2008 Woodie Awards
Alumnus wins prestigious fiction award
Author based fiction on world travels as a reporter, political injustices
Bethany Hergert, Staff Writer
Issue date: 12/5/06
Last Updated: 12/29/07
Drawing from life experiences and turning fact into fiction, Russell Working, an '82 alumnus, was recently awarded Notre Dame's prestigious Sullivan Prize for his short story "The Irish Martyr."
Based roughly on the experiences he had as a reporter in Egypt, "The Irish Martyr" tells the story of a young Egyptian girl who becomes interested in a foreign stranger, and the political and social clashes that ensue.
A long time reporter and current Chicago Tribune staff member, Working often creates fiction out of the experiences he has traveling as a reporter, as well as political injustices.
"A lot of times it is stuff I've gone out and done stories on. They'll be things that interest me that I want to explore in fiction," Working said.
Working also looks to his family for inspiration in his work. His wife, Nonna, is also a journalist, and they have two sons, Sergei and Lev.
Several of his journalistic as well as fictional pieces have come from the emotions of being a father colliding with what it would be like to experience the tragedies he has seen occur around the world.
"It's not something that's quite rational," Working said. "But something that happens in the back of your own conscious."
Being often of a serious and sometimes disturbingly realistic nature, Working's stories are hard to put a label on.
"Everyone tells me they are really dark. I think it's people struggling in difficult situations and trying to deal with what life has dealt them," Working said. "Some have called it political fiction, but it's usually things that don't get as much news coverage."
Though being a journalist is his job title, Working's true passion lies in fictional writing.
"The kind of writing, pure writing that I enjoy most is fiction. The writing that I feel is most rewarding is fiction," Working said. "I've traveled all over the world because journalism has taken me there. But with journalism, when you turn in a story it is more about 'Will this get through?' 'How will it get changed?' However with fiction there is more respect for the copy. It is just letting your unconscious roam."
Based roughly on the experiences he had as a reporter in Egypt, "The Irish Martyr" tells the story of a young Egyptian girl who becomes interested in a foreign stranger, and the political and social clashes that ensue.
A long time reporter and current Chicago Tribune staff member, Working often creates fiction out of the experiences he has traveling as a reporter, as well as political injustices.
"A lot of times it is stuff I've gone out and done stories on. They'll be things that interest me that I want to explore in fiction," Working said.
Working also looks to his family for inspiration in his work. His wife, Nonna, is also a journalist, and they have two sons, Sergei and Lev.
Several of his journalistic as well as fictional pieces have come from the emotions of being a father colliding with what it would be like to experience the tragedies he has seen occur around the world.
"It's not something that's quite rational," Working said. "But something that happens in the back of your own conscious."
Being often of a serious and sometimes disturbingly realistic nature, Working's stories are hard to put a label on.
"Everyone tells me they are really dark. I think it's people struggling in difficult situations and trying to deal with what life has dealt them," Working said. "Some have called it political fiction, but it's usually things that don't get as much news coverage."
Though being a journalist is his job title, Working's true passion lies in fictional writing.
"The kind of writing, pure writing that I enjoy most is fiction. The writing that I feel is most rewarding is fiction," Working said. "I've traveled all over the world because journalism has taken me there. But with journalism, when you turn in a story it is more about 'Will this get through?' 'How will it get changed?' However with fiction there is more respect for the copy. It is just letting your unconscious roam."
For this reason, The Whitworthian asks readers to be responsible and respectful in any comments posted. The responsibility for statements posted lies with the person submitting the comment, not the whitworthian.com. Readers are also encouraged to report questionable comments by e-mailing editor@whitworthian.com.
Be the first to comment on this story