Raymond Abbott (born April 21, 1942) is an American

novelist A novelist is an author or writer of novels, though often novelists also write in other genres of both fiction and non-fiction. Some novelists are professional novelists, thus make a living writing novels and other fiction, while others aspire to ...

Biography

Raymond Herbert Abbott was born in

Newburyport Newburyport is a coastal city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States, northeast of Boston. The population was 18,289 at the 2020 census. A historic seaport with vibrant tourism industry, Newburyport includes part of Plum Island. The mo ...

, April 21, 1942. He was the son of Myron E., a ship worker, and Evelyn (Foley). He was educated at the

University of Massachusetts The University of Massachusetts is the five-campus public university system and the only public research system in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The university system includes five campuses (Amherst, Boston, Dartmouth, Lowell, and a medica ...

in 1965 with a B.A. and

University of Kentucky The University of Kentucky (UK, UKY, or U of K) is a Public University, public Land-grant University, land-grant research university in Lexington, Kentucky. Founded in 1865 by John Bryan Bowman as the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Kentu ...

graduate studies, 1967–68. He is a member of the

Authors Guild The Authors Guild is America's oldest and largest professional organization for writers and provides advocacy on issues of free expression and copyright protection. Since its founding in 1912 as the Authors League of America, it has counted among ...

. He currently resides in Louisville, KY. Abbott volunteered at

Rosebud Indian Reservation The Rosebud Indian Reservation is an Indian reservation in South Dakota, United States. It is the home of the federally recognized Rosebud Sioux Tribe, who are Sicangu, a band of Lakota people. The Lakota name ''Sicangu Oyate'' translates as t ...

in 1965–66, then community development director in Transitional Housing Program for Sioux tribe at Rosebud, 1966–67. After that, he became an elementary schoolteacher in Lost Creek, KY, 1967–68, followed by being a social worker for the city of Louisville, KY, 1967–68. He then became a social worker in Massachusetts:

Pittsfield Pittsfield is the largest city and the county seat of Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It is the principal city of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses all of Berkshire County. Pittsfield� ...

(1969–70), South End, 1970–73, and finally

, (1973–).

Awards

* 1979 NEA Grant * 1985 Whiting Award

Works

* * * * * * He also is contributes to

North American Review The ''North American Review'' (NAR) was the first literary magazine in the United States. It was founded in Boston in 1815 by journalist Nathan Hale and others. It was published continuously until 1940, after which it was inactive until revived a ...

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Blue Cloud Quarterly, and Phoenix.

Criticism

Quotes

"Much of my inspiration ... for my first three novels came from living for several years on a Sioux reservation in South Dakota.... My interest is to become a good story teller."

References

External links

Profile at The Whiting Awards
{{DEFAULTSORT:Abbott, Raymond 20th-century American novelists 20th-century American male writers Living people 1942 births University of Massachusetts Amherst alumni University of Kentucky alumni Writers from Newburyport, Massachusetts American male novelists Novelists from Massachusetts