Ronald Sukenick
Ronald Sukenick was a notable figure in mid-twentieth century literature, recognized as a fiction writer, theorist, and publisher. His work emphasized breaking free from conventional literary norms, encouraging writers to explore their unique strengths and talents. Sukenick's philosophy advocated for a fiction that drew inspiration from diverse and multilingual ideas, reflecting a postmodern ethos that prioritized experimentation over traditional narrative structures. His writings often eschewed conventional plot and characterization in favor of exploring the processes of reading and writing. Notable works include "98.6" and "Doggy Bag: Hyperfiction," alongside critical texts like "Wallace Stevens: Musing the Obscure," which displayed his innovative analytical style. In addition to his literary contributions, Sukenick was a founding member of the Fiction Collective and served as an English professor, influencing many aspiring writers. His autobiography, "Down and In: Life in the Underground," details the vibrant cultural scene of New York from the 1950s to the 1980s. Sukenick passed away in 2004, leaving behind a legacy of bold experimentation in literature.
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Ronald Sukenick
Author
- Born: July 14, 1932
- Birthplace: Brooklyn, New York
- Died: July 22, 2004
- Place of death: New York, New York
Biography
Ronald Sukenick is recognized not only as a fiction writer, but also as a theorist and publisher whose innovations in fiction inspired many other writers. As a mid-twentieth century author, Sukenick strived to free writers from conventions for the purpose of letting each writer discover a personal strength or talent. Sukenick believed that fiction must find inspiration in ideas that are ahistorical, international, and multilingual. As a literary critic, Sukenick promoted his writing theory in his books.
Wallace Stevens: Musing the Obscure, Sukenick’s unconventional analysis of Steven’s poetry, was praised for Suckenick’s iconoclastic approach. His fiction is also innovative. It is unusual in that it focuses on the reading and writing processes instead of plot and characterization as is common in most fiction. As a postmodernist writer, Sukenick promoted a literature that is free of chronological time, emphasis on an individual character, and the constraints of realistic description. Sukenick’s techniques in his fiction include narrative that progresses through space rather than time; narrative written as one long sentence that is broken into paragraphs, and narrative that employs more than one spacial context. Sukenick’s characters are as unpredictable as his settings. They are comprised of contradictory traits that the author introduces throughout the narratives because he did not want his fiction to represent reality.
Sukenick was born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1932. He was the fiction editor of The Cornell Writer, a literary magazine that he founded with other students while working on a bachelor of arts degree at Cornell University. He introduced his first short story, “Indian Love Call,” in the first issue, which appeared in 1953. He completed a master of arts and a doctorate degree at Brandeis University where he began his writing career with a story titled “The Permanent Crisis,” which was later included in his first collection, The Death of the Novel, and Other Stories in 1969. His experimental postmodern works include 98.6, and Doggy Bag: Hyperfiction. His other books include Blown Away, Long Talking Bad Conditions Blues, The Endless Short Story, and Narralogues: Truth in Fiction.
His autobiography, Down and In: Life in the Underground, explored the subterranean New York cultural scene from the 1950’s to the 1980’s. He also worked as a publisher and editor for the American Book Review and Black Ice Magazine. In 1974, he helped found the Fiction Collective, a well-known alternative press. He worked as an English professor and creative-writing director at the University of Colorado at Boulder. In 2002 he was awarded the Morton Zabel prize by the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Applauded by some groups for his literary iconoclasm while chastised by others, Sukenick is noted for his bold experimentation in fiction. Sukenick passed away in 2004, a few weeks after finishing his last novel, Last Fall, which was published in the spring of 2005.