Andre Dubus III spoke of the life and legacy of his father, writer Andre Dubus, in an interview with America Magazine – The Jesuit Review. Dubus discussed family, religion and forgiveness over the course of the interview conducted by Franklin Freeman. The interview was conducted in response to the volumes of Dubus’s work released by David R. Godine, Publisher such as “The Cross Country Runner.” Dubus III sheds light on the mindset and beliefs of his father.
“None of us are exempt from screwing up. I believe strongly, and I have a hunch my father would agree with me on this, that in his 62 years on the planet, my father put the very best part of himself into his writing. Everything else, including his wife and children, came after that. A close second I would add. But after that.”
“On some level, I think my father knew he wouldn’t have a very long life, and he needed to get to that desk. Well, I’m grateful that he did just that.”
Check out the rest of the interview on American Magazine.
Andre Dubus was born in Lake Charles, Louisiana to a Cajun-Irish Catholic family. He graduated from the University of Iowa Writers’ Workshop and later moved to Massachusetts, where he taught creative writing at Bradford College. His life was marked with personal tragedies, as are those of his protagonists – ostensibly ordinary men who are drawn to addiction and violence as methods to distract themselves from their woes. Unlike his characters, however, Dubus eventually found success and repute, as well as the corresponding offers from large publishers. He nevertheless remained loyal to Godine until the end of his career.