Price, Richard (1949-…), is an American author known for his realistic novels set in cities in the northeastern United States. Much of Price’s fiction deals with young males in an environment of gangs, unlawful use of drugs, and violence. Several of his novels are set in New York City. Others take place in the fictional city of Dempsy, New Jersey. Reviewers have praised Price for capturing the dangers of life on city streets with his strong plots, powerful characters, and vivid dialogue.
Price won immediate recognition with his first novel, The Wanderers (1974). The novel explores the dark world of gangs in the Bronx borough (section) of New York City. Price’s second novel, Bloodbrothers (1976), is also set on the violent streets of the Bronx. Price moved the action of his third novel, Ladies’ Man (1978), to Manhattan, another borough of New York City. The novel tells the story of a man’s struggle to get his life back on course after he breaks up with his girlfriend and loses his job. The Breaks (1984) describes the difficulties of a working-class young man trying to improve his life.
Price introduced the city of Dempsy in Clockers (1992), a story about a police homicide detective and a teenage drug dealer. In Freedomland (1998), Price explores racial tensions in Dempsy, and Samaritan (2003) portrays racial and economic divisions there. Lush Life (2008) takes place in Manhattan and describes the events that occur after a street shooting. The Whites (2015) is a police novel set in various areas of New York City, exploring difficult issues concerning justice. Price wrote the novel under the name Harry Brandt.
Price was born on Oct. 12, 1949, in the Bronx. He received a B.S. degree in 1971 from Cornell University and an M.F.A. degree in 1976 from Columbia University. Price has written several screenplays, notably for the films The Color of Money (1986), Sea of Love (1989), and Ransom (1996). He also has written television scripts and stories and essays for numerous magazines.
