Russell Earl Banks was an American writer of fiction and poetry whose novels and short stories were among the most celebrated works of fiction in modern-day American letters mainly because he drew from his own upbringing to explore the tragedy and dignity of working-class. He was also a twice finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in fiction, first for Continental Drift and then for Cloudsplitter. Banks was born in Newton, Massachusetts and he started to write when he was living in Miami in the late 19... moreRussell Earl Banks was an American writer of fiction and poetry whose novels and short stories were among the most celebrated works of fiction in modern-day American letters mainly because he drew from his own upbringing to explore the tragedy and dignity of working-class. He was also a twice finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in fiction, first for Continental Drift and then for Cloudsplitter. Banks was born in Newton, Massachusetts and he started to write when he was living in Miami in the late 1950s. In 1964 he attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and was involved in Students for a Democratic Society and protest during the Civil Rights Movement. Banks wrote more than 25 novels with most of them being translated into 20 languages. He also won numerous awards both local and international for his work.
His most popular work include the novels Continental Drift, Rule of the Bone, Cloudsplitter, The Sweet Hereafter, and Affliction. The latter two novels were each made into feature films in 1997. His work is celebrated and admired by many for its exploration of issues of race, class and power in American life to which most people can relate to.
