Kate Elizabeth Russell
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Comment: Does not appear to meet the notability criteria for a biography on WP. MurielMary (talk) 10:48, 27 April 2020 (UTC)
Kate Elizabeth Russell (born 1984) is an American author. Her acclaimed debut novel, My Dark Vanessa, was published in 2020 and became a national bestseller.
Biography
Russell was raised in the town of Clifton, Maine, attending John Bapst Memorial High School, a private, college preparatory high school in Bangor, from which she graduated in 2002.[1][2] She subsequently studied as an undergraduate at the University of Maine at Farmington, earning a B.F.A. in Creative Writing in 2006,[3] and went on to earn an M.F.A. from Indiana University[4] and a Ph.D. in Creative Writing from the University of Kansas.[5]
My Dark Vanessa
Russell's first novel offers a fictional account of a traumatic sexual relationship between its protagonist, Vanessa Wye, and Jacob Strane. Wye is 15 years old and a lonely student at boarding school when Strane, her 42-year-old English teacher, begins grooming her for a sexual relationship which will come to cast an appalling shadow over her life. The novel is a first-person narrative, jumping forward and backward in time amongst 2000, 2007, and 2017, with this last year affording Russell the social context of the Me Too movement.[6]
It is implied that Vanessa is, at least in part, an unreliable narrator owing to her reluctance to see herself as a victim or Strane as a predator.
My Dark Vanessa was a national bestseller.[7] It was selected for translation and publication in 22 countries, and optioned for the screen.[2][3] Reviewed positively by The New York Times,[8] National Public Radio,[6] The Atlantic,[9] The Guardian,[10], The Economist[11], and The Washington Post,[12] My Dark Vanessa brought Russell into a public conversation regarding the novel's treatment of abusive sexual relationships, as well as an individual's right to privacy regarding past trauma.[13][14][15][16]
Controversy
My Dark Vanessa occasioned pre-publication controversy when author Wendy C. Ortiz complained that Russell's novel had received different support from that given to Ortiz's memoir concerning a relationship with her 8th grade English teacher.[17][18] Ortiz further alleged that My Dark Vanessa, which she had not read, possessed 'eerie story similarities' to her memoir.[18][19] As was reported by the Associated Press, 'Reviewers who looked at both books saw no evidence of plagiarism.'[20] Nevertheless, in response to social media comments, and in the wake of the controversy over American Dirt,[21] Oprah Winfrey, who had originally tapped My Dark Vanessa as a selection for her influential Book Club, rescinded the selection.[20][22]
Bibliography
- My Dark Vanessa (2020) ISBN 9780062941527
References
- ^ "The beautiful trauma of Bangor-area native Kate Russell's debut novel, 'My Dark Vanessa'".
- ^ a b "Clifton native's debut novel sold in a seven-figure book deal".
- ^ a b "'My Dark Vanessa': Announcing the biggest-selling debut novel of the season". EW.com.
- ^ "Kate Elizabeth Russell author information". BookBrowse.com.
- ^ "Kate Elizabeth Russell". Graduate Program in Creative Writing. September 10, 2015.
- ^ a b "'My Dark Vanessa' Looks Back At The Devastation Of A Predatory Affair". NPR.org.
- ^ Egan, Elisabeth (April 2, 2020). "Oprah's Book Club Dropped Her Novel. It Still Became a Best Seller". The New York Times.
- ^ Roiphe, Katie (March 6, 2020). "Girl, Interrupted". The New York Times.
- ^ Gilbert, Sophie (March 25, 2020). "What Is the Point of 'Lolita' From Lolita's Point of View?". The Atlantic.
- ^ Zinovieff, Sofka (April 4, 2020). "My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell review – a powerful, shocking debut" – via www.theguardian.com.
- ^ "Kate Elizabeth Russell's debut novel is an unsettling tale of abuse" – via The Economist.
- ^ Liggett, Kim. "Review | 'My Dark Vanessa' is being described as 'Lolita' for the #MeToo era. It's more than that". Washington Post.
- ^ Ovenden, Olivia (April 4, 2020). "Kate Elizabeth Russell On Writing Her Explosive Debut Novel, 'My Dark Vanessa'". Esquire.
- ^ "The Delicate Art of Writing a Believable Sexual Predator". MEL Magazine. April 5, 2020.
- ^ Barry, Aoife. "Writing in the #MeToo era: 'It was intimidating taking on something in fiction that was happening in real time'". TheJournal.ie.
- ^ "Kate Elizabeth Russell on My Dark Vanessa and the 'Early Aughts Lolita Complex'". Pictorial.
- ^ Sturges, Fiona (March 13, 2020). "Is My Dark Vanessa the most controversial novel of the year? Author Kate Elizabeth Russell speaks out" – via www.theguardian.com.
- ^ a b Shapiro, Lila (February 18, 2020). "My Dark Vanessa Is Not a Love Story". Vulture.
- ^ Ortiz, Wendy C. (January 29, 2020). "Adventures in Publishing Outside the Gates". Medium.
- ^ a b "Oprah Winfrey dropped 'My Dark Vanessa' book club pick after online controversy". USA TODAY.
- ^ Grady, Constance (January 29, 2020). "American Dirt's publisher cancels the rest of the book's tour, citing threats". Vox.
- ^ Hampton, Rachelle (February 1, 2020). "Why My Dark Vanessa Is the New Book Everyone's Angry About". Slate Magazine.