Russell Banks comes to Pitt

‘ ‘ ‘ Aspiring writers, take note. A very well-respected author will soon be in your midst. ‘ ‘… ‘ ‘ ‘ Aspiring writers, take note. A very well-respected author will soon be in your midst. ‘ ‘ ‘ Poetry and fiction writer Russell Banks will be giving a literary reading at 8:30 p.m. on Oct. 29 in Lawrence Hall as a part of the 2008-09 Writers Series season. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘Russell Banks is one of America’s greatest writers. He’s been very prolific in his career, and it’s important, I think, for writing students to have the opportunity to meet a writer of his stature,’ said Cathy Day, an assistant professor in the English department. ‘ ‘ ‘ Banks’ upbringing has undoubtedly had an effect on his writing. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘He’s mostly known as a working-class writer,’ said Day, who will be introducing Banks. He is known for writing about people in tragic circumstances who remain strong throughout their plight. ‘ ‘ ‘ Banks is the author of 18 books including ‘The Darling,’ ‘The Sweet Hereafter,’ ‘Rule of the Bone,’ ‘Affliction,’ ‘The Continental Drift’ and ‘Cloudsplitter.’ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘Every book is very different from the last. He is very ambitious in that the subject matters he takes on are very different,’ said Day. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘One thing that I think students might be interested in is that two of his books (‘The Sweet Hereafter’ and ‘Affliction’) have been turned into films,’ said Day. ‘That’s another way that students might be unknowingly familiar with his work, through adaptations that have been made from his books.’ ‘ ‘ ‘ Both adaptations received critical acclaim. For ‘Affliction,’ actor James Colburn won the Academy Award for best supporting actor and actor Nick Nolte was nominated for the Academy Award for best actor. ‘The Sweet Hereafter’ received several awards, including the Grand Prix and the International Critics Award at the 1997 Cannes Film Festival. ‘ ‘ ‘ Currently in the works are three more films, from the books ‘Cloudsplitter,’ ‘Continental Drift’ and ‘The Darling.’ Banks is also working on a screenplay for ‘The Rule of the Bone.’ ‘ ‘ ‘ In describing why it would be beneficial for students to see Banks, Day said, ‘I think it’s important for students to see that writers don’t just write books, writers can use their notoriety and the words they write themselves, that their works can address issues.’