Literature Trail

Andre Dubus
Although he was born and raised in Louisiana, short story author Andre Dubus (1936-99) lived much of his adult life in Haverhill and set much of his acclaimed fiction in the Merrimack Valley. His work often chronicles the struggles of contemporary men whose lives have gone wrong for reasons they can't comprehend, and his characters often share the author's own strong Catholic faith. His collections include Adultery and Other Choices (1977), The Times are Never So Bad (1983), and Dancing After Hours (1996)

In 1986, Dubus was helping a brother and sister who had been in a car accident on the highway when another car swerved and hit all three of them. The young man died, the woman lived only because Dubus had pushed her out of the way, and the author suffered injuries that left him in a wheelchair for the rest of his life. His essay collection Meditations from a Movable Chair (1998) is a frank reflection of the pain and difficulty of his injuries. In part to repay the generosity of his community after the accident, he began holding free weekly writing workshops in his home, which continued until his death in 1999.

His son, the author Andre Dubus III (The House of Sand and Fog, 1999), lives in Essex County and teaches at the University of Massachusetts Lowell.

Gravesite of Andre Dubus
Address: Elmwood Cemetery, 96 Salem Street, Haverhill

Haverhill Public Library
Address: 99 Main Street, Haverhill
Phone: 978-373-1586
Website: www.haverhillpl.org
(The library contains works by Dubus.)