Highly regarded by the few who read his work when it was first published in the 1960s and 70s, Richard Yates maintained a small but utterly devoted readership. Now, finally, Yates has reached a much wider audience. Brought to public attention by Blake Bailey's influential biography in 2003 and then, in 2008, catapulted onto the New York bestseller list via the film version of his first novel, his books are not only in print but also selling steadily. While many of his contemporaries went on to achieve both status and renown in the literary world of the mid-twentieth century, Yates battled to stay solvent and healthy and to follow-up the relative success of his first novel

Revolutionary Road

. He was a demanding man who inspired great devotion from those who knew him well but, with two…

3509 words

Citation: Charlton-Jones, Kate. "Richard Yates". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 21 April 2009 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=11959, accessed 29 March 2024.]

11959 Richard Yates 1 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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