Ronald Lyman Fair (October 27, 1932 – February 2018) was an American

writer A writer is a person who uses written words in different writing styles, genres and techniques to communicate ideas, to inspire feelings and emotions, or to entertain. Writers may develop different forms of writing such as novels, short sto ...

and sculptor. He was known for his experimental and versatile literary forms, most prominently through the

1966 Events January * January 1 – In a coup, Colonel Jean-Bédel Bokassa takes over as military ruler of the Central African Republic, ousting President David Dacko. * January 3 – 1966 Upper Voltan coup d'état: President Maurice Yaméogo i ...

novel A novel is an extended work of narrative fiction usually written in prose and published as a book. The word derives from the for 'new', 'news', or 'short story (of something new)', itself from the , a singular noun use of the neuter plural of ...

''Hog Butcher'', set in 1960s Chicago. This was the basis of the

1975 It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe. Events January * January 1 – Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...

film '' Cornbread, Earl and Me'', the cast of which included Rosalind Cash and

Laurence Fishburne Laurence John Fishburne III (born July 30, 1961) is an American actor. Throughout his career, he has gained recognition for his roles on stage and screen as militant and authoritative characters. List of awards and nominations received by Laur ...

. Relocating to

Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...

, Fair began sculpting in 1977. In December 1980 he became "

born again To be born again, or to experience the new birth, is a phrase, particularly in evangelical Christianity, that refers to a "spiritual rebirth", or a regeneration of the human spirit. In contrast to one's physical birth, being "born again" is d ...

", thereafter becoming a " Christian writer" and founder of the International Orphans' Assistance Association.

Biography

Ronald Fair was born in 1932 to

Mississippi Mississippi ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Alabama to the east, the Gulf of Mexico to the south, Louisiana to the s ...

farmworkers Herbert and Beulah Hunt Fair in

Chicago, Illinois Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

, where he went to school. After serving three years in the US Navy, he attended the Stenotype School of Chicago, after which he found employment as a court reporter for 12 years. Having begun writing in his teens, he published various pieces in publications including the ''

Chicago Defender ''The Chicago Defender'' is a Chicago-based online African-American newspaper. It was founded in 1905 by Robert S. Abbott and was once considered the "most important" newspaper of its kind. Abbott's newspaper reported and campaigned against Jim ...

'', ''

Ebony Ebony is a dense black/brown hardwood, coming from several species in the genus '' Diospyros'', which also includes the persimmon tree. A few ''Diospyros'' species, such as macassar and mun ebony, are dense enough to sink in water. Ebony is fin ...

'', ''Chat Noir'', before the publication in 1965 of his first novel, ''Many Thousand Gone: An American Fable''. His second novel, ''Hog Butcher'', was filmed in 1975 as ''Cornbread, Earl and Me''. In 1970, he published ''World of Nothing: Two Novellas'', and 1972 the autobiographical novel ''We Can't Breathe''.Richard Guzman
"Ronald L. Fair: 'We Can't Breathe'"
Richard R. Guzman, February 11, 2015. In 1977, Fair moved to Finland, where he dedicated himself more to sculpture than writing. In Finland, he lived in

Helsinki Helsinki () is the Capital city, capital and most populous List of cities and towns in Finland, city in Finland. It is on the shore of the Gulf of Finland and is the seat of southern Finland's Uusimaa region. About people live in the municipali ...

Tampere Tampere is a city in Finland and the regional capital of Pirkanmaa. It is located in the Finnish Lakeland. The population of Tampere is approximately , while the metropolitan area has a population of approximately . It is the most populous mu ...

and

Kerimäki Kerimäki is a former municipalities of Finland, municipality of Finland. It was consolidated with the town of Savonlinna on January 1, 2013. It is located in the provinces of Finland, province of Eastern Finland and is part of the Southern Savoni ...

. He died in Finland in February 2018, aged 85.

Publications

* ''Many Thousand Gone: An American Fable'' (short novel), Harcourt, 1965. * ''Hog Butcher'' (novel), Harcourt, 1966; republished as ''Cornbread, Earl and Me'', Bantam, 1975. * ''World of Nothing: Two Novellas'', Harper, 1970. * ''We Can't Breathe'' (novel), Harper, 1972. * ''Excerpts'' (poetry), Paul Breman, 1975. * ''Rufus'' (poetry), P. Schlack (Germany), 1977; 2nd edn Lotus Press, 1980

Norwegian

*1987: ''Eva''; Rex Forlag

Swedish

*1978: "Gudskelov För snön" ("Thank God It Snowed"); 6/78 ''Bonniers Litterära Magasin'' (''BLM''), December 1978; Arg. 47 Nr 6.

Portuguese

*2002: ''Correndo Para A Vida'' (1st printing), Brazil *2010: ''Correndo Para A Vida'' (2nd printing), Finland

Spanish

* 2010: ''Corriendo Hacia La Vida'' (1st printing) Finland

Lyrics for recordings

*1980: "A New Kinda Day"; Frendz, Music, H. Silvenoinen; Lyrics, Ronald Fair *1980: "Final Awakening"; Frendz, Music, H. Silvenoinen; Lyrics, Ronald Fair *1980: "Dancing People"; Frendz, Music, H. Silvenoinen; Lyrics, Ronald Fair

Movies

*1968: ''An American Hero'', film script for

Dino De Laurentiis Agostino "Dino" De Laurentiis (; 8 August 1919 – 10 November 2010) was an Italian film producer and businessman who held both Italian and American citizenship. Following a brief acting career in the late 1930s and early 1940s, he moved into f ...

, Hollywood *1971: ''Hog Butcher'', two drafts. Producer had two heart attacks and sold the rights to someone else *1975: ''Cornbread, Earl & Me'', from ''Hog Butcher'' *1994: ''Kirje Suomesta'', music video, directed by R. Ampuja *1995: ''Who Is Your Neighbour'', Mumbai (Bombay), India; P. K. Rajhuns Director. Written and co-produced *2000: ''The Truth'' by P. K. Rajhuns; co-produced

Play performances

*1968: ''The Emperor's Parade'', or, ''Our Boy Dick; A Political Satire'' (Chicago) *1968 & 1969: ''Sails and Sinkers''; comedy (Chicago; Middletown, Conn Weslayan University) *1988: ''Animal Christmas'', a musical (Helsinki) *2002: ''Animal Christmas'', Jyväskylä, Finland *2003: ''Animal Christmas'', Kankaanpää, Finland *2008: ''Animal Christmas''; Hyderabad, India *2009: ''Animal Christmas''; Hyderabad, India

Sculpture

Image:Ronald_f_sculpture_1.jpg, "Jesus Wept", wood, 24 cm Image:Ronald_f_sculpture_3.jpg, "Three Holes"; bronze, 30 cm; Museum Villa Urpo; Ylöjärvi, Finland Image:Ronald_f_sculpture_4.jpg, "Seven Praising Him"; painted wood, 70 X 100; private collection Image:PraiseHim.jpg, "Praise Him With Stringed Instruments"; painted wood, 25 by 40 cm; private collection Image:UrpoWood1.jpg, "Mother & Child", wood, 90 X 40 cm; Museum Villa Urpo; Ylöjärvi, Finland Image:UrpoBronzes.jpg, "Jesus & Two Criminals"; Bronze, 5 meters; Museum Villa Urpo; Ylöjärvi, Finland

References

External links

"Growing Up Black and Female, Black and Male in Chicago in Gwendolyn Brooks's ''Maud Martha'' and Ron Fair's ''Hog Butcher''"
in ''Illinois History Teacher'' (Volume 3:2, 1996) at Illinois Periodicals Online, Northern Illinois University Libraries *
Archive listing of ''Ronald Fair Collection''
Northwestern University Library
"We Can’t Breathe. Part One of Ronald L. Fair's prescient, 1972 autobiographical novel"
''The Common Reader'', September 29, 2020. {{DEFAULTSORT:Fair, Ronald 1932 births 2018 deaths 20th-century African-American writers 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American non-fiction writers 20th-century American novelists 20th-century American poets 21st-century African-American writers African-American film directors African-American male writers African-American novelists African-American poets American Christian writers American expatriates in Finland American male non-fiction writers American male novelists American male poets Artists from Chicago