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William
Kennedy
Photo:
Anthony Salamone
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The
10 best regional writers, poets and journalists of the past
30 years
Writers
(especially the critical and journalistic breed) are a notoriously
picky lot. So, when it comes to evaluating 30 years worth
of literary activity in Albany, consensus, one might expect,
should be hard to come by. With results that span novelists
and poets, reporters and columnists, and those who fall in
the Metroland and Times Union camps, the field
is duly broad. This is, no doubt, proof that the written word
is alive and well in the Capital Region. However, when one
considers the geographic (and therefore cultural) slant to
this survey, one figure invariably casts the longest trench-coated
shadow over the rest of the field. Simply put, William Kennedy
is Albany and Albany is William Kennedy. In writing about
our fair city, Kennedy has rendered both himself and the rusty,
work-a-day character of this city iconographic. From his Pulitzer
Prize-winning Ironweed to the founding of the New York
State Writers Institute, Ken nedy’s life and work is the only
clear consensus that this list could manage.
Kennedy is not, however, the only Pulitzer Prize-winner on
the list. Saratogian Steven Millhauser shares the distinction
for his
’97
novel Martin Dressler, and has had similar success
selling his work for film adaptation (The Illusionist).
Russell Banks has his ties with Hollywood, as well, but is
better known for his crushing novels. One might say that Banks
is the Kennedy of the Adirondacks in his commitment to the
lives of the region’s working class (Rule of the Bone,
The Sweet Hereafter, Cloudsplitter).
Cultural critics James Howard Kunstler and Bill McKibbon tend,
on the other hand, to live locally and write globally. While
documenting our region is not their explicit concern, both
have long been major voices of environmental and economic
warning in the world of literature.
As this is a Metroland poll and all, one might expect
a certain preference to emerge in the area of local newspaper
writers, but one glance at the list should prove we are hat-doffing
gentlefolk. Both Paul Grondahl and Dan Lynch made a strong
impression on those polled and, along with Greg Haymes and
Amy Biancolli, the Times Union more than proved its
mettle. Metroland-ers Jeff Jones, Al Quaglieri, and
John Rodat all ranked within a vote or two of their peers.
This whole list should be taken, however, with one giant scoop
of salt, as the honorable mentions in this category are both
honorable and certainly worth mentioning. Names like Kurt
Vonnegut, Richard Russo, and Lydia Davis make us wonder if
a top 20 list might have been more appropriate.
Survey
respondents ranked up to 10 choices, and points were tallied
as follows: 10 for 1st place, 9 for 2nd, and so on.
1.
William Kennedy (87)
2. Paul Grondahl (33)
3. Steven Millhauser (26)
4. Dan Lynch (22)
5. Russell Banks (18)
6. Jeff Jones (17)
7. Tie: Greg Haymes (16); Al Quaglieri (16)
9. Tie: Amy Biancolli (15); Pierre Joris (15); James Howard
Kunstler (15); Bill McKibben (15); John Rodat (15)
Honorable mention: Lydia Davis (14), Paul Rapp (14), Fred
LeBrun (11), Rick Marshall (11), Richard Russo (11), Trevanian
(11), Elizabeth Benjamin (10), Fred Dicker (10), R.M. Englehardt
(10), Nick Flynn (10), Mike Goudreau (10), Nancy Guerin (10),
Stephen Leon (10), Brendan Lyons (10), Harry Rosenfeld (10),
Kurt Vonnegut (10)
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