Albert French

Albert French (born 1943) is an American author and publisher whose works, mainly focusing on the rural life of African Americans, are known for their intensity and distinctive style,[1] and have been translated into several languages.[2]

For the jazz musician, see Papa French.

Early life

French was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1943 and still lives there. He joined the United States Marine Corps in 1963. His experiences there are described in his book Patches of Fire.[3] After returning home, French worked as a photographer for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette before publishing the Pittsburgh Preview for twelve years.

Books
  • Billy (1995)
  • Patches of Fire (1996),
  • Holly (1996),[4]
  • I Can't Wait on God (1999)
  • Cinder (2007).[5]

French's works Billy, Holly and Cinder all describe rural African American life in the South while I Can't Wait on God is centered in Pittsburgh. His first novel, Billy, was favorably reviewed by the New York Daily News[6] and the Los Angeles Times[7] Billy was adapted for the stage by David Barr and first performed by the Chicago Theatre Company in February 2007.[8]

French was asked by the Royal Book Club to write a foreword for To Kill a Mockingbird.

References
  1. Emmanuel Sampath Nelson (1 January 1999). Contemporary African American Novelists: A Bio-bibliographical Critical Sourcebook. Greenwood Publishing Group. pp. 167–. ISBN 978-0-313-30501-6.
  2. "Golden Years Still Sizzling For Pittsburgh Author Albert French". Hot Metal Bridge MFA, University of Pittsburgh
  3. "The Fast Rise of Albert French" By Mike Sula Chicago Sun-Times, June 22, 1995
  4. Linda Parent Lesher (1 February 2000). The Best Novels of the Nineties: A Reader's Guide. McFarland. pp. 211–. ISBN 978-1-4766-0389-6.
  5. "All burned up: Albert French returns to 1930s Mississippi to conjure up stifling images of the deep south in Cinder", Jay Parini, The Guardian, 7 September 2007.
  6. -New York Daily News; BILLY by Albert French , November 18, 1993, RICHARD EDER | NEW YORK TIMES BOOK CRITIC
  7. Eder, Richard. "BOOK REVIEW: NOVEL : Horrific Enlargement of Small, Ugly Truths : BILLY by Albert French, Viking, $20, 214 pages". Los Angeles Times, November 18, 1993.
  8. Chicago Tribune, Chris Jones, April 2001

-Random House.com - http://www.randomhouse.com/boldtype/0898/french/ African American Literature Book Club biography of Albert French- http://aalbc.com/authors/albert.htm

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