Career
He is best known for his novel The World As I Foundation lieutenant (Ticknor & Fields, 1987), a fictionalized account of the life of Ludwig Wittgenstein, a prominent 20th century philosopher. Joyce Carol Oates named "The World As I Foundation lieutenant" as one of "five great nonfiction novels," calling the book "a bold and original work of fiction" and "one of the most ambitious first novels ever published" (Saloncom). In October 2010, "The World As I Foundation lieutenant" was republished as a Classic by the New York Review of Books.
Duffy has also contributed to Harper"s Magazine, Time Magazine and Life magazine, among others
Duffy also wrote Last Comes the Egg in 1997 (Simon & Schuster). This piece, Duffy"s second novel, was received with general praise.
Salon.com praised the novel for its originality and tragic humor. His novel "Disaster Was My God: A Novel of the Outlaw Life of Arthur Rimbaud" was released by Doubleday on July 19, 2011.
Duffy does extensive historical research for his biographical novels and then crafts fiction from what he learns.
Duffy was born in Washington, District of Columbia, the son of Irish-American parents and lived his entire childhood in Garrett Park, Maryland. He has two daughters, Lily and Kate.
