15 Facts About Russell Banks

Russell Earl Banks was an American writer of fiction and poetry.

Russell Banks's novels are known for "detailed accounts of domestic strife and the daily struggles of ordinary often-marginalized characters".

Russell Banks's father deserted the family when Banks was aged 12.

Russell Banks married Darlene Bennett, who was working as a sales clerk at the time; they had one daughter and later divorced.

Russell Banks moved back to New England in 1964 and then to North Carolina, where he attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, funded by the family of his second wife, Mary Gunst.

In Chapel Hill, Russell Banks was involved in Students for a Democratic Society and protest during the Civil Rights Movement.

Russell Banks divorced Mary Gunst in 1977 after 14 years of marriage.

Russell Banks was the 1985 recipient of the John Dos Passos Prize for fiction.

Russell Banks was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1996.

In popular culture, Russell Banks was briefly mentioned in philosopher Richard Rorty's 1996 future history essay "Fraternity Reigns" in The New York Times Magazine as having written the fictional book Trampling the Vineyards, described as "samizdat", in 2021.

Russell Banks died from cancer at his home in Saratoga Springs, New York, on January 7,2023, at the age of 82.

Russell Banks's work has been translated into twenty languages and has received numerous international prizes and awards.

Russell Banks wrote fiction, and, later, non-fiction, with Dreaming up America.

Russell Banks wrote short stories, some of which appear in the collection The Angel on the Roof, as well as poetry.

Many have admired Russell Banks' realistic writing, which often explores American social dilemmas and moral struggles.