Three professors from Fairfield University are finalists for the 2005 Connecticut Book Award for fiction, which presents its awards Sunday Dec. 4 at the Hartford City Hall. Dr. Michael White, Peter Duval and Dr. Nicholas Rinaldi, a former professor, are three of five finalists in the fourth annual competition.
“I and our faculty colleagues were thrilled that we received not just a, but rather, three nominations,” said Timothy Snyder, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences.
White is up for a book titled “The Garden of Martyrs,” which took him three-and-a -half years to finish. Written between 2000-2004, “Martyrs” is based on the true story of a murder in Wilbraham, Mass. during 1805. The story centers on the two accused murderers, Dominic Daley and James Halligan, who were accused primarily because they were both Irish and Catholic.
“I was pleasantly surprised and flattered to be in the company of my friends and peers from Fairfield,” said White about hearing the news of his nomination.
“The Garden of Martyrs” is White’s fourth published novel.
Duval’s “Rear View: Stories” is a collection of 12 stories written over a 10-year time period. The stories deal with French-Canadian characters and are set in New Bedford, Mass. and its surroundings.
“I’m honored to be a finalist with Mike White and Nick Rinaldi, both fine writers at the height of their powers,” said Duval.
Rinaldi’s book, “Between Two Rivers” is hailed by critics nationwide.
Entertainment Weekly described Rinaldi as “a master of elegant prose and psychological insight.” Publishers Weekly called the book “‘a beautiful, emotionally uplifting tribute to the human spirit.”
“Between Two Rivers” centers on Farro Fescu, a concierge at an upscale New York City condominium complex, and the amazing characters he engages with daily. Beginning shortly before the bomb attack on the World Trade Center in 1993, the book concludes on Sept. 11, 2001.
Along with witnessing the lives of the characters, the reader realizes how the characters’ histories collide with each other and also with real world events.
The Connecticut Book Awards are given by the Connecticut Center for the Book. They serve as praise and acknowledgement for the state’s highly gifted authors and illustrators. Finalists’ books will be sold at the awards ceremony and most of the authors will be available for signings after the program.
Many faculty members are proud of Fairfield’s English department, seeing the nominations as proof of the abilities of its staff.
“It’s a first-rate group of scholars, writers and teachers, and I’m just glad to be associated with them,” said Duval.
“The nominations are significant acknowledgements of the accomplishments of highly creative members of the College of Arts and Science’s Department of English,” said Snyder. “They evidence the high quality of the college’s scholars of the Humanities, at large.”
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