Richard Yates (novelist)
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Richard Yates (February 3, 1926 – November 7, 1992) was an American writer identified with the mid-century "Age of Anxiety". His first novel Revolutionary Road was acclamied, while his first short story collection, Eleven Kinds of Loneliness, brought comparisons to James Joyce. Critical acclaim for his writing, however, was not reflected in commercial success during his lifetime.
Interest in Yates has revived somewhat since his death, partly because of an influential 1999 essay by Stewart O'Nan in the Boston Review, a 2003 biography by Blake Bailey and the 2008 film Revolutionary Road starring Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio.
He was a chronicler of mid-20th century mainstream American life, often cited as artistically residing somewhere between J.D. Salinger and John Cheever.
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Biography
Born in Yonkers, New York, Yates came from an unstable home. His parents divorced when he was three and much of his childhood was spent in many different towns and residences. Yates first became interested in journalism and writing while attending Avon Old Farms School in Avon, Connecticut. After leaving Avon, Yates joined the army and served in France and Germany in the late 1940s and early 1950s. , at the University of Iowa Writer's Workshop, and at the University of Southern California Master of Professional Writing Program. In 1962, he wrote the screenplay for a film adaptation of William Styron's Lie Down In Darkness. Twice divorced, Yates was the father of three daughters: Sharon, Monica, and Gina. In 1992, he died of emphysema and complications from minor surgery in Birmingham, Alabama.
Work
Yates' first novel, Revolutionary Road, was a finalist for the National Book Award that year (alongside Walker Percy's The Moviegoer and Joseph Heller's Catch-22). Long admired as a "writer's writer", Yates was championed by writers as diverse as Kurt Vonnegut, Dorothy Parker, William Styron, Tennessee Williams, and John Cheever. Yates' brand of realism was a direct influence on writers such as Andre Dubus, Raymond Carver, and Richard Ford.
Yates was also an acclaimed author of short stories. Despite this, only one of his short stories appeared in the The New Yorker (after repeated rejections). This story, "The Canal," was published in the magazine nine years after the author's death to celebrate the 2001 release of The Collected Stories of Richard Yates.
For much of his life, Yates' work met almost universal critical acclaim, yet not one of his books sold over 12,000 copies in hardcover first edition. All of his novels were out of print in the years after his death, though his reputation has substantially increased posthumously and many of his novels have since been reissued in new editions. This current success can be largely traced to the influence of Stewart O'Nan's 1999 essay in the Boston Review "The Lost World of Richard Yates: How the great writer of the Age of Anxiety disappeared from print".
With the revival of interest in Yates' life and work after his death, Blake Bailey published the first in-depth biography of Yates, titled A Tragic Honesty: The Life and Work of Richard Yates in 2003.
Use in Popular Culture
- Richard Yates was portrayed in an episode of Seinfeld as "Alton Benes", Elaine's taciturn and hard-driving father who has George and Jerry scared of him. Yates' daughter, Monica, once dated Larry David, the show's executive producer.
- In the movie Lonesome Jim the protagonist cites Yates as one of his favorite authors, and adds that when he died all his books were out of print.
- In Woody Allen's Hannah and Her Sisters Lee (played by Barbara Hershey) thanks Elliott (Michael Caine) for lending her The Easter Parade, which she says was great.
- Richard Yates was godfather to the veteran character actor John Lacy.
- Singer Tanita Tikaram's 1992 album title, Eleven Kinds of Loneliness, was borrowed from Yates' 1962 collection of short stories.
- In Million Dollar Baby Frankie Dunn (Clint Eastwood) is seen reading a book by Yates.
Bibliography
- Revolutionary Road (1961)
- Eleven Kinds of Loneliness (stories) (1962)
- A Special Providence (1969)
- Disturbing the Peace (1975)
- The Easter Parade (1976)
- A Good School (1978)
- Liars in Love (stories) (1981)
- Young Hearts Crying (1984)
- Cold Spring Harbor (1986)
- The Collected Stories Of Richard Yates (2001)
Filmography
- The Bridge at Remagen (screenplay) (1969)
- Lie Down In Darkness (screenplay, unproduced) (1985)
- Revolutionary Road (book) (2008)
Further reading
- Mitgang, Herbert, "Moving the Story Along", The New York Times, October 28, 1984.
- O'Nan, Stewart, "The Lost World of Richard Yates: How the great writer of the Age of Anxiety disappeared from print", Boston Review, October/November, 1999
- Wood, James, "Out of the ashes: James Wood salutes Blake Bailey's generous biography of Richard Yates, A Tragic Honesty", The Guardian, Saturday September 25, 2004. Guardian article on Yates biography.
