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Ruth Franklin

ルース・フランクリン

Rūsu Furankurin

Profile

Gender
Female
Born
Baltimore, Maryland, United States
Nationality
American
Languages
English
Residence History
Baltimore, Maryland → New York

Career

Occupations
literary critic, author, editor, adjunct professor
Active Years
1999-2024
Affiliations
The New Republic (former), New York University Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute (adjunct professor)
Nominations
Sami Rohr Prize Finalist (2012), PEN/Jacqueline Bograd Weld Award for Biography Finalist (2017)

Education

Park School of Baltimore
high school
Degree: High School Diploma
Country: United States
Interned at a newspaper during senior year
Columbia University
English Language and Literature
Degree: B.A.
Year of Graduation: 1995
Country: United States
Harvard University
Comparative Literature
Degree: M.A.
Country: United States

Awards

National Book Critics Circle Award for Biography
2017
Work: Shirley Jackson: A Rather Haunted Life
Category: Biography
Organization: National Book Critics Circle
Result: Winner
Roger Shattuck Prize for Criticism
2012
Work: A Thousand Darknesses: Lies and Truth in Holocaust Fiction
Result: Co-recipient
Guggenheim Fellowship
2011
Organization: John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation
Result: Recipient
Phi Beta Kappa Society Book Award
2017
Work: Shirley Jackson: A Rather Haunted Life
Organization: Phi Beta Kappa Society
Result: Winner
Plutarch Award
2017
Work: Shirley Jackson: A Rather Haunted Life
Organization: Biographers International Organization
Result: Winner

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

A Thousand Darknesses: Lies and Truth in Holocaust Fiction

2010 Literary Criticism

Critiques the assumption that Holocaust survivor testimonies are completely factual, endorsing fiction as a form of truth-telling.

Holocaust literaturefiction vs autobiography

Shirley Jackson: A Rather Haunted Life

2016 Biography

Biography of writer Shirley Jackson, based on research including Library of Congress archives.

writer's lifeAmerican literature

The Many Lives of Anne Frank

2025 Biography

Bibliography

  • A Thousand Darknesses: Lies and Truth in Holocaust Fiction (2010)
  • Shirley Jackson: A Rather Haunted Life (2016)
  • The Many Lives of Anne Frank (2025)
  • Foreword to Shirley Jackson: A Companion (2021)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
criticalanalytical
Recurring Motifs
Holocaust literaturebiographical approach

Legacy

Recognized literary critic, acclaimed for works on Holocaust fiction and biography, winning multiple awards for her Shirley Jackson biography.

Trivia

  • Experienced sexual harassment from older reporters during high school newspaper internship.