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 Sev ...

, and raised in nearby Gloversville. 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 degree, and a

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

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 ...

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 st ...

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 ...

'', 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 philant ...

(subsequently retired). His 2001 novel '' Empire Falls'' received the 2002 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. 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 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, 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 i ...

'', also starring Newman. Russo wrote the teleplay for the HBO adaptation of '' Empire Falls'', the screenplay for the 2005 film '' Ice Harvest'', 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 Produc ...

'', which starred Rowan Atkinson.

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 metropo ...

, 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 ...

, 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 c ...

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

'' (with

) (1998) *'' The Flamingo Rising'' (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 Hyaci ...

'' (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