Jonathan Fast's novels have been critically praised by the New York Times Sunday Review, the Los Angeles Times, and Publisher's Weekly. He has been interviewed by Terry Gross on Fresh Air, and People Magazine. His work is distinguished by its wit, romance, adventure, and spirituality. His historical novels help us understand the past, the ages of emperors and kings, of pageantry and bloody battles, remarkable leaps of science, and the subjugation of newly discovered worlds.
Fast attended the High School of Music and Art, and Princeton University. For a decade he wrote novels, and screenplays, and was a contract writer at Disney Feature Animation.
In midlife, financial issues forced Fast to turn his talents in a new direction. He earned a Doctorate in Psychology, and worked for several years as Director of St. Rafael's Adolescent Day Hospital in New Haven, CT. Offered and tenure track position at Yeshiva University, he eventually became a Professor and Fulbright Scholar. During this period he wrote many articles for academic journals and two nonfiction books about the relationship between shame, violence and school shootings. He was a frequent guest on the BBC World Service, helping listeners deal with tragic acts of violence.
During his time as a therapist, Fast grew increasingly interested in using hypnotic techniques to help his patients. He earned a certification in clinical hypnosis from the New York Milton Erickson Institute (NYSEPH) and also trained with Jeffrey Zeig at the Erickson Foundation in Phoenix.
It was no surprise that when Fast returned to writing fiction, his first effort was a biography of Franz Anton Mesmer, the 18th century doctor who was the first to use hypnosis to cure patients. The word "Mesmerized" is derived from his name, and he coined the phrase "Animal Magnetism" to describe the curious power he had discovered.
Mesmer, part genius, part showman, part charlatan, fascinated Fast. Having thoroughly researched the man and his writings, Fast set about imagining the undocumented moments of his life. Because the novel was set in 18th century Vienna, it provided an opportunity for Fast to reflect on modern issues of patriarchy and women's liberation. By telling the story through the voice of Mesmer's gay valet, Fast could examine the feelings of being "closeted" in the days when homosexuality was punishable by hanging. It also provided a chance to write about opera, Mozart, and The Enlightenment, three of Fast's passions.
Jonathan Fast currently lives in the California Desert with his wife, the Rev Barbara Fast. He has three grown children, Molly Jong-Fast, a writer and political analyst; Benjamin Fast, a writer and producer of theatrical films, and Daniel Fast, a computer scientist and artist.
