Howard Frank Mosher (June 2, 1942 – January 29, 2017) was an American author of thirteen books: eleven fiction and two non-fiction. Much of his fiction takes place in the mid-20th century and all of it is set in the

Northeast Kingdom The Northeast Kingdom (also, locally, "The Kingdom" and abbreviated NEK) is the northeast corner of the U.S. state of Vermont, approximately comprising Essex, Orleans, and Caledonia counties and with a population of 64,764 at the 2010 census. T ...

Vermont Vermont () is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, New York (state), New York to the west, and the Provinces and territories of Ca ...

, a region loosely defined by the three counties in the northeastern corner of the state (

Essex Essex ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East of England, and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Kent across the Thames Estuary to the ...

, Orleans, and

Caledonia Caledonia (; ) was the Latin name used by the Roman Empire to refer to the forested region in the central and western Scottish Highlands, particularly stretching through parts of what are now Lochaber, Badenoch, Strathspey, and possibly as ...

). His characters are often quirky, reflecting the distinctive peculiarities of the region's taciturn residents. The community struggle with changing times is often a theme, with the more traditional ways of rural Yankee life coming in conflict with an expanding, modern society. The last novel published during his lifetime was ''God's Kingdom'' (St. Martin's Press, October 2015).

Personal life

Mosher graduated from Cato-Meridian Central School, in Cato, New York, in 1960 and from

Syracuse University Syracuse University (informally 'Cuse or SU) is a Private university, private research university in Syracuse, New York, United States. It was established in 1870 with roots in the Methodist Episcopal Church but has been nonsectarian since 1920 ...

in 1964. He taught English at Orleans High and

Lake Region Union High School Lake Region Union High School, commonly known as Lake Region, is a secondary school located in Barton, in the U.S. state of Vermont. The school is operated by the Orleans Central Supervisory Union school district. The school serves students fro ...

during his early years. Mosher lived with his wife, Phillis, in

Irasburg, Vermont Irasburg is a Vermont municipality, town in Orleans County, Vermont, Orleans County, Vermont, United States. Irasburg was established in 1781 when the land was granted to Ira Allen, Roger Enos, Jerusha Enos (wife of Roger Enos), Jerusha Enos, Jr. ...

. They had a grown son and a daughter. He was a die-hard Red Sox fan, and this was a recurring element in his work. Mosher often developed a fictional character (usually still in boyhood) who would become obsessed with the fate of the

Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight ch ...

Death

In December 2016, Mosher was ill with what he believed to be an upper respiratory ailment. He was soon diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer, induced from treatment of prostate cancer in 2007. Mosher announced his latest cancer via his Facebook page. He died at home on January 29, 2017, at age 74.

Awards

Mosher was a

Guggenheim Fellow Guggenheim Fellowships are grants that have been awarded annually since by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, endowed by the late Simon and Olga Hirsh Guggenheim. These awards are bestowed upon individuals who have demonstrated d ...

in 1979, and is the 1981 recipient of the Literature Award bestowed by the

American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters The American Academy of Arts and Letters is a 300-member honor society whose goal is to "foster, assist, and sustain excellence" in American literature, music, and art. Its fixed number membership is elected for lifetime appointments. Its headqua ...

. ''A Stranger In the Kingdom'' won the New England Book Award for Fiction in 1991, and was later made into a 1997 feature film of the same name by director

Jay Craven Jay Craven is an American film director, screenwriter and former professor of film studies at Marlboro College. He is based in Vermont. Craven is known for creating films on modest budgets, adopting many of the novels of author Howard Frank Mo ...

. Craven has also adapted '' Disappearances'', ''

Where the Rivers Flow North ''Where the Rivers Flow North'' is a 1993 American drama film directed by Jay Craven and starring Rip Torn, Tantoo Cardinal, Treat Williams and Michael J. Fox. It is based on Howard Frank Mosher's novel of the same name. Plot Log-driver Noel Lor ...

'' and ''

Northern Borders ''Northern Borders'' is a 2013 American drama film written and directed by Jay Craven, and based on Howard Frank Mosher's novel of the same name. It stars Bruce Dern, Geneviève Bujold and Seamus Davey-Fitzpatrick. Plot In 1956, Austen Kittredge ...

'' to film. In 2006, Mosher received the Vermont Governor's Award for Excellence in the Arts. In 2011 he was awarded the New England Independent Booksellers Association's President's Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Arts.

Bibliography

His books, in order of publication, are: #''Disappearances'' (1977) #''Where the Rivers Flow North'' (1978) #''Marie Blythe'' (1983) #''A Stranger in the Kingdom'' (1989) #''Northern Borders'' (1994) #''North Country'' (nonfiction, 1997) #''The Fall of the Year'' (1999) #''The True Account'' (2003) #''Waiting for Teddy Williams'' (2004) #''On Kingdom Mountain'' (2007) #''Walking to Gatlinburg'' (2010) #''The Great Northern Express'' (nonfiction, 2012) #''God's Kingdom'' (2015) #''Points North: Stories'' (2018)

References

External links

Howard Frank Mosher Official Website

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mosher, Howard Frank 1942 births 2017 deaths Deaths from cancer in Vermont Vermont culture People from Irasburg, Vermont People from Cayuga County, New York Syracuse University alumni Novelists from Vermont American male novelists 20th-century American novelists 20th-century American male writers Novelists from New York (state)