The American dream personified

February 23, 2009 by Shane Collins 

Russell Banks talks about his rise from blue-collar life to Hollywood fame

In a classic story of the American dream played out, author and producer Russell Banks came from a tumultuous childhood to becoming one of America’s most influential novelists.

“One of the great things about becoming an author or writer is there are no tests or exams for it,” Banks said, adding that great writers like Homer and playwrights like William Shakespeare did not go to college to become writers.

Born to a blue-collar family in 1940 in New Hampshire, Banks had a rocky relationship with his father, and although he ran away from home at 16 years old, he was the first to attend college in his family.

Banks attended Colgate College on a full scholarship, but left citing tough times in his life.  

“I worked as everything,” he said.  “From a shoe salesman to a window trimmer for department stores.”

However, 19-year-old Banks inspired to be a painter and he added that he had a natural talent for the art.  At the same time, he fell in love with reading, inspired by greats like Mark Twain and Walt Whitman.

“I originally thought I wanted to be a painter, a visual artist,” he said.  “I had observable talent in that. If one has a literary talent that’s usually not that observable—at least not when you’re very young.”

Banks took what he learned from his favorite novels and began emulating their styles to his own plot lines; a contemporary American novelist was made.

“By the time I was 21 or so, that’s all I was doing,” he said. “I was organizing my life around [writing] in every way during the early ‘60s.”

In the mean time, Banks had to make ends meet, so he returned to New Hampshire and became a plumber.  In his down time, he continued writing novels and short stories.

He decided to return to college and a few years later attended the University of North Carolina where he received a Bachelor’s of Arts in literature and another in American history.  

“I was publishing and writing stories and poetry by this time and considered myself a writer,” Banks said. “So I kind of zoomed through in about two and a half years. It was sort of a pit stop.”

In 1968, he started teaching literature and writing at universities, eventually getting a professorship at Princeton. He taught until 1997.

“The early years I absolutely had to [teach] because of finances,” Banks said. “In the later years, I continued to [teach] because I enjoyed it so much.”

Although Banks had his first book, a collection of short stories, published when he was 35, it wasn’t until his novel “Continental Drift” was published in 1985 that he really became an acclaimed novelist.  The same year, the novel won the John Dos Passos Prize for fiction, awarded to one under-recognized writer per year, and an Academy of Arts and Sciences award.

In many ways, Banks portrays his troubled past and rough relationship with his father in his novels.  In “Affliction,” he surveys the relationships of an alcoholic and abusive father.  In the same way, “The Sweet Hereafter” explores the struggles of blue-collar families.

“A lot of the characters, people and lives I write about are like the people and lives that I knew when I was growing up,” he said.  “They’re not portraits of these people.  I still feel a profound affection for those people and the lives they lived.”

In 1997, both novels were adapted to the silver screen.  Nominated for two Academy Awards and one Golden Globe, among more than seven other award nominations, “Affliction” won an Oscar for best actor in a supporting role for James Coburn, and Nick Nolte was nominated for best actor.  

“The Sweet Hereafter” was also nominated for two Academy Awards, including best screenplay adapted based on material from another medium, and more than 20 other awards.

“It was terrific because I think they turned out to be great films,” Banks said. “I got very involved with the process—both directors wanted me to participate in it.  From every draft of the screenplay, through casting all the way up.”

After his novels were adapted into screenplays, Banks retired from teaching at Princeton.

Banks’ 10th novel, “The Darling,” is currently in talks to be adapted into a screenplay and directed by Martin Scorsese and staring Cate Blanchett. 

“I took it first to Blanchett and she agreed to be a part of it,” he said. “Then I took it with her to Scorsese.”

Another novel, “The Reserve,” was released in late 2008 and is a national bestseller.

Nancy Wilson-Wagner, Banks’ assistant, said it is a great honor to work for a generous, witty and down-to-earth author.

“It’s always a thrill when one of his new books comes out,” she said. “But because I work for him and am therefore familiar with each work-in-progress, I sometimes miss the excitement of not knowing what to expect when I crack the cover of the latest Russell Banks novel.”

Banks is married to his fourth wife, poet Chase Twichell, and both live in upstate New York.  He has four daughters and two grandchildren.

Students can meet and ask Banks questions tomorrow at 7 p.m. in the Student Union Theatre as part of the Black Mountain Institute lecture series.

Banks will be reading parts of his novel “The Reserve” and will read a short story.  After that, he is going to open up for audience questions.

“I actually prefer questions from the audience,” he said.  “I enjoy questions coming cold out of the audience.”

“[Banks] is among some of the world’s most highly regarded writers,” said Dr. Carol Harter, director of the BMI. “He is one of the half dozen most important authors in his generation.”

Harter added that among the reasons the BMI asked Banks to read and speak at UNLV was because of his high quality work and unpretentious attitude.

“[Banks] is extremely down-to-earth, despite all of his accomplishments,” she said.  “We are very delighted to have him. This is a great opportunity.”

 

Russell Banks’ chronology of published works:

 

* 1974 Snow (poetry)

* 1975 Searching for Survivors (short story collection)

* 1975 Family Life (novel)

* 1978 The New World (short story collection)

* 1978 Hamilton Stark (novel)

* 1980 The Book of Jamaica (novel)

* 1981 Trailerpark (short story collection)

* 1983 The Relation of My Imprisonment (novel)

* 1985 Continental Drift (novel)

* 1986 Success Stories (short story collection)

* 1989 Affliction (novel)

* 1991 The Sweet Hereafter (novel)

* 1995 Rule of the Bone (novel)

* 1998 Cloudsplitter (novel)

* 1998 Invisible Stranger (nonfiction)

* 2000 The Angel on the Roof (short story collection)

* 2004 The Darling (novel)

* 2008 The Reserve (novel)

* 2008 Dreaming Up America (nonfiction)