The Modern Novel

Biography

There is a type of literary genre which is more and more frequently seen in US literature which consists of a tongue-in-cheek, wisecracking hero (or heroine) who is usually not too successful in life, generally with marital (and/or lover) problems, career problems (because s/he does not fit into the bureaucratic structure where s/he is employed) and problems with the world as a whole but, somehow, during the course of the book, sort of rises above all of this and, at least, survives, if not succeeds. These books tend to be very well written, often very funny and indicative of a population that is at odds with itself and its fellows. There are numerous examples. The Southern archetype is Michael Malone. The Yankee archetype is Richard Russo.

A professor at Colby College in Waterville, Maine and a screenwriter, Russo is also the author of several successful and very funny novels, whose heroes are not successful – indeed, by US standards, they may well be considered failures – but who are survivors, who maintain their sense of humour and who definitely do not play the game. They are, in some respects, the quintessential American cowboy, standing at the fringes of society and with no desire to join in. His novels are about how they somehow come through and maintain their independence, despite the efforts of society to drag them in.

Other links

Richard Russo
Featured Author: Richard Russo
Is Author Richard Russo A Misogynist?
Text of Richard Russo’s 2004 Commencement Address (at Colby College)
A Novel Take on an Ending (article by Russo)
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