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Andre Dubus III (born September 11, 1959) is an American novelist and short story writer. He is a member of the faculty at the University of Massachusetts Lowell.


Early life and education

Born in
Oceanside, California Oceanside is a city on the South Coast of California, located in San Diego County. The city had a population of 167,086 at the 2010 census. The city is a popular tourist destination, owing to its historic landmarks, beaches, and architecture. ...
, to Patricia (née Lowe) and Louisiana-born writer
Andre Dubus Andre Jules Dubus II (August 11, 1936 – February 24, 1999) was an American short story writer and essayist. Biography Early life and education Andre Jules Dubus II was born in Lake Charles, Louisiana, the youngest child of Katherine (Burke ...
, Dubus grew up in mill towns in the Merrimack River valley along the Massachusetts-New Hampshire border with his three siblings: Suzanne, Jeb and Nicole. He began writing fiction at age 22, a few months after graduating from the University of Texas at Austin with a bachelor's degree in sociology. To support himself, Dubus worked as a carpenter, bartender, office cleaner, personal investigator, corrections counselor, and halfway house counselor.


Career

His first published short story, "Forky", was published by ''
Playboy ''Playboy'' is an American men's lifestyle and entertainment magazine, formerly in print and currently online. It was founded in Chicago in 1953, by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from Hefner's mother. K ...
'' when Dubus was 23. Dubus's novel, '' House of Sand and Fog'' (1999), was a finalist for the National Book Award and was adapted for an
Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...
-nominated film of the same name. The book was a No. 1 New York Times best-seller. His 2011 memoir ''Townie'' tells of growing up poor in Haverhill after his parents' divorce, street fighting, and eventually boxing, and deals extensively with his relationship with his father. The novel "Gone So Long" was published in 2018. Daniel Ahearn committed a violent act that changed the lives of many, including members of his own family. Forty years older and sick, he aims to set things right. He is especially set on visiting his estranged daughter, whom he has not seen in decades. His novel ''Such Kindness'' was scheduled to be published in June of 2023, to be followed by a collection of personal essays titled ''Ghost Dogs'', which will be published in 2024.


Affiliations

A member of PEN American Center, Dubus has served as a panelist for the
National Book Foundation The National Book Foundation (NBF) is an American nonprofit organization established, "to raise the cultural appreciation of great writing in America". Established in 1989 by National Book Awards, Inc.,Edwin McDowell. "Book Notes: 'The Joy Luc ...
and the
National Endowment for the Arts The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal ...
. He has taught writing at Harvard University, Tufts University,
Emerson College Emerson College is a private college with its main campus in Boston, Massachusetts. It also maintains campuses in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California and Well, Limburg, Netherlands ( Kasteel Well). Founded in 1880 by Charles Wesley Emerson as ...
, and the University of Massachusetts Lowell, where he is a full-time faculty member. In November 2018 Oprah Winfrey was a guest at UMass Lowell, which is considered the results of an over three-year effort made by Dubus. He met Winfrey in 2000 when appearing on her show, after the release of his novel House of Sand and Fog.


Honors

Dubus's work has been included in ''The Best American Essays 1994'', ''The Best Spiritual Writing 1999'', and The Best of Hope Magazine. He has been awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship, the
National Magazine Award The National Magazine Awards, also known as the Ellie Awards, honor print and digital publications that consistently demonstrate superior execution of editorial objectives, innovative techniques, noteworthy enterprise and imaginative design. Or ...
for fiction, and the
Pushcart Prize The Pushcart Prize is an American literary prize published by Pushcart Press that honors the best "poetry, short fiction, essays or literary whatnot" published in the small presses over the previous year. Magazine and small book press editors are ...
. He was a finalist for the Rome Prize awarded by the
American Academy of Arts and Letters The American Academy of Arts and Letters is a 300-member honor society whose goal is to "foster, assist, and sustain excellence" in American literature, music, and art. Its fixed number membership is elected for lifetime appointments. Its headqu ...
. Dubus's novel ''House of Sand and Fog'' was a fiction finalist for the National Book Award, the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, and Booksense Book of the Year. It was an
Oprah Book Club Oprah's Book Club was a book discussion club segment of the American talk show '' The Oprah Winfrey Show'', highlighting books chosen by host Oprah Winfrey. Winfrey started the book club in 1996, selecting a new book, usually a novel, for vie ...
selection and was on the ''New York Times'' bestseller list. The 2003
film adaptation A film adaptation is the transfer of a work or story, in whole or in part, to a feature film. Although often considered a type of derivative work, film adaptation has been conceptualized recently by academic scholars such as Robert Stam as a dia ...
directed by
Vadim Perelman Vadim Perelman ( ukr, Вадим Перельман; born 8 September 1963) is a Ukrainian-Canadian- American film director. Perelman made his feature film directorial debut in 2003 with '' House of Sand and Fog'', following a successful career ...
was nominated for three Oscars, a Golden Globe and 39 other prizes. It won 13 nominations. ''Townie'' was No. 4 on the New York Times best-seller list and included in the Editors Choice section. ''Dirty Love'' was also included in the Editors Choice section of the New York Times. For the 2013 audio book, read by Dubus, he won the AudioFile
Earphone Award ''AudioFile'' is a print and online magazine whose mission is to review "unabridged and abridged audiobooks, original audio programs, commentary, and dramatizations in the spoken-word format. The focus of reviews is the audio presentation, not the ...
. Dubus’s work has been translated and published in more than twenty-five different languages.


Works


Novels

* ''Bluesman'' (1993) * ''House of Sand and Fog'' (W. W. Norton, 1999) * '' The Garden of Last Days'' (W. W. Norton, 2008) * ''Dirty Love'' (W. W. Norton, 2013) * ''Gone So Long'' (W. W. Norton, 2018) * Such Kindness (W. W. Norton, 2023)


Short story collections

* ''The Cage Keeper and Other Stories'' (1989). Contains 7 short stories: ** "The Cage Keeper" ** "Duckling Girl" ** "Wolves in the Marsh" ** "Forky" ** "Mountains" ** "White Trees, Hammer Moon" ** "Last Dance"


Non-fiction

* '' Townie: A Memoir'' (W. W. Norton, 2011) * ''Ghost Dogs'' (a book of personal essays forthcoming in 2024)


Anthologies

* "Blood, Root, Knit, Purl". ''Knitting Yarns: Writers on Knitting'' edited by Ann Hood (W. W. Norton, 2013)


Personal life

Dubus is married to performer Fontaine Dollas. They reside in Newbury, Massachusetts, with their three children.Profile
, nshoremag.com; accessed September 15, 2015.


References


External links


The Official Website of Andre Dubus III

Bostonist interviews Andre Dubus III about his novel ''The Garden of Last Days''
* Video: * Video: (taped May 31, 2008/Los Angeles Convention Center)
2003 Interview on NPR's ''Fresh Air''2013 Interview on ''The Lit Show''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dubus, Andre 1959 births Living people 20th-century American novelists Novelists from Massachusetts People from Newbury, Massachusetts University of Massachusetts Lowell faculty 21st-century American novelists American male novelists American male short story writers 20th-century American short story writers 21st-century American short story writers 20th-century American male writers 21st-century American male writers University of Texas alumni