Austin Grossman

Austin Grossman born in Concord, Massachusetts in 1969, and grew up in the suburbs near Boston. He attended Harvard University, where he first became interested in writing fiction and drama, publishing in the Harvard Advocate, and writing and directing theatrical works.

After graduating from Harvard, he began writing and designing computer games at Looking Glass Technologies in Cambridge, MA, and contributed to several games that are now considered cult classics, including Ultima Underworld II and System Shock. He also earned his M.A. in Performance Studies at New York University.

Grossman’s work recalls the stories of Kafka and Borges, but he also draws images from his background in white suburban geekdom. He re-fashions popular narratives from genres like fantasy, science fiction, and superhero comic books, keeping the entertainment value of the stories but looking for the depth and strange resonance inside them.

His solo theatrical show, The Genius, premiers in December 2000 at HERE. He is currently working on a novel, and a nonfiction book about computer games, Crystal Castles.