Kirsten Menger-Anderson (born December 6, 1969, in Santa Cruz, California) is an American fiction writer. Her latest work and debut novel is The Expert of Subtle Revisions which is published by Penguin Random House and releases March 18, 2025. Her first book, a collection of linked short stories titled Doctor Olaf van Schuler's Brain, was published by Algonquin Books in 2008. A number of the collected stories have also appeared in literary journals, such as Ploughshares and the Southwest Review. Menger-Anderson has a degree in Economics from Haverford College and an MA in English and creative writing from San Francisco State University. She previously held positions at Salon.com and Wired.com. Menger-Anderson currently lives in an old Victorian house in San Francisco with her husband and children. Her grandfather is the mathematician Karl Menger.
Doctor Olaf van Schuler's Brain was a finalist for the Northern California Book Award. It was selected as one of 2008âÂÂs best books by the Sun Sentinel Books editor, Chauncey Mabe and was included in Chicago Time OutâÂÂs âÂÂTop 10 for 2008â as well as SEED MagazineâÂÂs top picks for 2008. Several of her short stories have been short-listed for awards, including the Richard Yates Award, the Glimmer Train Short Story Award for New Writers, the Iowa Review Story Contest, and the Andre Dubus Award. Her novel The Expert of Subtle Revisions received positive reviews from Kirkus Reviews https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/kirsten-menger-anderson/the-expert-of-subtle-revisions/, the Los Angeles Times https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/books/story/2025-03-14/expert-of-subtle-revisions-review-kirsten-menger-anderson-time-travel, and the Washington Post https://www.washingtonpost.com/books/2025/03/01/new-books-march/.