AMONG THE HOPEFUL NOVELISTS WHO WILL BE CLOSELY WATCHING SUNDAY'S ACADEMY AWARDS CEREMONY, ONLY ONE HAS NEGOTIATED A $1.3 TRILLION GLOBAL TRADE DEAL. THAT WOULD BE MICHAEL PUNKE, THE DEPUTY U.S. TRADE REPRESENTATIVE AND THE U.S. AMBASSADOR TO THE WORLD TRADE ORGANIZATION. IN ADDITION TO BEING AN INTERNATIONAL TRADE POLICY WONK, PUNKE IS THE AUTHOR OF THE REVENANT
There are five literary adaptations in the Oscar race for best picture this year, including movies based on Emma Donoghue's Roomand Colm Toibin's Brooklyn. But among the hopeful novelists who will be closely watching Sunday's Academy Awards ceremony, only one has negotiated a $1.3 trillion global trade deal.
That would be Michael Punke, the deputy U.S. Trade Representative and the U.S. ambassador to the World Trade Organization. In addition to being an international trade policy wonk, Punke is the author of The Revenant, a 2002 novel about a 19th-century American fur trapper's epic struggle for survival in the wilderness, and the inspiration for Alejandro G. Inarritu's film. The movie is up for 12 Oscars, including best picture, and has catapulted the novel onto the best-seller lists.
Of all the unlikely success stories at the Academy Awards this year, from Sylvester Stallone's surprise comeback in Creed to the debut science-fiction author Andy Weir's blockbuster hit with The Martian, perhaps none is as surprising as Punke's sudden and overdue literary fame. The Revenant sold around 15,000 copies after it was first published nearly 14 years ago, and it had been out of print for several years by the time the movie began shooting.
When word got out that a film starring Leonardo DiCaprio was in the works, Picador, an imprint of Macmillan, acquired reprint rights, and the novel got a second life. A new hardcover came out in 2015. Since then, The Revenant has sold more than half a million copies, and Picador has reprinted the book 21 times.
But Punke hasn't been able to soak up his long-awaited moment in the spotlight. Because of his government position, he can't give any interviews about the book, or even sign copies. Federal ethics rules prohibit him from any activities that would be "self-enriching" or could be seen as an abuse of his post. He was not able to comment for this article.
"It's been frustrating," said Stephen Morrison, the publisher of Picador. "Any other author would be out on press junkets, but he's not able to do any promotion at all."
Punke wasn't even able to attend the film's premiere in Hollywood in December because he was in Nairobi, negotiating a $1.3 trillion global trade deal governing rules for medical devices, semiconductors, GPS and other technologies.
"He's bummed that he can't participate as much as he wants to," said Tim Punke, Punke's brother, who works at a timber company in Seattle. "It's a dream come true for any writer, so to not be able to fully engage in everything to do with the book is frustrating."
In international policy and trade circles, Punke's sudden celebrity has been a source of great amusement. When trade ministers gathered at Davos this year, Punke was frequently stopped by colleagues who wanted to take their picture with him.
"We all think it's quite cool," said Keith Rockwell, a spokesman for the WTO, who added that colleagues occasionally tease Punke by asking him how his buddy Leo is doing. "The WTO isn't normally known for having a Hollywood connection."
Some of his colleagues marvel that he has such a successful side career, while steering the country's international trade policy from his post in Geneva.
"The guy is so talented, you read his bio, and it's like he has two lives," said Christopher Wenk, executive director for international policy at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
Punke's surprising path started with his fascination with the historical West. Growing up in Torrington, Wyoming, Punke learned to fly-fish when he was 5 and built his own rifle when he was 12. His parents, both teachers, took him and his brother hunting, hiking and fishing. In high school and college, he spent several summers working at a national park site as a historical re-enactor, dressed in an old Army uniform at a 19th-century trading post.
That would be Michael Punke, the deputy U.S. Trade Representative and the U.S. ambassador to the World Trade Organization. In addition to being an international trade policy wonk, Punke is the author of The Revenant, a 2002 novel about a 19th-century American fur trapper's epic struggle for survival in the wilderness, and the inspiration for Alejandro G. Inarritu's film. The movie is up for 12 Oscars, including best picture, and has catapulted the novel onto the best-seller lists.
Of all the unlikely success stories at the Academy Awards this year, from Sylvester Stallone's surprise comeback in Creed to the debut science-fiction author Andy Weir's blockbuster hit with The Martian, perhaps none is as surprising as Punke's sudden and overdue literary fame. The Revenant sold around 15,000 copies after it was first published nearly 14 years ago, and it had been out of print for several years by the time the movie began shooting.
When word got out that a film starring Leonardo DiCaprio was in the works, Picador, an imprint of Macmillan, acquired reprint rights, and the novel got a second life. A new hardcover came out in 2015. Since then, The Revenant has sold more than half a million copies, and Picador has reprinted the book 21 times.
But Punke hasn't been able to soak up his long-awaited moment in the spotlight. Because of his government position, he can't give any interviews about the book, or even sign copies. Federal ethics rules prohibit him from any activities that would be "self-enriching" or could be seen as an abuse of his post. He was not able to comment for this article.
"It's been frustrating," said Stephen Morrison, the publisher of Picador. "Any other author would be out on press junkets, but he's not able to do any promotion at all."
Punke wasn't even able to attend the film's premiere in Hollywood in December because he was in Nairobi, negotiating a $1.3 trillion global trade deal governing rules for medical devices, semiconductors, GPS and other technologies.
"He's bummed that he can't participate as much as he wants to," said Tim Punke, Punke's brother, who works at a timber company in Seattle. "It's a dream come true for any writer, so to not be able to fully engage in everything to do with the book is frustrating."
In international policy and trade circles, Punke's sudden celebrity has been a source of great amusement. When trade ministers gathered at Davos this year, Punke was frequently stopped by colleagues who wanted to take their picture with him.
"We all think it's quite cool," said Keith Rockwell, a spokesman for the WTO, who added that colleagues occasionally tease Punke by asking him how his buddy Leo is doing. "The WTO isn't normally known for having a Hollywood connection."
Some of his colleagues marvel that he has such a successful side career, while steering the country's international trade policy from his post in Geneva.
"The guy is so talented, you read his bio, and it's like he has two lives," said Christopher Wenk, executive director for international policy at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
Punke's surprising path started with his fascination with the historical West. Growing up in Torrington, Wyoming, Punke learned to fly-fish when he was 5 and built his own rifle when he was 12. His parents, both teachers, took him and his brother hunting, hiking and fishing. In high school and college, he spent several summers working at a national park site as a historical re-enactor, dressed in an old Army uniform at a 19th-century trading post.
