Kent Haruf was an American novelist who was best known for his works that focused on the lives of ordinary people living in rural Colorado. His novels depicted the joys, sorrows, and struggles of small-town life in a spare, poignant, and emotionally resonant prose that won him critical acclaim and a devoted readership.
- Kent Haruf was born on February 24, 1943, in Pueblo, Colorado.
- He studied literature and writing at Nebraska Wesleyan University and the University of Iowa, where he earned an MFA degree in 1973.
- He worked as a high school English and writing teacher in rural Colorado for several years before he became a writer full-time.
- His first novel, The Tie That Binds, was published in 1984 and won a Whiting Award and a Hemingway Foundation/PEN Award.
- His other notable works include Plainsong, Eventide, Benediction, and Our Souls at Night.
- He passed away on November 30, 2014, at the age of 71, due to interstitial lung disease.
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Plainsong is a novel by Kent Haruf that was published in 1999. It tells the story of several residents of a small Colorado town who find their lives interwoven in unexpected ways. The novel explores themes of loneliness, loss, love, and redemption in a spare and evocative prose that captures the rhythms of rural life.
Benediction is a novel by Kent Haruf that was published in 2013. It tells the story of an elderly man named Dad Lewis who is facing his own mortality and reflecting on his past and his relationships with his family and community. The novel explores themes of regret, forgiveness, and the power of human connection in a poignant and compassionate prose.
Our Souls at Night is a novel by Kent Haruf that was published posthumously in 2015. It tells the story of two elderly neighbors named Louis and Addie who form a platonic but intimate relationship in their later years. The novel explores themes of loneliness, companionship, and second chances in a gentle and moving prose that captures the bittersweet beauty of life.
Many readers recommend starting with either Plainsong or Our Souls at Night, as they are both accessible, poignant, and representative of Haruf's style and themes.
Some common themes in Haruf's works include the power of human connection, the beauty and cruelty of nature, the struggle for identity and meaning, and the quiet heroism of ordinary people.
Haruf's prose style is spare, unadorned, and poetic. He uses short sentences, naturalistic dialogue, and vivid descriptions to evoke the rhythms and textures of rural life and the emotional landscape of his characters. His prose is often compared to that of Hemingway, Faulkner, and Steinbeck, but it has a unique voice and vision all its own.
Yes, there is a film adaptation of Our Souls at Night, starring Robert Redford and Jane Fonda, that was released on Netflix in 2017. There are no other film adaptations of his works at this time.
Kent Haruf's works have won critical acclaim and a devoted readership for their spare, poignant, and emotionally resonant portrayals of small-town life in Colorado. His works have been praised for their evocative prose, keen insights into human relationships, and humane and compassionate gaze. His legacy continues to inspire and influence writers and readers around the world.