Richard Sidney Slotkin (born November 8, 1942) is a cultural critic and historian. He is the Olin Professor of English and American Studies, Emeritus at Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut, and, since 2010, a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Slotkin writes novels, predominantly historical ones, alongside his historical research, and uses the process of writing the novels to clarify and refine his historical work.

Education and career

Richard Sidney Slotkin was born on November 8, 1942, in Brooklyn, New York. He received a B.A. degree from Brooklyn College in 1963 and a Ph.D. in American Civilization from Brown University in 1967. He started teaching at Wesleyan University in 1966 and helped establish the school's American studies and film studies program. He remained at Wesleyan until his retirement in 2009.

Awards

Regeneration Through Violence received the Albert J. Beveridge Award of the American Historical Association as the Best Book in American History (1973) and was a Finalist for the National Book Award in 1974. Gunfighter Nation was a National Book Award Finalist in 1993. In 1995, Slotkin received the Mary C. Turpie Award of the American Studies Association for his contributions to teaching and program-building. His novel Abe: A Novel of the Young Lincoln won the 2000 Michael Shaara Award for Excellence in Civil War Fiction. In 1976, he received an honorary Master of Arts degree in Art Education from Wesleyan University. His 2024 book, A Great Disorder: National Myth and the Battle for America, was longlisted for the National Book Award for Nonfiction.

Works