"I was pretty dead set against ever writing an academic novel. It's always been my view that there are already more than enough academic novels and that most of them aren't any good. Most of them are self-conscious and bitter, the work of people who want to settle grudges"

This quote by Richard Russo recommends that he is not a fan of academic books. He thinks that there are already too many of them and that most of them are bad. He thinks that these novels are typically composed by individuals who are trying to get revenge on someone or something, and that they are too uncomfortable and bitter. This quote suggests that Russo does not think extremely of academic books which he does not wish to write one himself. He believes that these novels are unworthy his time and that they are unworthy reading. Russo's opinion of academic novels is clear, and it is not likely that he will ever write one himself.