He has been nominated for an Oscar as well as the National Book Critics Circle Award. He has written for the New York Times and the Rolling Stone. He has worked with Spike Lee and Philip Kaufman. He is the Fall 2010, Harman Writer-in-Residence at Baruch College.
Richard Price stands in front of a packed conference room at Baruch College, just the same as you or I would. Perhaps a bit nervous, Price makes several jokes and sarcastic remarks to begin the evening in a Richard Price kind of way. “Okay, they said to read for one minute, and open it up to the floor for fifty-nine,” quips Price. After a bellowing response from the crowd, Price gets into the thick of it.
Price is very passionate for the Lower East Side portion of New York City and it is the focus of his newest novel, Lush Life. Price began the night by explaining why Lush Life was centered around the Lower East Side. “I have always had a sentimental spot for it until I got to know it, and then I realized what a nightmare it was,” said Price.
There wasn’t anything poetic or genius spoken by Price, he seems to be just as normal and everyday as anyone else. Perhaps this is how he wants to be portrayed. In an interview with Robert Birnbaum from Identity Theory–a literary website–Price claims to not be so structured and identifiable of a writer as many other writers are. “I don’t write meta-fiction, I don’t write deconstructionist…I’m not into a novel as a philosophical inquiry into language and stuff like that. I’m basically a story teller and always will be,” said Price. This quote sums up Richard Price in a nutshell. He carries the notion of being distant and aloof from his passion, yet extremely aware and to a “T” with details.
Being such a distinguished and accomplished writer–suffering from writers block and other such hindrances–surprisingly, is very common for Price. Writing isn’t easy, not even for Price. “It depends if I’m under a deadline, it’s easier when I’m under a deadline. If I’m writing a screenplay, there is a whole bunch of people that are waiting for the god damned thing, and you know they get stressed waiting for it.”
Reaching the conclusion of the evening, Price continues to be very dry and sarcastic in response. “I have to write this other book because I’m broke. I made a deal with a publisher to write a book under a pen name, that’s what I’m doing. It’s not going to be of the highest literary quality, it’s an open pen name,” said Price. Price will begin in the early months of 2011 by writing under the pen name of Jay Morris. He has agreed to write a series of detective novels for Henry Holt. Whether or not Price has agreed to this deal for monetary concerns, it seems to fit right in line with the rest of Price’s career. He is very sporadic in his work. From working on a screenplay to writing a novel, dabbling in a short story while professing at a University–you never exactly know what Price will end up doing next. And I’d put my money on it that neither does he.
RICHARD PRICE. Credit: Sara Krulwich/The New York Times