Andre Dubus III

Andre Dubus – Life, Career, and Famous Quotes

Explore the life and work of Andre Dubus — acclaimed American short story writer, novelist, and essayist (1936–1999). Delve into his creative journey, signature style, legacy, and memorable quotes.

Introduction

Andre Dubus (sometimes styled Andre Dubus II) was an American writer whose deeply human stories—about love, loss, violence, faith, and redemption—left a lasting mark on late twentieth-century literature. Though not as broadly known to general audiences as some novelists, he is highly respected among writers and readers for his mastery of the short story form, his emotional honesty, and his exploration of moral complexity. His works continue to influence writers and are frequently anthologized and taught.

Early Life and Family

Andre Jules Dubus II was born on August 11, 1936 in Lake Charles, Louisiana.

He was the youngest of three children of Katherine (née Burke) and André Jules Dubus.

Dubus’s early education included instruction by the Christian Brothers, a Catholic teaching order.

After college, he joined the U.S. Marine Corps, where he served for six years and achieved the rank of captain.

Young Adulthood and Turning to Writing

Leaving the military, Dubus and his family moved to Iowa City, where he enrolled at the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, studying under writers including Richard Yates.

Later, he relocated to Haverhill, Massachusetts, where he would spend much of his life, teaching creative writing and engaging in a weekly home writers’ workshop.

Dubus always gave priority to the short story, treating it not as a stepping stone to novels but as an art form in itself.

Career and Major Works

Literary Style & Themes

Andre Dubus is widely admired for his precise, unflinching storytelling. His prose is spare yet emotionally rich, often focusing on characters in crisis or transition.

Core themes in his work include:

• Moral complexity: often depicting characters wrestling with guilt, forgiveness, revenge, or redemption.

• Violence and its consequences: both physical and psychological violence recur in his fiction.

• Faith, grace, and transcendence: his Catholic faith shaped much of his moral vision.

• Domestic life: marriage, family fractures, loss, illness—he often situates crises within everyday settings.

Major Works

Short Story Collections & Novellas

Dubus produced many acclaimed collections and novellas. Among them:

• Separate Flights (1975)

• Adultery and Other Choices (1977)

• Finding A Girl in America (1980)

• The Times Are Never So Bad (1983)

• The Last Worthless Evening (1986)

• Dancing After Hours (1996)

• Meditations from a Movable Chair: Essays (1998)

He also wrote a novel, The Lieutenant (1967) Voices from the Moon (1984)

One of his most anthologized works is the short story “Killings” (1979), which was adapted into the film In the Bedroom (2001).

Cultural Recognition & Adaptations

• Killings was adapted into In the Bedroom (2001), which received critical acclaim.

• Two of his novellas, We Don’t Live Here Anymore and Adultery, were adapted into the film We Don't Live Here Anymore (2004).

Dubus respected small presses and long maintained a relationship with the publisher David R. Godine, only shifting toward larger publishers later in life when medical bills mounted.

Personal Struggles, Adversity & Growth

Dubus’s life was marked by tragedy and physical hardship, which deeply influenced his writing:

• In July 1986, Dubus stopped to assist two motorists after an accident. He was struck by another car, suffering severe injuries: his right leg was eventually amputated above the knee, and his left leg lost functionality.

• He underwent years of surgery, chronic pain, and disability, ultimately spending much of his life in a wheelchair.

• The accident forced him to confront mortality, limitations, and purpose—and many critics see a creative rebirth in his writing afterward.

• Dubus also experienced personal turmoil: his daughter was raped when young, an event that haunted his family.

• He battled clinical depression, physical pain, and in later years, the emotional weight of disability.

Yet despite these hardships, he continued writing, teaching, mentoring, and engaging with a community of fellow writers.

Later Years & Death

Andre Dubus passed away on February 24, 1999 in his home in Haverhill, Massachusetts, suffering a heart attack.

At the time of his death, he had published widely respected short stories, essays, and novels. His legacy was already established among literary circles.

Legacy and Influence

Andre Dubus’s influence is strong and ongoing, particularly in these areas:

1. Short story as art
   He is often cited among the great American short story writers of the late 20th century, whose economy of style and moral clarity continue to inspire.

2. Moral realism
   Dubus showed that fiction can explore moral complexity—no easy answers, but grappling with consequences, faith, regret, and redemption. His ability to locate transcendence in ordinary lives is often praised.

3. Mentorship & community
   He taught and worked with many writers, fostering literary workshops in his home, and influencing a generation of storytellers.

4. Adaptation into film & cultural reach
   The adaptation of Killings into In the Bedroom brought his themes to wider audiences.

5. Embodiment of adversity and resilience
   His life story—of accident, pain, loss, and creative persistence—adds poignancy to his work. He showed that a writer could persist through physical limitations and still produce deeply affecting art.

Personality and Creative Voice

From accounts by peers, students, and critics, we can sketch Dubus’s character and style:

• Quiet but deep: He was known to be reserved in public, letting his writing speak with intensity.

• Committed teacher and reader: He held workshops, read exhaustively, and valued craft as much as inspiration.

• Reflective and self-critical: His essays and later works show a writer attuned to his own limitations and striving for authenticity.

• Relational & compassionate: Many of his stories show empathy for flawed characters; even in moral conflict, he often refuses to condemn entirely.

Famous Quotes of Andre Dubus

Some of Dubus’s more memorable lines reflect his moral vision, his stylistic restraint, and his sense of human fragility:

• “Ghosts walk in our skin every day, disguised as flesh, disguised as breath, waiting to haunt us.”

• “We live, if we are lucky, in the space between terror and time.”

• “What I learn most is how little of life I understand.”

• “Love is not a place, but a presence, and it must be felt.”

• “Better to be condemned by judges than by one’s own silence.”

• “I write to make sense of the darkness. A story is an act of imagination against despair.”

Note: Because Dubus was primarily a fiction writer, many of his “quotable” lines come from his own stories and essays rather than public speeches. Some of the above are paraphrases or drawn from critics’ attributions rather than exact documented quotations.

Lessons from Andre Dubus

• Depth over exhibition: Dubus focused on interior life, moral weight, and authenticity rather than showy narrativity.

• Art through suffering: His life suggests that hardship, vulnerability, and loss can deepen, rather than deplete, creative capacity.

• Discipline and humility: He regarded writing as craft, sustained by daily effort, reading, and self-criticism.

• Empathy in conflict: His characters often stand at the edge of grace, showing that human lives are messy and worthy even when flawed.

• Community matters: He gave to others—through teaching, workshops, mentorship—extending his influence beyond the page.

Conclusion

Andre Dubus remains a figure whose work is quietly powerful. His stories invite us into moral struggle, grief, and the possibility of grace in everyday life. The toll he paid—both bodily and emotionally—gives weight to his narratives, but he never let suffering become spectacle.

Though he passed away in 1999, his impact lives on: in the writers he influenced, in classrooms and workshops, and in readers who find truth in his spare, unshrinking prose. For those exploring the American short story, his name is essential.