Kristen Roupenian

Kristen Roupenian is an American writer best known for her 2017 short story Cat Person and her 2019 collection You Know You Want This. She has also written for film, receiving story credit on the 2022 release Bodies Bodies Bodies.

Kristen Roupenian was born in the Boston area. Her father is a medical doctor of Armenian background, and her mother is a retired nurse. She graduated from Barnard College in 2003 with degrees in English and Psychology.

Kristen later earned a PhD in English Literature from Harvard University and an MFA from the Helen Zell Writers’ Program at the University of Michigan.

Cat Person was published in The New Yorker in December 2017. The story follows the brief and uneasy relationship of Margot, a twenty-year-old student, and Robert, a thirty-four-year-old man. Their courtship begins with text exchanges that Margot finds witty and engaging. In person, Robert appears awkward and distant, and their eventual sexual encounter leaves Margot disgusted and doubtful about his honesty. She ignores his later messages until he ends with an abusive insult.

The story was shared millions of times online and became the most-read work of fiction on the magazine’s website in 2017. The Washington Post noted that it reached a younger audience rarely engaged by the publication.

The Atlantic linked its themes to the #MeToo movement, pointing to its portrayal of gender imbalance and coercion in dating. The story was later adapted into a film directed by Susanna Fogel.

After Cat Person, Roupenian became the subject of a bidding war between American publishers. Scout Press secured her debut collection, You Know You Want This, with a reported $1.2 million advance. The book, which was published in January 2019, included Cat Person alongside other dark and satirical stories. HBO acquired development rights for an anthology series based on the collection.

Roupenian has said that Cat Person grew out of her own experiences dating in her thirties, combined with observation of power dynamics in relationships. Reflecting on its impact, she remarked, “I can’t think without feeling shrunken. It’s like everyone’s talking about me, and it makes me feel small.”

Photo credit: Larry D. Moore