Menu

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


, 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:

These Tar Heels are working the World Cup
As the world visits North America this summer for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, some Tar Heels are helping make the historic event happen. The...

America250 At Carolina
As the nation’s first public university, UNC-Chapel Hill has been guided for more than two centuries by a commitment to lead our state and our...

UNC alum, former Tar Heels soccer player Jenny Chiu hosts FIFA World Cup TV series
Jenny Chiu ’17 always aimed to become a soccer star. And she has — just not in the way she imagined. As 48 countries compete...

UNC Connections to the Stanley Cup Champion Carolina Hurricanes
Mike Sundheim has been with the Carolina Hurricanes in some capacity for 28 years. Sundheim graduated from UNC in 2000, meaning he started with the...

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