April 1, 2002, Molly McQuade, "Laura Zigman: From Publicist to Novelist," p. 1305; April 15, 2002, Kristine Huntley, review of Her, p. 1384; July 1, 2006, Carol Haggas, review of Piece of Work, p. 35.

Entertainment Weekly, February 13, 1998, Lisa Schwarzbaum, review of Animal Husbandry, p. 66; June 7, 2002, Karen Valby, "Her Again," p. 69.

Kirkus Reviews, July 1, 2006, review of Piece of Work, p. 655.

Library Journal, March 15, 2000, Jo Manning, review of Dating Big Bird, p. 131; August 1, 2006, Karen Core, review of Piece of Work, p. 75.

New York Times Book Review, January 25, 1998, Laura Miller, review of Animal Husbandry, p. 23; April 9, 2000, Lori Leibovich, "Procreation Anxiety," review of Dating Big Bird, p. 23; November 26, 2006, Elsa Dixler, "Fiction Chronicle," review of Piece of Work, p. 18.

Publishers Weekly, March 12, 1998, review of Animal Husbandry, p. 29; March 13, 2000, review of Dating Big Bird, p. 63; April 15, 2002, review of Her, p. 41; July 24, 2006, review of Piece of Work, p. 31.

Time, January 26, 1998, Jill Smolowe, review of Animal Husbandry, p. 73.

Tribune Books (Chicago, IL), May 13, 2001, review of Dating Big Bird, p. 6; August 10, 2003, review of Her, p. 6.

Washington Post Book World, February 20, 2000, review of Dating Big Bird, p. 3; September 3, 2006, Marie Arana, "Laura Zigman: Just like Life," p. 10; September 24, 2006, Sheri Holman, "Adventures in Babysitting," review of Piece of Work, p. 6.