Russell Banks facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Russell Banks
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At the 2011 Texas Book Festival
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| Born | March 28, 1940 Newton, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Died | January 7, 2023 (aged 82) Saratoga Springs, New York, U.S. |
| Occupation | Writer |
| Notable works | Continental Drift, Affliction, Rule of the Bone, Cloudsplitter, The Darling, The Sweet Hereafter |
| Spouse |
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| Children | 4 |
Russell Earl Banks (born March 28, 1940 – died January 7, 2023) was an American writer. He wrote many interesting stories and poems. His books often showed the daily lives and challenges of regular people. Many of his stories were inspired by his own childhood. They often explored ideas about right and wrong, and how people connect with each other. He was also a member of important groups like the International Parliament of Writers and the American Academy of Arts and Letters.
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Russell Banks's Life and Career
Russell Earl Banks was born in Newton, Massachusetts, on March 28, 1940. He grew up in a family that didn't have much money. His mother, Florence, stayed at home, and his father, Earl, was a plumber. They lived in Barnstead, New Hampshire. When Russell was 12, his father left the family.
He got a scholarship to Colgate University, but he left after only six weeks. He traveled south, planning to join a group in Cuba. Instead, he ended up working in a department store in Lakeland, Florida. There, he married Darlene Bennett. They had one daughter before they divorced.
Russell Banks started writing in the late 1950s. He moved back to New England in 1964. Then he went to North Carolina, where he studied at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. His second wife's family, Mary Gunst, helped pay for his studies.
While at Chapel Hill, Banks was involved in student groups. He also took part in protests during the Civil Rights Movement. In 1976, he received a special award called a Guggenheim Fellowship. He and Mary Gunst divorced in 1977 after 14 years of marriage. They had three daughters.
He later married Kathy Walton, an editor, from 1982 to 1988. The next year, he married the poet Chase Twichell.
Banks received the John Dos Passos Prize for fiction in 1985. Two of his books, Continental Drift and Cloudsplitter, were finalists for the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. This is a very important award for writers. In 1996, he became a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
Banks lived in upstate New York and Miami. He was named the New York State Author from 2004 to 2006. He also taught creative writing at Princeton University.
Russell Banks's Passing
Russell Banks passed away from cancer at his home in Saratoga Springs, New York, on January 7, 2023. He was 82 years old.
Russell Banks's Books and Themes
Russell Banks's books have been translated into 20 different languages. He received many awards from around the world. He wrote both fiction (made-up stories) and non-fiction (true stories).
Some of his most famous novels include Continental Drift, Rule of the Bone, Cloudsplitter, The Sweet Hereafter, and Affliction. Two of these, The Sweet Hereafter and Affliction, were even made into movies in 1997.
Many of Banks's stories show his own experiences growing up in a working-class family. His books often feature people dealing with tough times and sadness. But they also show how people can be strong and keep going even when things are hard. Banks also wrote short stories, which can be found in collections like The Angel on the Roof, and poetry.
Banks also lived in Jamaica. He once said that living there made him think more about different cultures and how people of different backgrounds interact. He felt it was important to understand the world from different points of view.
His book Continental Drift (1985) talks about big ideas like how the world is connected and problems in places like Haiti. His 2004 novel The Darling is mostly set in Liberia. It explores the experiences of a white American person living in a different culture.
A writer named Anthony Hutchison said that Russell Banks was one of the few white American writers who explored the topic of race in a deep and honest way.
Awards and Honors for Russell Banks
- 1985 John Dos Passos Prize
- 1996 Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
- 2004-2006 New York State Author
- 2012 Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction, shortlist, Lost Memory of Skin
Russell Banks's Works
- Novels
- Family Life (1975)
- Hamilton Stark (1978)
- The Book of Jamaica (1980)
- The Relation of My Imprisonment (1983)
- Continental Drift (1985)
- Affliction (1989)
- The Sweet Hereafter (1991)
- Rule of the Bone (1995)
- Cloudsplitter (1998)
- The Darling (2004)
- The Reserve (2008)
- Lost Memory of Skin (2011)
- Foregone (2021)
- The Magic Kingdom (2022)
- Story collections
- Searching for Survivors (1975)
- The New World (1978)
- Trailerpark (1981)
- Success Stories (1986)
- The Angel on the Roof (2000)
- A Permanent Member of the Family (2013)
- Poetry
- Waiting To Freeze (1969)
- Snow (1974)
- Nonfiction
- Invisible Stranger (1998)
- Dreaming Up America (2008)
- Voyager (2016)
Images for kids
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A robot for kids
See also
In Spanish: Russell Banks para niños
