Kent Haruf (1943–2014)
Author of Plainsong
About the Author
Kent Haruf was born in Pueblo, Colorado on February 24, 1943. He received a BA from Nebraska Wesleyan University in 1965 and an MFA from the Iowa Writers' Workshop at the University of Iowa in 1973. His first novel, The Tie That Binds, was published in 1984 and won a Whiting Writers' Prize. His show more other works included Where You Once Belonged, Plainsong, Benediction, and Our Souls at Night. He spent 30 years teaching English and writing at several universities including Southern Illinois University and Nebraska Wesleyan University. He died on November 30, 2014 at the age of 71. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Series
Works by Kent Haruf
Any Man's Death 1 copy
Associated Works
Writers on Writing: Collected Essays from the New York Times (2001) — Contributor — 451 copies, 4 reviews
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Canonical name
- Haruf, Kent
- Legal name
- Hoerauf, Alan Kent
- Other names
- Haruf, Kent
- Birthdate
- 1943-02-24
- Date of death
- 2014-11-30
- Gender
- male
- Nationality
- USA
- Birthplace
- Pueblo, Colorado, USA
- Place of death
- Salida, Colorado, USA
- Cause of death
- interstitial lung disease
- Places of residence
- Pueblo, Colorado, USA
Salida, Colorado, USA - Education
- Nebraska Wesleyan University (BA|1965)
University of Iowa (MFA|1973) - Occupations
- professor
novelist - Organizations
- Peace Corps (Turkey, 1965-67)
Nebraska Wesleyan University
Southern Illinois University - Awards and honors
- Wallace Stegner Award (2012)
John Dos Passos Prize (2006)
Colorado Book Award (2005)
National Book Award finalist (1999)
Whiting Writers' Award (1986)
Maria Thomas Award in fiction (1991) (show all 9)
Evil Companions Literary Award (2002)
Lange-Taylor Prize (2005)
PEN/Hemingway Foundation Special Citation (1985) - Agent
- Peter Matson (Sterling Lord Literistic)
Members
Discussions
Kent Haruf: American Author Challenge (A Tribute) in 75 Books Challenge for 2015 (December 2015)
Reviews
Plainsong by Kent Haruf
Here's what I wrote in 2015 about this read (well, that was sparse and exactly the same as written about the other two books in the series!): "Nice, simple, feel good story set in a small CO town."
Here's what I wrote in 2015 about this read (well, that was sparse and exactly the same as written about the other two books in the series!): "Nice, simple, feel good story set in a small CO town."
Two people get together in their twilight years to combat loneliness and provide comfort to each other. They come to love, respect one another and to have fun together.
I believe this is the last of Haruf's works that I had not yet read. It may be his most Faulkner-ish in tone and characterization. Pat Arbuckle, editor of the Holt Mercury, tells the reader the life story of his contemporary, Jack Burdette, man child with no moral sense at all, who wreaks havoc on his home town in general, and eventually on Pat himself. Elements of this story are very reminiscent of the Snopes Trilogy, as townspeople discover the treachery of one of their own, and find themselves helpless to avenge it. Almost entirely lacking in the warmth and humor that tempers life's set-backs and sorrows in Haruf's later work, this one is still potent and darned near perfect. The ending will dissatisfy many readers, I'm sure, but it is fitting and tragically believable.… (more)
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laytonwoman3rd | 24 other reviews | Jun 25, 2024 |
laytonwoman3rd | 24 other reviews | Jun 25, 2024 | Lists
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Awards
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Associated Authors
Statistics
- Works
- 10
- Also by
- 4
- Members
- 12,664
- Popularity
- #1,848
- Rating
- 4.0
- Reviews
- 685
- ISBNs
- 179
- Languages
- 11
- Favorited
- 49
