Who is Daniel Woodrell?

Have you watched the movie Winter Bone? Yes, the one with Jennifer Lawrence in it. Do you know that it was based on a novel? Well,neither did I. The creator of this book that later went on to become a movie? Daniel Woodrell !

This aging literary genius is the man behind nine majorly read novels across the world. I came across this name when I was going deep into Ozark Noir. The stories were woven in a great way that forced you to hold the book in your hand until you were finished. Putting the books down any sooner made me feel like it was a crime.

The author Woodrell was born in Springfield, Missouri. (The only time I had heard of that name was when I watched The Simpsons)

His education was put to a brief paused when he dropped out of high school and joined the marines. Later on, he finished his BA from Kansas university and his MFA from Iowa writer’s workshop.
I wasn’t aware of Missouri Ozarks.I am sure quite a lot of people who don’t live in America don’t know much about it either. Missouri Ozarks is a landscape in which Daniel Woodrell grew up. He knew the landscape as good as he knew how to write a story. He has created novels based on crime, a style he termed “country noir”, a phrase which has been adopted by commentators on his work.

In addition to finding readers for his fiction, Woodrell has had two novels adapted for films. Woodrell’s second novel, Woe to Live On (1987), was adapted for the 1999 film Ride with the Devil, directed by Ang Lee.

The honors he has received mentioned below are just a few-

• 1999 PEN USA award for Fiction for his novel, Tomato Red (1998).
• 2000 He was longlisted for the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award for Tomato Red.
• 2008 — His short story “Uncle”, originally published in A Hell of a Woman: An Anthology of Female Noir (2007), was nominated for a 2008 Edgar Award.
• 2010 Sundance Film Festival award for top dramatic film for adaptation of his novel Winter’s Bone (published in 2006)
• Source-
• Daniel Woodrell on Internet Movie Database
• Daniel Woodrell, “Night Stand”, in Esquire, June 2008

Originally published at THE BROWN NOMAD.