Fairfield English professor Nicholas Rinaldi will be honored as the Fairfield Arts Council’s 29th Artist of the Year for his widely acclaimed novel “Between Two Rivers.”
Rinaldi, a native of Brooklyn, N.Y., earned his graduate degrees at Fordham University. Continuing to show commitment and respect for a Jesuit education, Rinaldi teaches literature and writing at Fairfield as a professor emeritus.
His latest novel, “Between Two Rivers,” is an account of people who lived in a condo in lower Manhattan. The collapse of the World Trade Center towers on Sept. 11, 2001, serves as an impetus for the story and the ethnically diverse characters who have interesting life stories.
Richard Russo, a recent Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist, has described “Between Two Rivers” as “a masterpiece, a book that will take your breath away.”
The New York Times Book Review called the novel a “sprawling and elegant study,” while Book List dubbed it a “beautiful, emotionally uplifting tribute to the human spirit.”
Rinalidi’s past works, including “The Jukebox Queen of Malta” received applause as well.
In a review, New York Times critic Richard Bernstein wrote, “Joseph Heller, William Styron, Norman Mailer … Mr. Rinaldi belongs in their company.”
Working also as a poet, Rinaldi has produced three collections: “The Resurrection of the Snails,” “We Have Lost Our Fathers” and “The Luftwaffe in Chaos.”
His poems and short stories have appeared in journals around the world including The Virginia Quarterly, The Yale Review, Prairie Schooner, Mississippi Review and the Southwest Review.
Rinaldi will discuss his writing process and answer questions about his life experiences on Oct. 14 at the Fairfield Theater Company from 2:30-4 p.m.
Although Rinaldi lived in Fairfield for some time, he currently lives in Bridgeport, Conn. with his wife, Jacqueline.
His wife is also well established in the arts, holding a doctorate from the University of Connecticut, directing the Learning Center at Sacred Heart University and offering courses in literature and writing.
Their four children are pursuing careers in social work, art, engineering and music.
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