Richard Russo (1949 - )

Genre: Short Stories, Drama/Theatre/Film, General Fiction

Born in Johnstown, NY, on 15 July 1949, and raised in Gloversville, NY, Richard Russo left home to attend the University of Arizona and now lives in Camden, Maine, in an 1846 house with a harbor view, with his wife, Barbara, and his two daughters. He taught English and American literature for 20 years as a college professor, including courses in creative writing at Colby College in Waterville. He still teaches summer writing seminars at Warren Wilson College in North Carolina. Russo was national chair of the 1995 Share Our Strength benefit, which raised money through over 300 book readings for hunger relief.

His novels are Mohawk (1986/1994), The Risk Pool (1988, to be produced as a film in 2008), Nobody's Fool (1993; 1994 film starring Paul Newman), Straight Man (1997; reading group guide to Straight Man), Empire Falls, which won the 2002 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction (2001; excerpt from Empire Falls), set in a once-thriving town in central Maine; and Bridge of Sighs (2007), about Lou and Sarah Lynch, who live in upstate New York and whose plans for a trip to Italy trigger a story of family, friends, and community.

Actor Paul Newman co-produced the film based on Empire Falls for HBO, playing Max Roby, a shiftless house painter and father of the key character. Joanne Woodward played Francine Whiting, who owns half of Empire Falls.

Russo has also published a collection of stories, The Whore's Child (2002), which was reviewed in the New York Times. Russo collaborated on two other screenplays, both of which starred Paul Newman: 'Nobody's Fool' and 'Twilight' (originally titled 'Magic Hour'). His teleplay for 'Flamingo Rising' was shown on Hallmark Hall of Fame in the winter of 2000-2001. He also wrote the screenplay for the movie 'Keeping Mum' (2006), starring Rowan Atkinson, and for the 2005 film The Ice Harvest. His fiction and essays have appeared in The New Yorker, Harper's, and The New York Times Magazine.

The New York Times featured Russo in June 2001; its page on him includes reviews of his books, articles about and by Russo, recent links to other reviews and excerpts, a photo, and audio readings. A 2002 interview with Russo can be found at identity theory's website, and the text of his 2004 commencement address at Colby College on their website.


Last Update: 03/31/2008

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