Ford, Richard

(US, 1944– )

Ford has won high praise for both his novels and short stories; begin with The Sportswriter (1986) in which suburban, middle-class sports journalist Frank Bascombe tells the story of his ordinary life, his failed marriage, the death of his son, his relationship with his girlfriend. What is endearing about Bascombe is his wistful uncertainty, his reflectiveness, and willingness to examine every aspect of his life—the sense that he has revealed himself utterly (and in so doing, revealed a good deal about what it is to be human). Move on to its sequel, Independence Day (1995, Pulitzer Prize), in which Bascombe is planning a 4th of July weekend with his son. Rock Springs (1988) collects short stories published over the preceding ten years; in many of them, the characters have the same sense of bewildered fatalism about their lives that Bascombe exhibits at greater length.

Anne Tyler, John Updike, Garrison Keillor  JR