Wally Lamb - Early Life

Early Life

Lamb was born in Norwich, Connecticut., and grew up in a working-class family in that town. Three Rivers, the fictional town where several of his novels are set, is based on Norwich and the nearby towns of New London, Willimantic, and Westerly, Rhode Island. As a child, Lamb loved to draw and create his own comic books--activities which, he says, gave him "a leg up" on the imagery and colloquial dialogue that characterize his stories. He credits his ability to write in female voices, as well as male, with having grown up with older sisters in a neighborhood largely populated by girls.

After his graduation from high school, Lamb studied at the University of Connecticut during the turbulent early-1970s era of anti-war and civil rights protests and student strikes. He holds a B.A. and an M.A. in Education from the University of Connecticut and an M.F.A. in Writing from Vermont College.