Schwartz's Bicycle Days and Reservation Road have been translated into more than 10 languages. Schwartz's writing has appeared in publications that include The New York Times, The New Yorker, The Boston Globe, and Vogue. He graduated from Manhattan Country School and Choate Rosemary Hall. He lives with his wife, Trinity School alumna and filmmaker Aleksandra Crapanzano, in Brooklyn, New York.
A film adaptation of Reservation Road was released in 2007 with Terry George directing and starring Joaquin Phoenix, Mark Ruffalo and Jennifer Connelly.