Russell Banks, the novelist known for his books about blue-collar characters dealing with loss and pain, has died at 82, the New York Times reports.

Banks, a Massachusetts native, was educated at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He made his literary debut in 1975 with the novel Family Life, and followed that up three years later with Hamilton Stark.

He became a literary star in 1985 with Continental Drift, about two people who move to Florida, one a working-class man from Florida, the other a Haitian woman determined to leave her homeland behind. The novel was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize.

His other notable novels include Affliction, which was adapted into a 1997 Paul Schrader film; The Sweet Hereafter, which also formed the basis for an acclaimed film; and Cloudsplitter, another Pulitzer Prize finalist. His most recent novel, The Magic Kingdom, was published by Knopf in November; in a starred review, a critic for Kirkus called the book “a multilayered tale of innocence and guilt from a gifted storyteller.”

Admirers of Banks paid tribute to him on social media. On Twitter, novelist Joyce Carol Oates wrote, “very sad news that a great American writer, Russell Banks, beloved friend of so many, passed away peacefully last night in his home in upstate NY.  I loved Russell & loved his tremendous talent & magnanimous heart. “Cloudsplitter”—his masterpiece. but all his work is exceptional.”

And writer Cornel West tweeted, “Yesterday my very dear brother Russell Banks passed away! I loved and respected him deeply! My prayers are with sister Chase and his precious family.”

Michael Schaub, a journalist and regular contributor to NPR, lives near Austin, Texas.