Aga Khan Prize for Fiction
1 appearances
-
Edition 16 (1984) Winner
Norman Rush
ノーマン・ラッシュ
Norman Rush
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1933-10-24 （San Francisco, California, United States）
- Nationality
- United States
- Languages
- English
- Residence History
- Oakland (raised) → San Francisco (born) → Botswana (Peace Corps service, 1978–1983) → New City, Rockland County, New York (long-term residence)
Career
- Occupations
- Writer, Teacher, Bookseller
- Active Years
- 1978-
- Affiliations
- Peace Corps (Botswana, co-director)
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Swarthmore College | Bachelor of Arts | — | BA | 1952–1956 | United States |
Swarthmore College
Bachelor of Arts
Degree:
BA
Period:
1952–1956
Year of Graduation:
1956
Country:
United States
Received a BA; worked as a bookseller for many years thereafter.
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | National Book Award for Fiction | Mating | — | National Book Foundation | winner |
| 1992 | Irish Times / Aer Lingus International Fiction Prize | Mating | — | The Irish Times / Aer Lingus | winner |
| 1987 | Pulitzer Prize for Fiction | Whites | — | The Pulitzer Prizes | finalist |
National Book Award for Fiction
1991
Work:
Mating
Organization:
National Book Foundation
Result:
winner
Irish Times / Aer Lingus International Fiction Prize
1992
Work:
Mating
Organization:
The Irish Times / Aer Lingus
Result:
winner
Pulitzer Prize for Fiction
1987
Work:
Whites
Organization:
The Pulitzer Prizes
Result:
finalist
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
Whites
1986 Short storiesA collection of short stories drawing on Rush's experience in Botswana, exploring cultural friction, personal solitude, and power dynamics with an introspective tone.
Botswanacultural frictionlonelinesspower dynamics
Mating
1991 NovelSet in 1980s Botswana, this novel follows an observant, intellectual narrator as it examines relationships, desire, and ambition, combining wit with sharp social observation.
desirerelationshipscultural observation
Mortals
2003 NovelA novel set in Botswana that explores characters' morality, views on mortality, and social disjunctions.
ethicsmortalitysocial structures
Subtle Bodies
2013 NovelA story about the reunion of college friends and the influence of their pasts, featuring humor and keen character depiction.
friendshipinfluence of the pastmidlife introspection
Bibliography
- Whites (1986)
- Mating (1991)
- Mortals (2003)
- Subtle Bodies (2013)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- introspective narrationobservational and analytical prosesocial critique laced with humor
- Recurring Motifs
- cross-cultural encountersloneliness and alienationpower and ethics
Legacy
An American novelist known for works set in Botswana. Winner of the 1991 National Book Award for 'Mating', praised for his incisive observation of cross-cultural relations and power dynamics.
Trivia
- During the Korean War era he was sentenced for conscientious objection but was released on parole after nine months.
- He and his wife Elsa served as co-directors of the Peace Corps in Botswana from 1978 to 1983; this experience provided material and settings for his fiction.
- Has lived with his wife Elsa in a farmhouse on High Tor Mountain since 1961.