Richard Russo (July 15, 1949) is an American novelist, short story writer, screenwriter, and teacher.

Early life and education

Russo was born in

Johnstown, New York Johnstown is a city in and the county seat of Fulton County in the U.S. state of New York. The city was named after its founder, Sir William Johnson, Superintendent of Indian Affairs in the Province of New York and a major general during the Seve ...

, and raised in nearby

Gloversville Gloversville is a city in the Mohawk Valley region of Upstate New York, and the most populous city in Fulton County. Gloversville was once the hub of the United States' glovemaking industry, with over two hundred manufacturers in Gloversville an ...

. He earned a

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...

, a

Master of Fine Arts A Master of Fine Arts (MFA or M.F.A.) is a terminal degree in fine arts, including visual arts, creative writing, graphic design, photography, filmmaking, dance, theatre, other performing arts and in some cases, theatre management or arts admini ...

degree, and a

Doctor of Philosophy A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common Academic degree, degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields ...

degree from the

University of Arizona The University of Arizona (Arizona, U of A, UArizona, or UA) is a public land-grant research university in Tucson, Arizona. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, it was the first university in the Arizona Territory. T ...

, which he attended from 1967 through 1979. The subject of his doctoral dissertation was the works of the early American writer, historian and editor

Charles Brockden Brown Charles Brockden Brown (January 17, 1771 – February 22, 1810) was an American novelist, historian, and editor of the Early National period. He is generally regarded by scholars as the most important American novelist before James Fenimore C ...

Career

Russo was teaching in the English department at

Southern Illinois University Carbondale Southern Illinois University (SIU or SIUC) is a public research university in Carbondale, Illinois. Founded in 1869, SIU is the oldest and flagship campus of the Southern Illinois University system. The university enrolls students from all 50 s ...

when his first novel, ''

Mohawk Mohawk may refer to: Related to Native Americans *Mohawk people, an indigenous people of North America (Canada and New York) *Mohawk language, the language spoken by the Mohawk people *Mohawk hairstyle, from a hairstyle once thought to have been t ...

'', was published, in 1986. Much of his work is semi-autobiographical, drawing on his life from his upbringing in upstate New York to his time teaching literature at

Colby College Colby College is a private liberal arts college in Waterville, Maine. It was founded in 1813 as the Maine Literary and Theological Institution, then renamed Waterville College after the city where it resides. The donations of Christian philanthr ...

(subsequently retired). His 2001 novel '' Empire Falls'' received the 2002

Pulitzer Prize for Fiction The Pulitzer Prize for Fiction is one of the seven American Pulitzer Prizes that are annually awarded for Letters, Drama, and Music. It recognizes distinguished fiction by an American author, preferably dealing with American life, published during ...

. He has written seven other novels, a collection of

short stories A short story is a piece of prose fiction that typically can be read in one sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the oldest t ...

, and a memoir (''Elsewhere''). His short story "Horseman" was published in ''

The Best American Short Stories 2007 ''The Best American Short Stories 2007'', a volume in ''The Best American Short Stories series'', was edited by Heidi Pitlor and by guest editor Stephen King.Pitor, Heidi and King, Stephen (editors), ''The Best American Short Stories 2007'' Houghto ...

'' edited by

Stephen King Stephen Edwin King (born September 21, 1947) is an American author of horror, supernatural fiction, suspense, crime, science-fiction, and fantasy novels. Described as the "King of Horror", a play on his surname and a reference to his high s ...

and Heidi Pitlor. Director

Robert Benton Robert Douglas Benton (born September 29, 1932) is an American screenwriter and film director. He is best known as the writer and director of the film ''Kramer vs. Kramer'', for which he won the Academy Award for Best Director and Best Adapted S ...

adapted Russo's 1993 novel ''Nobody's Fool'' as a 1994 film of the same title, starring

Paul Newman Paul Leonard Newman (January 26, 1925 – September 26, 2008) was an American actor, film director, race car driver, philanthropist, and entrepreneur. He was the recipient of numerous awards, including an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, three ...

, which Benton directed. Benton and Russo co-wrote the 1998 film ''

Twilight Twilight is light produced by sunlight scattering in the upper atmosphere, when the Sun is below the horizon, which illuminates the lower atmosphere and the Earth's surface. The word twilight can also refer to the periods of time when this il ...

'', also starring Newman. Russo wrote the teleplay for the

HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American premium television network, which is the flagship property of namesake parent subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is ba ...

adaptation of '' Empire Falls'', the screenplay for the 2005 film ''

Ice Harvest ''The Ice Harvest'' is a 2005 American neo-noir black comedy film directed by Harold Ramis, written by Richard Russo and Robert Benton, based on the 2000 novel of the same name by Scott Phillips and starring John Cusack, Billy Bob Thornton, and ...

'', and the screenplay for the 2005 Niall Johnson film ''

Keeping Mum ''Keeping Mum'' is a 2005 British black comedy film co written and directed by Niall Johnson and starring Rowan Atkinson, Kristin Scott Thomas, Maggie Smith and Patrick Swayze. It was produced by Isle of Man Film, Azure Films and Tusk Production ...

'', which starred

Rowan Atkinson Rowan Sebastian Atkinson (born 6 January 1955) is an English actor, comedian and writer. He played the title roles on the sitcoms '' Blackadder'' (1983–1989) and ''Mr. Bean'' (1990–1995), and the film series ''Johnny English'' (2003–201 ...

Personal life

Russo and his wife, Barbara, live in

Portland, Maine Portland is the largest city in the U.S. state of Maine and the seat of Cumberland County. Portland's population was 68,408 in April 2020. The Greater Portland metropolitan area is home to over half a million people, the 104th-largest metropol ...

, and spend winters in Boston.Richard Russo Profile
/ref> They have two daughters, Kate and Emily.

Works

* ''

'' (

Vintage Books Vintage Books is a trade paperback publishing imprint of Penguin Random House originally established by Alfred A. Knopf in 1954. The company was purchased by Random House in April 1960, and a British division was set up in 1990. After Random Hous ...

, 1986) * '' The Risk Pool'' (

Random House Random House is an American book publisher and the largest general-interest paperback publisher in the world. The company has several independently managed subsidiaries around the world. It is part of Penguin Random House, which is owned by Germ ...

, 1988) * ''Nobody's Fool'' (Random House, 1993) * ''

Straight Man The straight man is a stock character in a comedy performance, especially a double act, sketch comedy, or farce. When a comedy partner behaves eccentrically, the straight man is expected to maintain composure. The direct contribution to the ...

'' (Random House, 1997) * '' Empire Falls'' (

Alfred A. Knopf Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. () is an American publishing house that was founded by Alfred A. Knopf Sr. and Blanche Knopf in 1915. Blanche and Alfred traveled abroad regularly and were known for publishing European, Asian, and Latin American writers in ...

, 2001) * ''

The Whore's Child and Other Stories ''The Whore's Child and Other Stories'' is a collection of seven short stories by American author Richard Russo, published in 2002 by Alfred A. Knopf. It was published after Russo received the Pulitzer Prize for '' Empire Falls'' hence gained con ...

'' (Alfred A. Knopf, 2002) * ''

Bridge of Sighs The Bridge of Sighs (Italian: ''Ponte dei Sospiri'', vec, Ponte de i Sospiri) is a bridge in Venice, Italy. The enclosed bridge is made of white limestone, has windows with stone bars, passes over the Rio di Palazzo, and connects the New Priso ...

'' (Alfred A. Knopf, 2007) * '' That Old Cape Magic'' (Alfred A. Knopf, 2009) * ''Interventions'', with illustrator Kate Russo ( Down East Books, 2012) * ''Elsewhere: A Memoir'' (Alfred A. Knopf, 2012) * ''

Everybody's Fool "Everybody's Fool" is a song by American rock band Evanescence from their debut studio album, ''Fallen''. Wind-up Records released the song on May 31, 2004 as the album's fourth and final single. It was written by Amy Lee in 1999 about the prom ...

'' (Alfred A. Knopf, May 3, 2016) * ''Trajectory: Stories'' (Alfred A. Knopf, 2017) * ''The Destiny Thief: Essays on Writing, Writers and Life'' (Alfred A. Knopf, 2018) * '' Chances Are...'' (Alfred A. Knopf, 2019) * ''Sh*tshow'' (Vintage, 2020) * ''Marriage Story, An American Memoir'' (Scribd, 2021) * ''Somebody's Fool'' (2023)

Filmography

*''

Monsters A monster is a type of fictional creature found in horror, fantasy, science fiction, folklore, mythology and religion. Monsters are very often depicted as dangerous and aggressive with a strange, grotesque appearance that causes terror and fe ...

'' (1989) (TV) *'' Nobody's Fool'' (1994) (based on his novel) *''

'' (with

) (1998) *''

The Flamingo Rising ''The Flamingo Rising'' is a 2001 dramatic film in the Hallmark Hall of Fame released on CBS in February 2001, and based on the novel ''The Flamingo Rising'' written by Larry Baker in 1997. The movie stars Christopher Larkin, William Hurt, El ...

'' (2001) (TV) *''

Brush with Fate ''Brush with Fate'' is a television film debuted on February 2, 2003, on CBS. It followed the life of an imaginary painting by Dutch painter Johannes Vermeer as it passes through the hands of various people. The film was based on ''Girl In Hyacint ...

'' (2003) (TV) *'' Empire Falls'' (2005) (TV) *''

The Ice Harvest ''The Ice Harvest'' is a 2005 American neo-noir black comedy film directed by Harold Ramis, written by Richard Russo and Robert Benton, based on the 2000 novel of the same name by Scott Phillips and starring John Cusack, Billy Bob Thornton, and ...

'' (with

) (2005) *''

'' (with

Niall Johnson Niall Johnson (born in 1964) is an English screenwriter and film director. He is best known for his 2005 comedy film ''Keeping Mum ''Keeping Mum'' is a 2005 British black comedy film co written and directed by Niall Johnson and starring Ro ...

) (2005)

References

External links

Audio recording of Russo reading a chapter of ''That Old Cape Magic''
from the Maine Humanities Council and the Portland Public Library * {{DEFAULTSORT:Russo, Richard 1949 births Living people 20th-century American novelists 21st-century American novelists American male novelists American male screenwriters Colby College faculty People from Johnstown, New York People from Camden, Maine Pulitzer Prize for Fiction winners Southern Illinois University faculty University of Arizona alumni Novelists from Maine American male short story writers People from Gloversville, New York 20th-century American short story writers 21st-century American short story writers 20th-century American male writers 21st-century American male writers Novelists from New York (state) Novelists from Illinois Screenwriters from New York (state) Screenwriters from Illinois Screenwriters from Arizona Screenwriters from Maine