Thomas E. Kennedy (born March 9, 1944, died in Copenhagen 2021) was an American fiction writer, essayist, and translator from Danish.
As an American expatriate who lived in Copenhagen since 1976, Kennedy infused the novels of the quartet with a wealth of historical and cultural details about the city.
Although each book of the quartet may be read independently, Kerrigan in Copenhagen establishes an in-depth background of the Danish history and culture.
He graduated from Bishop Loughlin Memorial High School in 1961, volunteered for the draft, and served in the United States Army in 1962-1963.
He studied for a year and a half at the City College of New York (1961, 1968), and graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts degree from Fordham University, Lincoln Center Campus, in 1974.
While in the latter capacity, he traveled extensively worldwide and completed his Master of Fine Arts in Writing degree at Vermont College (1983-1985) and his Ph.D. in American literature at the University of Copenhagen (1985-1988).
[4] Concurrent with his work as an international executive, Kennedy taught fiction and creative nonfiction in various short-term seminars and low-residency MFA programs in the United States, including Vermont College (1985-1988) and Fairleigh Dickinson University (2004–present).
[12] When Kennedy retired from an active role with the imprint, he left with more than one hundred SHB titles in circulation, a number of which have been honored as winners or finalists for a variety of awards, including Kirkus independent press books of the year.