Born in the near-north side of Chicago, IL, in 1945. Currently residing in Grand Rapids, MI with Joni, my wife of 46 years. BA and MA in English from Michigan State University, and a second major in philosophy. Taught English, humanities, and philosophy at Grand Rapids Junior/Community College from 1968-2002.

Gave up a writing career in my twenties to devote my efforts to my profession and to raising three children. Resumed writing in earnest after retirement, publishing my first collection of stories, THE SOUL IN THERE, which won the Independent Publishers Book Award in 2006. I didn't enter my second collection, AT A LOSS, in any contests but received a good review in KIRKUS REVIEWS.

My taste in literature tends to be international because of the willingness of international writers to experiment with style and technique. After many years of teaching and reading literature, and as a result of my own experiences and intellectual/emotional make-up, I find my voice most genuine when free to shape syntax and words according to my narrators' and my characters' particular states. (My narrations are all in the third person, by the way.) I must admit that at my age and with my experience I have little patience with those who wish me to adjust my voice and style to always meet ordinary rules.

I'm not afraid of the surreal, the bizarre, sometimes even the fantastical. My narrators are sometimes wise-guys, occasionally a sort of spirit that takes on an active role. Sometimes they're very objective and low key. In short, the narrators are vital to each story.

My characters have a rich, deep, and intense emotional life. Most of them live in frightful pain. Both male and female, they range from an occasional child up to late middle age. All are trying to cope with loss, grief, despair -- loss of hope, innocence, trust (e.g. in abusive parents or marital relationships), and love. Some experience an epiphany, however subtle, some delude themselves, some simply carry on, some lose.

In 2001 I went through a life changing series of traumas, including a rebirth during a four month intensive in-patient treatment for acute alcoholism and depression. A near-death experience and the subsequent rebirth gave me the liberation to resume writing after decades of frustration and the voice to do so with honesty and depth. Currently I'm working on a third collection, tentatively titled THE DARK AND THE LIGHT OF IT.

Good samples of my writing, including a number of stories fro AT A LOSS and some from THE SOUL IN THERE, along with some current work, can be seen on my blog, Philip Jung Author.com.

“Those seeking CHICKEN SOUP FOR THE SOUL homilies or tidy endings -- or standard English usage and grammar -- should look elsewhere, as author Jung explores depths of inner pain.”
– Kirkus Reviews