Tom Drury

Here’s a detailed profile of Tom Drury, the American novelist and writer born in 1956:

Early Life & Education

• Tom Drury was born in Iowa (USA) in 1956, and grew up in Swaledale, a small rural town.

• He earned a B.A. in Journalism from the University of Iowa in 1980.

• Later he completed an MFA in Creative Writing at Brown University in 1987, studying under Robert Coover.

Career & Literary Work

Style, Setting & Themes

• Drury is often associated with literary fiction set in small towns of the American Midwest.

• His work has been described as capturing a “1950s or ’60s sensibility dropped into a ’90s social landscape,” blending quiet, everyday detail with emotional resonance.

• He tends toward deadpan wit, understated irony, and observing “ordinary lives under quiet pressures.”

Major Publications

Here are some of his key works:

• In Our State (1989)

• The End of Vandalism (1994) — often considered his breakthrough novel.

• The Black Brook (1998)

• Hunts in Dreams (2000)

• The Driftless Area (2006) — one of his more widely known works, adapted into film.

• Pacific (2013)

His novels The End of Vandalism, Hunts in Dreams, and Pacific are often considered interconnected in what some call the “Grouse County” narrative framework.

Short Stories, Essays & Other Writing

• Drury’s shorter works—stories and essays—have appeared in The New Yorker, Harper’s Magazine, Granta, Ploughshares, Mississippi Review, The New York Times Magazine, and other literary periodicals.

• One of his stories, “Path Lights”, published in The New Yorker, was adapted into a short film directed by Zachary Sluser, with Drury involved in dialogue revisions.

Teaching, Fellowships & Recognition

• Drury has held teaching or visiting writer roles at prestigious institutions such as Iowa Writers’ Workshop, Yale, Wesleyan University, Florida State University, La Salle University, and Bard College Berlin.

• His literary work has been supported by awards and fellowships including the Guggenheim Fellowship, the Berlin Prize, and support from the MacDowell Colony.

• In 1996, he was named one of Granta’s Best Young American Novelists.

Personality & Public Reception

• Drury has sometimes been called “an overlooked giant of American comic fiction.”

• Reviewers have emphasized his ability to depict “life-sized nobodies”, highlighting how his characters are everyday people whose internal lives carry depth.

• In interviews, Drury has remarked that in his fiction he is drawn to dialogue, small-town rhythms, and letting characters speak their own truths.

Selected Quotes

Here are a few memorable lines attributed to Tom Drury:

“Once I understood I was free to use the setting as a stage … and that my version of the Midwest would not be obliged to represent the actual Midwest, then it seemed like the place offered all the freedom I needed…”

“There are lots of references to dowel rods. Rural places tend to have a lot of lumber lying round … ‘dowel rod’ has always struck me as kind of humorous.”

These reflect his attention to detail, sense of place, and modest whimsy.

Legacy & Influence

• Drury’s work has gradually built a cult following among readers who appreciate quiet, precise literary fiction.

• The Driftless Area gained broader visibility through its film adaptation, introducing new audiences to his style.

• His insistence on unflashy, character-driven storytelling offers a counterpoint to more maximalist contemporary trends—reminding readers of the emotional weight in subtlety.