Josip Novakovich je rodjen u Daruvaru. Nakon kratkotrajnog studiranja medicine u Novom Sadu, s 20 god odlazi u SAD.. U SAD studira na Vassar College (B.A.), Yale University (M.Div.), i University of Texas, Austin (M.A.).

Pise na engleskom jeziku. Objavio je jedan roman (April Fool’s Day, preveden na hrvatski), tri zbirke kratkih pripovijesti (Yolk, Salvation and Other Disasters, Infidelities: Stories of War and Lust), cetiri zibirke eseja (Apricots from Chernobyl, Plum Brandy: Croatian Journey, Three Deaths, and Shopping for a New Country), dva udzbenika (Writing Fiction Step by Step, Fiction Writer's Workshop) i stotinjak kratkih prica i eseja.

Dobitnik je mnogih nagrada i priznanja (Whiting Writer's Award, Guggenheim fellowship, the National Endowment of the Arts fellowships, Ingram Merrill Foundation, American Book Award - Before Columbus Foundation). Ove godine bio je finalist prestizne nagrade za knjizevnost - The Man Booker International Prize 2013. Uvrsten je u analogije: Best American Poetry, Pushcart Prize (tri puta) i O.Henry Prize Stories. Kirkus Reviews proglasava Novakovicha najznacajnijim piscem kratkih prica posljednje dekade.
New York Times ocjenjuje da njegovo pisanje ima  “"the crackle of authenticity, like the bite of breaking glass." (priblizan prijevod: pucketanje autenticnosti, kao zagriz lomljenja stakla)

Novakovich je predavao na nizu sveucilista u SAD a od 2009 predaje “creative writing” na Conocordia University u Montrealu. Redovito putuje u Hrvatsku i cesto nastupa na hrvatskoj TV.

Links
http://www.barcelonareview.com/65/e_jn.html
http://www.barcelonareview.com/53/e_jn.htm
http://www.nytimes.com/books/first/n/novakovich-salvation.html
http://www.narrativemagazine.com/authors/josip-novakovich
http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-221336437.html
http://www.literal-latte.com/1995/01/strings/
http://therumpus.net/2012/04/the-sunday-rumpus-interview-with-josip-novakovich/
http://www.thebluemoon.com/4/spr99prevnovakovich.html
http://www.blackbird.vcu.edu/v5n2/fiction/novakovich_j/remote-love.htm
http://www.failbetter.com/10/Novakovich.php