Andre Dubus III
Encyclopedia
Andre Dubus III is an American novelist and writer of short stories
. He is a member of the faculty at the University of Massachusetts Lowell
.
, Andre Dubus III grew up in mill towns in the Merrimack River valley
along the Massachusetts - New Hampshire border. He began writing fiction at age 22 just a few months after graduating from the University of Texas at Austin
with a Bachelors Degree in sociology. Because he preferred to write in the morning, going from "the dream world to the dream world", as the Irish writer Edna O'Brien puts it, he took mainly night jobs: bartender, office cleaner, halfway house counselor, and for six months worked as an assistant to a private investigator/bounty hunter. Over the years he has also worked as a self-employed carpenter and college writing teacher.
Dubus' novel House of Sand and Fog
(1999) was a finalist for the National Book Award
and the basis for an Academy award-nominated film. His 2011 memoir Townie tells of growing up poor in Haverhill
after his parents' divorce, street fighting, and eventually boxing, and deals extensively with his relationship with his father.
, Andre Dubus III has served as a panelist for The National Book Foundation, The National Endowment for the Arts
, and has taught writing at Harvard University
, Tufts University
, Emerson College
, and the University of Massachusetts Lowell
where he is a full-time faculty member.
, The National Magazine Award for fiction, The Pushcart Prize, and was a Finalist for the Rome Prize Fellowship from the Academy of Arts and Letters. Dubus's novel House of Sand and Fog was a fiction finalist for the National Book Award
, the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, Booksense Book of the Year, and was an Oprah Book Club Selection and #1 New York Times bestseller. It has been published in twenty languages and the 2003 film adaptation directed by Vadim Perelman
was nominated for an academy award.
with their three children.
Andre Dubus III's aunt is the novelist Elizabeth Nell Dubus, mother of DeLaune Michel
, also a novelist. His first cousin, once removed, is the acclaimed writer James Lee Burke
, author of over thirty novels and short story collections and two-time winner of the Edgar Award
for Best Crime Novel of the Year. James Lee Burke’s youngest daughter is the novelist Alafair Burke
.
Short Stories
Short Stories may refer to:*A plural for Short story*Short Stories , an American pulp magazine published from 1890-1959*Short Stories, a 1954 collection by O. E...
. He is a member of the faculty at the University of Massachusetts Lowell
University of Massachusetts Lowell
The University of Massachusetts Lowell is a public university in Lowell, Massachusetts, and part of the University of Massachusetts system...
.
Early life and career
Son of the Louisiana-born writer Andre DubusAndre Dubus
Andre Dubus, II was an American short story writer, essayist, and autobiographer. Dubus is recognized as one of the most prolific American short-story writers in the 20th century.-Early life and education:...
, Andre Dubus III grew up in mill towns in the Merrimack River valley
Merrimack Valley
The Merrimack Valley is a bi-state region along the Merrimack River in the states of New Hampshire and Massachusetts, United States. The Merrimack is one of the larger waterways in the New England region and has helped define the livelihood and culture of those living along it since native...
along the Massachusetts - New Hampshire border. He began writing fiction at age 22 just a few months after graduating from the University of Texas at Austin
University of Texas at Austin
The University of Texas at Austin is a state research university located in Austin, Texas, USA, and is the flagship institution of the The University of Texas System. Founded in 1883, its campus is located approximately from the Texas State Capitol in Austin...
with a Bachelors Degree in sociology. Because he preferred to write in the morning, going from "the dream world to the dream world", as the Irish writer Edna O'Brien puts it, he took mainly night jobs: bartender, office cleaner, halfway house counselor, and for six months worked as an assistant to a private investigator/bounty hunter. Over the years he has also worked as a self-employed carpenter and college writing teacher.
Dubus' novel House of Sand and Fog
House of Sand and Fog (novel)
House of Sand and Fog is a 1999 novel by Andre Dubus III. It was selected for Oprah's Book Club in 2000 and was a finalist for the National Book Award for Fiction.-Plot:...
(1999) was a finalist for the National Book Award
National Book Award
The National Book Awards are a set of American literary awards. Started in 1950, the Awards are presented annually to American authors for literature published in the current year. In 1989 the National Book Foundation, a nonprofit organization which now oversees and manages the National Book...
and the basis for an Academy award-nominated film. His 2011 memoir Townie tells of growing up poor in Haverhill
Haverhill, Massachusetts
Haverhill is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 60,879 at the 2010 census.Located on the Merrimack River, it began as a farming community that would evolve into an important industrial center, beginning with sawmills and gristmills run by water power. In the...
after his parents' divorce, street fighting, and eventually boxing, and deals extensively with his relationship with his father.
Affiliations
A member of PEN American CenterPEN American Center
PEN American Center , founded in 1922 and based in New York City, works to advance literature, to defend free expression, and to foster international literary fellowship. The Center has a membership of 3,300 writers, editors, and translators...
, Andre Dubus III has served as a panelist for The National Book Foundation, The National Endowment for the Arts
National Endowment for the Arts
The National Endowment for the Arts is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created by an act of the U.S. Congress in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government. Its current...
, and has taught writing at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
, Tufts University
Tufts University
Tufts University is a private research university located in Medford/Somerville, near Boston, Massachusetts. It is organized into ten schools, including two undergraduate programs and eight graduate divisions, on four campuses in Massachusetts and on the eastern border of France...
, Emerson College
Emerson College
Emerson College is a private coeducational university located in Boston, Massachusetts. Founded in 1880 by Charles Wesley Emerson as a "school of oratory," Emerson is "the only comprehensive college or university in America dedicated exclusively to communication and the arts in a liberal arts...
, and the University of Massachusetts Lowell
University of Massachusetts Lowell
The University of Massachusetts Lowell is a public university in Lowell, Massachusetts, and part of the University of Massachusetts system...
where he is a full-time faculty member.
Honors
Dubus' work has been included in The Best American Essays of 1994, The Best Spiritual Writing of 1999, and The Best of Hope Magazine. He has been awarded a Guggenheim FellowshipGuggenheim Fellowship
Guggenheim Fellowships are American grants that have been awarded annually since 1925 by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation to those "who have demonstrated exceptional capacity for productive scholarship or exceptional creative ability in the arts." Each year, the foundation makes...
, The National Magazine Award for fiction, The Pushcart Prize, and was a Finalist for the Rome Prize Fellowship from the Academy of Arts and Letters. Dubus's novel House of Sand and Fog was a fiction finalist for the National Book Award
National Book Award
The National Book Awards are a set of American literary awards. Started in 1950, the Awards are presented annually to American authors for literature published in the current year. In 1989 the National Book Foundation, a nonprofit organization which now oversees and manages the National Book...
, the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, Booksense Book of the Year, and was an Oprah Book Club Selection and #1 New York Times bestseller. It has been published in twenty languages and the 2003 film adaptation directed by Vadim Perelman
Vadim Perelman
Vadim Perelman is a Ukrainian-American film director. Perelman made his feature film directorial debut in 2003 with House of Sand and Fog, following a successful career as a commercial director. The film, nominated for three Academy Awards, also marks his first screenplay credit...
was nominated for an academy award.
Personal
Dubus is married to performer Fontaine Dollas Dubus. They reside in Newburyport, MassachusettsNewburyport, Massachusetts
Newburyport is a small coastal city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States, 35 miles northeast of Boston. The population was 21,189 at the 2000 census. A historic seaport with a vibrant tourism industry, Newburyport includes part of Plum Island...
with their three children.
Andre Dubus III's aunt is the novelist Elizabeth Nell Dubus, mother of DeLaune Michel
DeLaune Michel
DeLauné Michel is an American author and actress. She was raised in southern Louisiana in a literary family which includes her uncle, Andre Dubus; her mother, Elizabeth Nell Dubus; and her cousins, James Lee Burke and Alafair Burke....
, also a novelist. His first cousin, once removed, is the acclaimed writer James Lee Burke
James Lee Burke
James Lee Burke is an American author of mysteries, best known for his Dave Robicheaux series. He has won an Edgar Award for Black Cherry Blues and Cimarron Rose . The Robicheaux character has been portrayed twice on screen, first by Alec Baldwin and then Tommy Lee Jones...
, author of over thirty novels and short story collections and two-time winner of the Edgar Award
Edgar Award
The Edgar Allan Poe Awards , named after Edgar Allan Poe, are presented every year by the Mystery Writers of America...
for Best Crime Novel of the Year. James Lee Burke’s youngest daughter is the novelist Alafair Burke
Alafair Burke
Alafair S. Burke is an American author, professor of law, and legal commentator. She is the author of two series of crime novels, one featuring NYPD Detective Ellie Hatcher, the other featuring Portland prosecutor Samantha Kincaid...
.
Works
- The Cage Keeper and Other Stories (1989)
- Bluesman (1993)
- House of Sand and Fog (1999)
- The Garden of Last Days (2008)
- Townie - A Memoir (2011)
External links
- The Official Website of Andre Dubus III
- Bostonist interviews Andre Dubus III about his novel The Garden of Last Days
- Video: Andre Dubus III discusses his novel The Garden of Last Days
- Video: Andre Dubus III speaks at BookExpo (taped May 31, 2008/Los Angeles Convention Center)
- 2003 Interview on NPR's Fresh Air