Russell Banks, twice a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, is one of America's most prestigious fiction writers, a past president of the International Parliament of Writers, and a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Two of his novels, The Sweet Hereafter and Affliction, have been made into award-winning films. A member of the International Parliament of Writers and former New York State Author, he was elected a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1996. His work has been translated into twenty languages and has received numerous prizes and awards, including the Common Wealth Award for Literature.
