KENNEDY, William

KENNEDY, WILLIAM (Kennedy, William) (p. 1928), American writer, in the books which found its artistic embodiment of the history of the city of Albany. Kennedy did for Albany (the administrative center of the State of New York) is the same as that done Dzh.Dzhoys for Dublin and for Saul Bellow's Chicago. Launched in 1975, a cycle of 6 novels whose action takes place in this city, equated the literary Albany to folknerovskoy Yoknapatawpha County.
Kennedy was born on January 16, 1928 in the northern part of Albany. In 1949 he graduated from Siena College and took up journalism. Was a sports columnist 'old post' in Glenz Falls, designed in 1950 for military service, he worked in the military newspaper in Europe, then in the 'Times Union' in Albany. In 1956 he was invited to a newspaper in Puerto Rico, in 1959 became editor of Puerto Rico's daily English newspaper 'San Juan Star'. After two years devoted himself to writing.

First novel "Ink rubbish" (The Ink Truck, 1969) tells of a strike of employees of the newspaper in a lively re-established, but not yet named Albany. Positive responses to the novel have appeared in leading periodicals.

The first two novels of the cycle of Albany - "Legs" (Legs, 1975; in Russian. Translation - "Jack the diamond"), . Romanized local gangster biography, . and "Biggest game Billy Phelan" (Billy Phelan's Greatest Game, . 1978), . tells of the abduction of children from families, . executors in case Democrats, . - Have had success with the critics, . but not in the public,
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With the release of the third cycle of the novel "Ironweed" (Ironweed, 1983; in Russian. Translation - "Iron weeds"), Kennedy has taken its rightful place in contemporary American literature. The hero of the book is the brother of Billy Phelan Francis, trying to single-handedly pay for the mistakes of the past and overcome their inner demons. The book won the Pulitzer Prize and the National Prize of Literary Critics Circle. Kennedy wrote the script, which in 1987 the Brazilian director E. Babenko was filmed with the participation Dzh.Nikolsona and Meryl Streep. It was his second script, script for the film "Club 'Cotton'" (Cotton Club), he wrote jointly with Fr.F.Koppoloy in 1986.

The action of the first three novels of the cycle unfolds in the years of depression in the subsequent three other periods of history recreated Albany. The plot "Books Quinn" (Quinn's Book, 1988), seasoned in the genre pikareski, adventure lived in the 19. Ancestor Phelan Daniel Quinn. In the center of the novel "A very old bones" (Very Old Bones, 1992), whose events take place in the 1950's, - the fate of the illegitimate son of artist Peter Phelan. "Flaming corsage" (The Flaming Corsage, 1996) is devoted to the rapid novel between Katrina Taylor, mistress of Francis Phelan, and Edward Daugherty, the action covers the past decade, 19. and the first decades of the 20 in

. Other works of Kennedy: "On, . Albany! Incredible city of political wizards, . fearless Aborigines, . imposing aristocrats, . brilliant and underappreciated undeserving scoundrels "(O, . Albany! Improbable City of Political Wizards, . Fearless Ethnics, . Spectacular Aristocrats, . Splendid Nobodies, . and Underrated Scoundrels, . 1983) - a collection of articles, . revealing the world of his novels, "Let's go to the yellow tram" (Riding the Yellow Trolley Car, . 1993) - a collection of essays, . memories, . reviews and reports,
. He also owned two children's books, written with his son Brendan - Charlie Malaki and machine Belly Button "(Charlie Malarkey and the Belly Button Machine, 1986) and" Charlie and the singing moose Malaki "(Charlie Malarkey and the Singing Moose, 1993 ). Premiere of his first 'full-length "play" grand view "(Grand View, 1996) was held in spring 1996 in the Repertory Theater Albany.

Kennedy - Professor located in Albany English Department at the University of New York. In 1993 he was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Winner of numerous literary prizes, a member of the National Endowment for the Arts. Awarded the Medal of Regents of the University of New York has awarded the Governor for his services to art. Commander of the French Order of Merit in art and literature ', a member of the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Included in the Board of Directors of the New York State in the Humanities. Works on the novel "Roscoe" (Roscoe), the continuing cycle of Albany.