“Mendel had a remarkable nature as a boy. I’m not talking about miracles. Miracles are a burden for a tzaddik, not the proof of one. Miracles prove nothing except to those whose faith is bought very cheap, sir. There was something in Mendele. There was a fire.”

American novelist, screenwriter, columnist, and short story writer

Michael Chabon is an American novelist, screenwriter, columnist, and short story writer. He was born in Washington, D.C., and is known for fiction and essays that have made him a prominent contemporary literary voice. He studied first at Carnegie Mellon University and then at the University of Pittsburgh, where he graduated in 1984. He later earned a Master of Fine Arts in creative writing from the University of California, Irvine. His work spans novels, screenwriting, columns, and short fiction.