Ambassador Book Award
1 appearances
-
Edition 17 (2002) Winner
Richard Russo
リチャード・ルッソ
Richard Russo
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1949-07-15 （Johnstown, New York, U.S.）
- Nationality
- United States
- Languages
- English
- Residence History
- Portland, Maine (primary residence) → Boston, Massachusetts (winter residence) → Upstate New York (birthplace/upbringing)
Career
- Occupations
- novelist, short story writer, screenwriter, teacher, university professor
- Active Years
- 1979-
- Affiliations
- Southern Illinois University Carbondale (former faculty), Colby College (faculty, retired)
- Influenced By
- Charles Brockden Brown (subject of doctoral research)
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Arizona | — | — | BA, MFA, PhD | 1967–1979 | United States |
University of Arizona
Degree:
BA, MFA, PhD
Period:
1967–1979
Year of Graduation:
1979
Country:
United States
Doctoral dissertation on the works of Charles Brockden Brown
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Pulitzer Prize for Fiction | Empire Falls | — | The Pulitzer Prizes | winner |
Pulitzer Prize for Fiction
2002
Work:
Empire Falls
Organization:
The Pulitzer Prizes
Result:
winner
Awards & Nominations
Pulitzer Prize
1 appearances
-
Edition 86 (2002) Winner
Pulitzer Prize for Fiction
1 appearances
-
Edition 1 (2002) Winner
Works
Major Works
Empire Falls
2001 Novel (contemporary American realism)Set in a small New England town, the novel portrays the relationships among residents, a family running a longtime business, and themes of decline and renewal, focusing on intimate character studies and community dynamics.
small-town lifefamily dynamicseconomic decline and renewal
Adaptations
- [TV miniseries] Empire Falls (HBO miniseries) (2005)
Nobody's Fool
1993 Novel (regional realism)Set in upstate New York, the novel centers on a middle-aged man's life, blending humor and pathos as it explores friendships and unresolved past conflicts.
friendshipcommunityreconciliation with the past
Adaptations
- [Film] Nobody's Fool (film) / Robert Benton (1994)
Straight Man
1997 Novel (comic, black humor)A satirical novel about a university English department and its faculty, portraying academic life and a middle-aged protagonist's crises with humor.
academic lifemidlife crisishumor and satire
Adaptations
- [TV series] Lucky Hank (2023)
Mohawk
1986 NovelAn early novel with semi-autobiographical elements reflecting the author's origins and the landscapes of upstate New York.
semi-autobiographicalregional depiction
The Risk Pool
1988 NovelDeals with family relationships and the past, focusing on coming-of-age and parent-child dynamics.
familycoming-of-age
Bridge of Sighs
2007 NovelExplores generational gaps within a family and a return to one's hometown.
generationalhomecoming
That Old Cape Magic
2009 NovelA personal story about life after divorce, new beginnings, and confronting the past.
new beginningsconfronting the past
Everybody's Fool
2016 NovelA follow-up to Nobody's Fool, depicting the later lives of returning characters.
sequelcharacter development over time
Chances Are...
2019 NovelA novel about family history and individual choices, showcasing the author's mature voice.
family historychoices
Somebody's Fool
2023 NovelA recent novel exploring the subtleties of characters' lives and the realities of community life.
communitysubtleties of life
Bibliography
- Mohawk (1986)
- The Risk Pool (1988)
- Nobody's Fool (1993)
- Straight Man (1997)
- Empire Falls (2001)
- Bridge of Sighs (2007)
- That Old Cape Magic (2009)
- Everybody's Fool (2016)
- Chances Are... (2019)
- Somebody's Fool (2023)
- Collections of short stories and essays (various)
Adaptations
- Nobody's Fool (1994 film, dir. Robert Benton)
- Empire Falls (2005 HBO miniseries)
- Lucky Hank (2023 TV series, based on Straight Man)
- Twilight (1998 film, co-writer)
- The Ice Harvest / Keeping Mum (2005, screenwriting contributions)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- realistic depictionmix of humor and pathoscharacter-focused prose
- Recurring Motifs
- small-town lifefamily and parent-child relationshipsmidlife criseseconomic and social decline
Legacy
Richard Russo is renowned for his realistic portrayals of small-town life in upstate New York and New England. He won the 2002 Pulitzer Prize and is widely known through multiple screen adaptations of his works.
In Popular Culture
- Nobody's Fool was adapted into a 1994 film starring Paul Newman.
- Straight Man was adapted into the TV series Lucky Hank in 2023.
Trivia
- Won the 2002 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction for Empire Falls.
- Taught at Colby College and retired in 1996 to write full-time.
- Lives in Portland, Maine with his wife Barbara; they have two daughters, Kate and Emily.