“Reading is probably what leads most
writers to writing.” – Richard Ford
Ford is a novelist
and short story writer, best-known for The Sportswriter
and its sequels, Independence Day (winner
of both the Pulitzer Prize and The PEN/Faulkner Award), The
Lay of the Land and Let Me Be Frank with You, a Pulitzer Prize
finalist.
A native
Mississippian born on this date in 1944, Ford also wrote the terrific short
story collection Rock Springs, which has been widely anthologized. Mostly set in Montana, it includes some of his most popular
stories and cemented his reputation as one of the finest writers of
his generation.
Ford struggled with
dyslexia in his growing up years and didn’t get seriously interested in reading
literature until his college days at Michigan State. He has stated in interviews that his dyslexia
may, however, have helped him as a reader and then in becoming a writer,
forcing him to approach books at a slow and thoughtful pace.
He earned a Master of
Fine Arts in Creative Writing from California-Irvine where he was taught by
both Oakley Hall and E.L. Doctorow. He
said he owes a tremendous debt to both for helping develop his writing
skills. A fine editor, too, he has been
widely sought after to do editing work and has edited many award-winning works.
He has just released another novel, Be Mine, featuring sportswriter Frank Bascombe.
“Happiness for me,” Ford said, “is
getting to write about the most important things I know.”
No comments:
Post a Comment