Russell Banks (born March 28, 1940) is an American writer of fiction and poetry. He is president of the International Parliament of Writers and a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters. His work has been translated into twenty languages and has received numerous international prizes and awards. His main works include the novels Continental Drift, Rule of the Bone, Cloudsplitter, The Sweet Hereafter, and Affliction. The latter two novels were each made into feature films in 1997; see Affliction (1997 movie). March 28 is the 87th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (88th in Leap years). ... 1940 (MCMXL) was a leap year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1940 calendar). ... The term writer can apply to anyone who creates a written work, but the word more usually designates those who write creatively or professionally, or those who have written in many different forms. ... The Three Graces, here in a painting by Sandro Botticelli, were the goddesses of charm, beauty, nature, human creativity and fertility in Greek mythology. ... Poetry (ancient Greek: ποιεω (poieo) = I create) is traditionally a written art form (although there is also an ancient and modern poetry which relies mainly upon oral or pictorial representations) in which human language is used for its aesthetic qualities in addition to, or instead of, its notional and semantic content. ... American Academy of Arts and Letters is an organization whose goal is to foster, assist, and sustain an interest in American literature, music, and art. ... Coudsplitter, A Novel Cloudsplitter, A Novel written by Russell Banks and published in 1998 by Harper/Collins Publishing is a historical novel relating of the story of abolitionist John Brown. ... The Sweet Hereafter DVD cover The Sweet Hereafter is a novel (1991) written by U.S. author Russell Banks; and an award-winning film (1997) by Canadian director Atom Egoyan, who also wrote the screenplay. ... Affliction is a 1997 film which tells the story of an alcoholic small town policeman who must investigate a mysterious death involving his best friend, while dealing with his own fathers alcoholism. ...

Many of his works reflect his working-class upbringing in New England. His stories often show people facing tragedy and downturns in everyday life, expressing sadness and self-doubt but also showing resilience and strength in the face of their difficulties. First Flag of New England, 1686-c. ...

Banks has also written short stories, some of which appear in the collection The Angel on the Roof, as well as poetry. As well, he has written a movie adaptation of Jack Kerouac's On the Road for producer Francis Ford Coppola, which is slated for production in 2006. [1] This article is in need of attention. ... Poetry (ancient Greek: ποιεω (poieo) = I create) is traditionally a written art form (although there is also an ancient and modern poetry which relies mainly upon oral or pictorial representations) in which human language is used for its aesthetic qualities in addition to, or instead of, its notional and semantic content. ... Jack Kerouac (March 12, 1922 – October 21, 1969) was an American novelist, writer, poet, artist, and part of the Beat Generation. ... On the Road is a novel by Jack Kerouac, published by Viking Press in 1957. ... Francis Ford Coppola at Cannes 2001 Francis Ford Coppola (born April 7, 1939 in Detroit, Michigan) is an American film director, screenwriter, vintner, magazine publisher, and hotelier, most renowned for directing the highly regarded Godfather trilogy. ...

Banks has signed the call of the anti-fascist group The World Can't Wait--Drive Out the Bush Regime. [2] The statement condemns the Iraq war, torture, the abrogation of habeas corpus, theocracy, the suppression of science, the attacks on abortion rights, and "a culture of greed, bigotry, intolerance and ignorance." It advocates resistance to, and repudiation of, the Bush agenda. World Cant Wait is a non-profit organization of political activists in the United States that among other goals seeks the removal of President George W. Bush from office before the end of his term in 2009. ... // Habeas Corpus For alternative meanings of habeas corpus, see habeas corpus (disambiguation). ... The term theocracy is used to describe a form of government in which a religion or faith plays the dominant role. ...

He lives in upstate New York, and has been named a New York State Author.

Books

• 1975 Survivors
• 1975 Family Life
• 1978 The New World
• 1978 Hamilton Stark
• 1980 The Book of Jamaica
• 1981 Trailer Park
• 1983 The Relation of My Imprisonment
• 1985 Continental Drift
• 1989 Affliction
• 1991 The Sweet Hereafter
• 1995 Rule of the Bone
• 1998 Cloudsplitter
• 2000 The Angel on the Roof
• 2004 The Darling

The New World (1978) is a short stories collection by Russell Banks containing the following stories: The Custodian - first appeared in New Boston Review. ... The Sweet Hereafter DVD cover The Sweet Hereafter is a novel (1991) written by U.S. author Russell Banks; and an award-winning film (1997) by Canadian director Atom Egoyan, who also wrote the screenplay. ... Coudsplitter, A Novel Cloudsplitter, A Novel written by Russell Banks and published in 1998 by Harper/Collins Publishing is a historical novel relating of the story of abolitionist John Brown. ...

References

• http://www.barclayagency.com/banks.html
• Audio interviews of Russell Banks by Don Swaim of CBS Radio - RealAudio
• WorldCantWait Web Page