Russell Banks, UNC alum and praised author of ‘Cloudsplitter,’ dies at 82

Posted Jan 9, 2023
Russell Banks, a University of North Carolina alum and award-winning fiction writer who rooted such novels as “Affliction” and “The Sweet Hereafter” in the wintry, rural communities of his native Northeast and imagined the dreams and downfalls of everyone from modern blue-collar workers to abolitionist John Brown in “Cloudsplitter,” has died at age 82. (Associated Press)

Related: Campus Connections

UNC football optimism flows - along with the beer - as Tar Heels take Dublin
It started out as a means of following a country star. Well, Chase Rice wasn’t a country star yet when Sophie Watkeys, 32, first started...
Wed Sep 2, 2026

UNC Libraries is Home to a Special Dolly Parton Recording. Here’s What to Know
People across the United States and around the world are mourning country music legend and philanthropist Dolly Parton, who died on Tuesday at 80 years...
Mon Aug 31, 2026

The Emerald Isle now touched with Carolina Blue
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill chancellor Lee H. Roberts looked around in wonder at the sanctuary of the 800-year-old St. Patrick’s Cathedral in...
Sun Aug 30, 2026

Merritt’s Grill Opening Second Location in Chapel Hill; Einstein Bros. Bagels Opening First
Merritt’s Grill, whose BLT sandwiches have been a staple of the Chapel Hill, North Carolina culinary scene since the restaurant opened in 1992, is opening...
Sat Aug 29, 2026