He is the author of seven novels, eight volumes of poetry, and a critical study of film noir.
His major characters have included a young concert pianist, a magician's daughter, a nurse on a hospital ship off Vietnam, an orphan raised in a hotel filled with miraculous characters in Las Vegas, an inventor during the Great Depression and a compiler of bestiaries.
In 2013, Christopher published his sixth novel, Tiger Rag, based on the life of early Jazz coronetist Buddy Bolden.
In 2014, he published his first novel for young adults, The True Adventures of Nicolo Zen (Alfred A. Knopf).
Among Christopher's honors are fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Academy of American Poets, and the Poetry Society of America.