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Richard Ford

リチャード・フォード

Richard Ford

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1944-02-16 （Jackson, Mississippi）
Nationality
American
Languages
English
Residence History
Jackson, Mississippi → Little Rock, Arkansas → Flint, Michigan → New Orleans (French Quarter; Garden District) → East Boothbay, Maine → Billings, Montana

Career

Occupations
Novelist, Short story writer, Professor, Editor
Active Years
1976-
Affiliations
Bowdoin College (short appointment), Trinity College Dublin (Oscar Wilde Centre, adjunct), University of Mississippi (senior fiction professor), Columbia University School of the Arts (Professor of Writing)
Memberships
Fellow, Royal Society of Literature
Influenced By
Oakley Hall, E. L. Doctorow, Eudora Welty

Education

Michigan State University
English / English
Degree: BA
Country: United States
Originally enrolled to study hotel management, switched to English
University of California, Irvine
Fine Arts (Creative Writing) / Creative Writing
Degree: MFA
Year of Graduation: 1970
Country: United States
Received MFA; Oakley Hall and E. L. Doctorow taught there during his time

Awards

Mississippi Institute of Arts and Letters Award (Fiction)
1987
Work: The Sportswriter
Organization: Mississippi Institute of Arts and Letters
Result: Winner
Rea Award for the Short Story
1995
Organization: Rea Award organization
Result: Winner
PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction
1996
Work: Independence Day
Organization: PEN/Faulkner Foundation
Result: Winner
Pulitzer Prize for Fiction
1996
Work: Independence Day
Organization: Pulitzer Prize Board
Result: Winner
PEN/Malamud Award
2001
Organization: PEN
Result: Winner
St. Louis Literary Award
2005
Organization: Saint Louis University Library Associates
Result: Winner
Kenyon Review Award for Literary Achievement
2008
Organization: Kenyon Review
Result: Winner
Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature
2012
Organization: Royal Society of Literature
Result: Elected
Prix Femina étranger
2013
Work: Canada
Organization: Prix Femina organization
Result: Winner
Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction
2013
Work: Canada
Organization: Andrew Carnegie Medals
Result: Winner
Pulitzer Prize for Fiction
2015
Work: Let Me Be Frank With You
Organization: Pulitzer Prize Board
Result: Finalist
Princess of Asturias Award (Literature)
2016
Category: Literature
Organization: Princess of Asturias Foundation
Result: Winner
Park Kyong-ni Prize
2018
Organization: Park Kyong-ni Prize organization
Result: Winner
Siegfried Lenz Prize
2000
Organization: Siegfried Lenz Prize foundation
Result: Winner
Library of Congress Prize for American Fiction
2019
Organization: Library of Congress
Result: Winner
Mississippi Institute of Arts and Letters Award (Fiction)
2007
Work: The Lay of the Land
Organization: Mississippi Institute of Arts and Letters
Result: Winner
Mississippi Institute of Arts and Letters Award (Fiction)
2013
Work: Canada
Organization: Mississippi Institute of Arts and Letters
Result: Winner

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

The Sportswriter

1986 Literary fiction

Follows Frank Bascombe, a failed novelist turned sportswriter, as he navigates grief and midlife crisis.

LossMiddle ageIdentity

Wildlife

1990 Literary fiction

Set in Montana, told from a teenage girl's perspective about her father's struggles and family breakdown.

Family breakdownComing of ageSmall-town life
Adaptations
  • [Film] Wildlife / Paul Dano (2018)

Independence Day

1995 Literary fiction

A sequel to The Sportswriter that continues Frank Bascombe's life and relationships; winner of the 1996 Pulitzer Prize.

FamilyAmerican societyLoss and renewal

The Lay of the Land

2006 Literary fiction

The third Bascombe novel, portraying later-life concerns, desires, and losses with keen observation.

Later lifeConsumer societyHuman relationships

Canada

2012 Literary fiction

A standalone novel set in the early 1970s dealing with a young man's disappearance and the aftermath for his family.

Alienation of youthFamily reconstructionAmerican social change

Let Me Be Frank With You

2014 Interconnected novellas (long stories)

Four interconnected long stories narrated by Frank Bascombe, addressing contemporary America including the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy.

Disaster and societyAgingMemory

Be Mine

2023 Literary fiction

The fifth Bascombe novel (published 2023), depicting its protagonist in later life; presented as the final Bascombe volume.

AgingReminiscenceFinality of relationships

Rock Springs (short stories)

1987 Short story collection

Collection of his notable short stories, many set in Montana and the American West.

Regional lifeLonelinessWork and living

Bibliography

  • A Piece of My Heart (1976)
  • The Ultimate Good Luck (1981)
  • The Sportswriter (1986)
  • Rock Springs (short stories, 1987)
  • Wildlife (1990)
  • Independence Day (1995)
  • Women With Men (stories, 1997)
  • The Lay of the Land (2006)
  • A Multitude of Sins (stories, 2002)
  • Canada (2012)
  • Let Me Be Frank With You (2014)
  • Between Them: Remembering My Parents (memoir, 2017)
  • Sorry For Your Trouble (stories, 2020)
  • Be Mine (2023)

Adaptations

  • Wildlife (film, 2018) — director: Paul Dano

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Elements of literary minimalismInfluence of dirty realismMeticulous attention to language and sentence rhythm
Recurring Motifs
Family breakdownRootlessness of protagonistsSuburban and regional American settings

Health

  • Dyslexia
    幼少期以降
    Has said his dyslexia forced him to read slowly and thoughtfully, which contributed to his sensitivity to language.
  • Hepatitis (in youth)
    青年期
    Contracted hepatitis during his brief enlistment in the U.S. Marine Corps and was discharged.

Legacy

Richard Ford is a leading contemporary American novelist and short story writer, best known for his Frank Bascombe novels. He is praised for his careful attention to language and portrayals of later-life characters.

Academic Societies

  • Royal Society of Literature

Archives

  • UC Irvine Special Collections (Guide to The Ultimate Good Luck galley proofs)
  • University of Mississippi Department of Archives and Special Collections (Richard Ford Collection)

In Popular Culture

  • Film adaptation of Wildlife (2018) increased general public exposure

Quotes

  • You can't write ... on the strength of influence. You can only write a good story or a good novel by yourself.
    Source: Interview

Trivia

  • Sent Alice Hoffman a copy of one of her books with bullet holes after she reviewed The Sportswriter unfavorably.
  • Spat on Colson Whitehead in 2004 after a negative review; later said he did not feel remorseful about the incident.