For our April 2018 Narrative Medicine Rounds, we welcome the novelist Richard Ford, who will speak about his memoir, “Between Them: Remembering My Parents,” published in 2017 by The Ecco Press. It is the first nonfiction book for Mr. Ford, the Emmanuel Roman and Barrie Sardoff Roman Professor of the Humanities, who has been teaching at the School of the Arts since he arrived at Columbia University in 2012.
Mr. Ford’s 1995 novel, "Independence Day," was the first book to receive both the Pulitzer Prize and the PEN/Faulkner Award. The book was the second in his critically acclaimed Bascombe Trilogy, which began with "The Sportswriter" in 1986, a work that introduced readers to Frank Bascombe, novelist-turned-sports-writer-turned-realtor.
He completed the trilogy in 2006 with "The Lay of the Land"—or so Mr. Ford’s readers thought until 2014, when he published "Let Me Be Frank with You," four linked novellas that further chronicled Bascombe’s life. His other works include the novels "A Piece of My Heart," "The Ultimate Good Luck" and "Wildlife," as well as the short fiction collections "Rock Springs" and "Women with Men." His latest novel, "Canada" (2012) was a best-seller.
For Mr. Ford, the questions of what his parents dreamed of, how they loved each other and loved him become a striking portrait of American life in the mid-century. Between Them is his vivid image of where his life began and where his parents’ lives found their greatest satisfaction. Bringing his candor, wit, and intelligence to this most intimate and mysterious of landscapes—our parents’ lives—he delivers an exploration of memory, intimacy, and love.
