Kate Elizabeth Russell
Born1984 (age 39–40)
OccupationAuthor
NationalityAmerican
EducationJohn Bapst Memorial High School
University of Maine at Farmington (BFA)
Indiana University (MFA)
University of Kansas (PhD)
Notable works
  • My Dark Vanessa

Kate Elizabeth Russell (born 1984) is an American author. Her debut novel, My Dark Vanessa, was published in 2020 and became a national bestseller.

Biography

Russell was raised in the town of Clifton, Maine, attending John Bapst Memorial High School in Bangor, Maine.[1][2] She subsequently studied as an undergraduate at the University of Maine at Farmington, earning a B.F.A. in creative writing in 2006,[3] and went on to earn an M.F.A. from Indiana University[4] and a Ph.D. in creative writing from the University of Kansas.[5]

My Dark Vanessa

Russell's first novel offers a fictional account of a traumatic sexual relationship between its protagonist, Vanessa Wye, and Jacob Strane. Wye is 15 years old and a lonely student at boarding school when Strane, her 42-year-old English teacher, begins grooming her for a sexual relationship which will come to cast an appalling shadow over her life. The novel is a first-person narrative, jumping forward and backward in time amongst 2000, 2007, and 2017, with this last year affording Russell the social context of the Me Too movement.[6]

It is implied that Vanessa is, at least in part, an unreliable narrator owing to her reluctance to see herself as a victim or Strane as a predator.

My Dark Vanessa was a national bestseller.[7] It was selected for translation and publication in 22 countries, and optioned for the screen.[2][3] Reviewed positively in a number of publications,[8][9][6][10][11][12][13] My Dark Vanessa brought Russell into a public conversation regarding the novel's treatment of abusive sexual relationships, as well as an individual's right to privacy regarding past trauma.[14][15][16][17]

Russell was shortlisted for the 2021 Dylan Thomas Prize for My Dark Vanessa.[18]

Controversy

My Dark Vanessa occasioned pre-publication controversy when author Wendy C. Ortiz complained that Russell's novel had received different support from that given to Ortiz's memoir concerning a relationship with her 8th grade English teacher.[19][20] Ortiz had not read Russell's book,[21] but discussed Russell's alleged appropriation on Twitter with Roxane Gay.[22][23] Gay subsequently published Ortiz's essay "Adventures in Publishing Outside the Gates," which alleged My Dark Vanessa bore "eerie story similarities" to Ortiz's memoir; the article began with an illustration of one artist copying another's work.[24] However, the Associated Press reported, "Reviewers who looked at both books saw no evidence of plagiarism,"[25] a conclusion echoed by Lila Shapiro of New York Magazine.[20] Nevertheless, in response to social media comments, and in the wake of the controversy over American Dirt,[26] Oprah Winfrey, who had originally tapped My Dark Vanessa as a selection for her influential Book Club, rescinded the selection.[25][27]

As a result of the accusations of plagiarism and appropriation, Russell made a public statement disclosing that My Dark Vanessa had been inspired by her own experiences with sexual abuse as a teenager.[25][28]

Bibliography

  • My Dark Vanessa (2020) ISBN 9780062941527

References

  1. ↑ "The beautiful trauma of Bangor-area native Kate Russell's debut novel, 'My Dark Vanessa'". 6 March 2020.
  2. 1 2 "Clifton native's debut novel sold in a seven-figure book deal". 13 December 2018.
  3. 1 2 "'My Dark Vanessa': Announcing the biggest-selling debut novel of the season". EW.com.
  4. ↑ "Kate Elizabeth Russell author information". BookBrowse.com.
  5. ↑ "Kate Elizabeth Russell". Graduate Program in Creative Writing. September 10, 2015.
  6. 1 2 "'My Dark Vanessa' Looks Back At The Devastation Of A Predatory Affair". NPR.org.
  7. ↑ Egan, Elisabeth (April 2, 2020). "Oprah's Book Club Dropped Her Novel. It Still Became a Best Seller". The New York Times.
  8. ↑ "My Dark Vanessa | Book Marks". Literary Hub. Retrieved 2021-01-02.
  9. ↑ Roiphe, Katie (March 6, 2020). "Girl, Interrupted". The New York Times.
  10. ↑ Gilbert, Sophie (March 25, 2020). "What Is the Point of 'Lolita' From Lolita's Point of View?". The Atlantic.
  11. ↑ Zinovieff, Sofka (April 4, 2020). "My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell review – a powerful, shocking debut". The Guardian – via www.theguardian.com.
  12. ↑ "Kate Elizabeth Russell's debut novel is an unsettling tale of abuse". The Economist.
  13. ↑ Liggett, Kim. "Review | 'My Dark Vanessa' is being described as 'Lolita' for the #MeToo era. It's more than that". Washington Post.
  14. ↑ Ovenden, Olivia (April 4, 2020). "Kate Elizabeth Russell On Writing Her Explosive Debut Novel, 'My Dark Vanessa'". Esquire.
  15. ↑ "The Delicate Art of Writing a Believable Sexual Predator". MEL Magazine. April 5, 2020.
  16. ↑ Barry, Aoife (31 March 2020). "Writing in the #MeToo era: 'It was intimidating taking on something in fiction that was happening in real time'". TheJournal.ie.
  17. ↑ "Kate Elizabeth Russell on My Dark Vanessa and the 'Early Aughts Lolita Complex'". Pictorial. 12 March 2020.
  18. ↑ "Shortlist for Dylan Thomas Prize Is Revealed". Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved 2021-03-29.
  19. ↑ Sturges, Fiona (March 13, 2020). "Is My Dark Vanessa the most controversial novel of the year? Author Kate Elizabeth Russell speaks out". The Guardian – via www.theguardian.com.
  20. 1 2 Shapiro, Lila (February 18, 2020). "My Dark Vanessa Is Not a Love Story". Vulture.
  21. ↑ Sturges, Fiona (March 13, 2020). "Is My Dark Vanessa the most controversial novel of the year? Author Kate Elizabeth Russell speaks out". The Guardian – via www.theguardian.com.
  22. ↑ Gay, Roxane [@rgay] (January 22, 2020). "This must feel so infuriating. I'm sorry that this other book is co-opting your story without acknowledgment. It's wrong" (Tweet). Archived from the original on January 22, 2020 – via Twitter.
  23. ↑ Ortiz, Wendy [@WendyCOrtiz] (January 22, 2020). "Thank you, Roxane 🖤" (Tweet). Archived from the original on January 22, 2020 – via Twitter.
  24. ↑ Ortiz, Wendy C. (January 29, 2020). "Adventures in Publishing Outside the Gates". Medium.
  25. 1 2 3 "Oprah Winfrey dropped 'My Dark Vanessa' book club pick after online controversy". USA TODAY.
  26. ↑ Grady, Constance (January 29, 2020). "American Dirt's publisher cancels the rest of the book's tour, citing threats". Vox.
  27. ↑ Hampton, Rachelle (February 1, 2020). "Why My Dark Vanessa Is the New Book Everyone's Angry About". Slate Magazine.
  28. ↑ Russell, Kate Elizabeth (February 1, 2020). "A Note to Readers". kateelizabethrussell.com.
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