Frederick Busch

Frederick Busch (August 1, 1941 – February 23, 2006) was an American writer who authored nearly thirty books, including volumes of short stories and novels.

Frederick Busch was born in Brooklyn, New York City on August 1, 1941. He graduated from Muhlenberg College in 1962, and earned a master's degree from Columbia University in 1967. Busch and his wife lived briefly in Greenwich Village, where they scraped by until Busch got a job teaching at Colgate University in 1966.

Busch was professor of literature at Colgate University in Hamilton, New York, from 1966 to 2003. He also served as acting director of the University of Iowa Writers’ Workshop in 1978–79.

Busch had more than 30 books published in his lifetime. He won numerous awards, including the Harry and Ethel Daroff Award in 1985 for Invisible Mending; the American Academy of Arts and Letters Fiction Award in 1986; and the PEN/Malamud Award in 1991.

Busch met his future wife, Judith Burroughs, in Allentown, Pennsylvania while attending Muhlenberg College in 1962. They married in 1963.

Busch and his wife had two sons, Benjamin and Nicholas. Benjamin Busch is an actor. In 1995, Nicholas Busch graduated from Muhlenberg College.

On February 23, 2006, Busch died of a heart attack in Manhattan, New York City, aged 64.

• 1962: Fellowship, Woodrow Wilson Foundation
• 1981: Fellowship, Guggenheim Foundation
• 1981: Fellowship Ingram Merrill Foundation
• 1985: National Jewish Book Award for Fiction, Jewish Book Council
• 1986: American Academy of Arts and Letters Fiction Award
• 1991: PEN/Malamud Award for Excellence in Short Fiction
• 1997: New York Times Notable Book for "Girls: A Novel"
• 1999: National Book Critics Circle Award Nomination for The Night Inspector
• 2000: PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction finalist, for "The Night Inspector