Rosellen Brown
(b. 1939)

Rosellen Brown's writing examines the private anguish of families coming to grips with difficult situations. In the beginning of one of her early novels, Tender Mercies (1978), a careless husband injures his wife in a tragic boating accident, leaving her paralyzed. The rest of the novel details the fallout of the accident on the couple's relationship and explores the excruciating experience of reestablishing trust and love in the wake of trauma.

The pattern she set in early novels like Tender Mercies became a signature style for Brown. Her novels typically begin with a shocking incident, with the bulk of the books devoted to a careful study of the emotional impact on the characters involved. Her angst-filled novels have found an admiring audience. Her novels are bestsellers and three of them, Tender Mercies, Civil Wars (1984), and Before and After (1992) have been adapted as movie screenplays as well.

Brown balances her novel-writing with her other interests—writing poetry and teaching. She has published three volumes of poetry, including Cora Fry's Pillow Book in 1994. Her teaching career has included stints as a creative writing instructor at Goddard College and the University of Houston. Brown has received numerous awards and fellowships, including an award in literature from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. She was chosen as one of Ms. magazine's 12 "Women of the Year" in 1984 for her novel Civil Wars.

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