Richter, << RIHK tuhr, >> Conrad (1890-1968), was an American author known for his novels about pioneer life. His work celebrates such pioneer virtues as endurance, independence, and self-discipline. In addition, Richter wrote about the close relationship between individuals and nature. Richter’s historical novels display his knowledge and appreciation of the traditional tales of the American West.
Richter wrote 14 novels, 3 books of essays, and 5 collections of essays. He is best known for The Awakening Land, a trilogy (three related novels) about a pioneer family in Ohio. It consists of The Trees (1940), The Fields (1946), and The Town (1950). Richter won the 1951 Pulitzer Prize for fiction for The Town. He also wrote three novels about Southwest pioneer life. They are The Sea of Grass (1937), his first novel; Tacey Cromwell (1942); and The Lady (1957). He won the National Book Award for fiction in 1961 for The Waters of Kronos (1960), an autobiographical novel. Richter’s short stories were collected in The Rawhide Knot and Other Stories (1978).
Richter was born on Oct. 13, 1890, in Pine Grove, Pennsylvania. He lived in Albuquerque, New Mexico, from 1928 to 1950. He died on Oct. 30, 1968.
