Photo: Lynn Gilbert / CC BY-SA 4.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
Born on January 16, 1933 in New York City, New York, United States, Susan Sontag was a writer, film director and screenwriter. Susan Sontag died on December 28, 2004, aged 71. Schooling on record includes North Hollywood High School and University of Paris. Awards on record include George Polk Award (1965), Guggenheim Fellowship (1966, 1975), National Book Critics Circle Award in Criticism (1977) and 4 more. Credited works include On Photography, Against Interpretation and Illness as Metaphor.
My Take
Sontag is, to me, less a critic than a model of how to pay attention. Against Interpretation taught me to resist the lazy rush to decode art into meaning, and On Photography still reframes how I look at every image scrolling past. What moves me most is the moral nerve of Illness as Metaphor, written while she herself faced cancer, dismantling the cruelty of how we talk about disease. She had both intellect and anger, and used them together. The National Book Award and Jerusalem Prize confirm it, but her real legacy is that her essays refuse to age. She still makes you think harder.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Susan Sontag
- Name (Japanese)
- スーザン・ソンタグ
- Reading
- すーざん・そんたぐ
- Born
- January 16, 1933 – December 28, 2004
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Capricorn / Rooster
- Origin
- New York City, New York, United States
- Occupation
- writer / film director / screenwriter / professor / essayist
2. Background
- High school
- North Hollywood High School
- University
- University of Paris
Awards & achievements
- 1965 George Polk Award
- 1966 Guggenheim Fellowship
- 1975 Guggenheim Fellowship
- 1977 National Book Critics Circle Award in Criticism
- 2000 National Book Award
- 2000 National Book Award for Fiction
- 2001 Jerusalem Prize
- 2003 Princess of Asturias Literary Prize
3. Works & records
| Category | Title | Role | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Notable work | On Photography | — | |
| Notable work | Against Interpretation | — | |
| Notable work | Illness as Metaphor | — | |
| Notable work | AIDS and Its Metaphors | — | |
| Notable work | Under the Sign of Saturn | — |
4. Links
- Official sitehttps://www.susansontag.com
- Wikipedia (English)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Susan%20Sontag
- Wikipedia (Japanese)https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%82%B9%E3%83%BC%E3%82%B6%E3%83%B3%E3%83%BB%E3%82%BD%E3%83%B3%E3%82%BF%E3%82%B0
- Wikidatahttps://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q152824
5. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-17
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.
Frequently asked questions
When was Susan Sontag born?
Born January 16, 1933.
When did Susan Sontag die?
Died December 28, 2004, aged 71.
Where was Susan Sontag from?
Susan Sontag was from New York City, New York, United States.
What did Susan Sontag do?
Susan Sontag worked as writer, film director, screenwriter, professor, essayist.
What was Susan Sontag known for?
Notable works include On Photography, Against Interpretation, Illness as Metaphor.
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