Richard Russo | |
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Russo in 2008
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Born | Johnstown, New York |
July 15, 1949
Occupation | Novelist, Screenwriter, Short-Story Writer |
Nationality | American |
Education | University of Arizona |
Notable works | Empire Falls, Nobody's Fool, Straight Man |
Notable awards | 2002 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction |
Richard Russo (born July 15, 1949) is an American novelist, short story writer, screenwriter, and teacher.
Contents
Early life and education
Russo was born in Johnstown, New York, and raised in nearby Gloversville. He earned a Bachelor's degree, a Master of Fine Arts degree, and a Doctor of Philosophy degree from the University of Arizona, which he attended from 1967 through 1979.[1]
Career
He was teaching in the English department at Southern Illinois University Carbondale when his first novel, Mohawk, was published in 1986. Much of his work has been semi-autobiographical, drawing on his life from his upbringing in upstate New York to his time teaching literature at Colby College (subsequently retired).[2] He now lives and writes in Camden, Maine.
His 2001 novel Empire Falls received the 2002 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. He has written six other novels and a short story collection. Russo co-wrote the 1998 film Twilight with director Robert Benton, who also adapted and directed Russo's Nobody's Fool into a 1994 film of the same title, starring Paul Newman. Russo wrote the teleplay for the HBO adaptation of Empire Falls, the screenplay for the 2005 film Ice Harvest, and the screenplay for the 2005 Niall Johnson film Keeping Mum, which starred Rowan Atkinson.
Personal life
Russo and his wife, Barbara, live in Camden, Maine, and spend winters in Boston.[3] The couple have two daughters, Kate and Emily.
Works
- Mohawk (Vintage Books, 1986)
- The Risk Pool (Random House, 1988)
- Nobody's Fool (Random House, 1993)
- Straight Man (Random House, 1997)
- Empire Falls (Alfred A. Knopf, 2001)
- The Whore's Child and Other Stories (Alfred A. Knopf, 2002)
- Bridge of Sighs (Alfred A. Knopf, 2007)
- That Old Cape Magic (Alfred A. Knopf, 2009)
- Interventions, with illustrator Kate Russo (Down East Books, 2012)
- Elsewhere: A Memoir (Alfred A. Knopf, 2012)
Filmography
- Monsters (1989) (TV)
- Nobody's Fool (1994) (based on his novel)
- Twilight (with Robert Benton) (1998)
- The Flamingo Rising (2001) (TV)
- Brush with Fate (2003) (TV)
- Empire Falls (2005) (TV)
- The Ice Harvest (with Robert Benton) (2005)
- Keeping Mum (with Niall Johnson) (2005) (TV)
References
- ^ Birnbaum, Robert (2001). "Interview: Richard Russo". identity theory. Retrieved June 7, 2010.
- ^ "Richard Russo". New York State Writers Institute, State University of New York. 2002. Archived from the original on 2007-02-19. Retrieved 2007-03-20.
- ^ Richard Russo Profile
External links
- Audio recording of Russo reading a chapter of That Old Cape Magic from the Maine Humanities Council and the Portland Public Library
- Richard Russo at the Internet Movie Database
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