Norman Rush was born in San Francisco and raised in Oakland, the son of Roger and Leslie (Chesse) Rush. He graduated from Swarthmore College in 1956. During the Korean War he was sentenced to two years incarceration for his status as a conscientious objector to the war, but was released on parole after nine months. After working for fifteen years as a book dealer, he changed careers to become a teacher and found he had more time to write. He submitted a short story about his teaching experiences to The New Yorker and it was published in 1978.
Rush and his wife Elsa were co-workers for the Peace Corps in Botswana from 1978 to 1983, which provided material for a collection of short stories he published as Whites. In 1986 "Whites" was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. His Botswana experience also served as the locations for his novels, Mating and Mortals.
Norman lives in Rockland County, NY with his wife, Elsa.
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