Andre Dubus: A Literary Life recounts the life of the famed American writer while also providing deep and acute analysis of his stories and novellas often from a biographical perspective. Author Patrick Samway, S. J., a specialist in the literature of the American South who received his PhD from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, was not only a friend of the late Andre Dubus but also a spiritual counselor. Uniquely situated to explore Dubus's life, Samway presents an accurate and profound portrayal of a writer who explored the depths of the human heart often in conflict with itself. Dubus (1936-1999) was born and raised in Lake Charles, Louisiana, where he grew up devoutly Catholic--a faith that often left an impact on his work. After serving in the Marines for eight years, he received his MFA at the Writers' Workshop in Iowa and later had a successful career for seventeen years as professor of literature at Bradford College in Haverhill, Massachusetts. His oeuvre includes one novel and numerous short story and essay collections, including Broken Vessels , which was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize.

Several of his stories have been adapted into films. Dubus's personal life was often marred by tragedy that deeply influenced his work: three divorces greatly impacted his life, the lives of his former wives, and those of his six children; a severe car accident that resulted in the loss of one of his legs; and reoccurring bouts of loneliness and depression. Though it would have been easy to allow his nether self to become dominant, Dubus was aware of life's convergent blessings in such a way that he rose--sometimes anxiously and hesitatingly--above the negativity that almost enveloped him, freeing him to create an extensive and influential body of work still beloved by readers today.