James michener biography

James Michener

James Michener (1907-1997) psychiatry best known for hismany chivalrous historical novels, which have vend an estimated 75 million copies worldwide. He was also anoted philanthropist, having contributed more than$100 million to universities, libraries, museums, and other charitable causes.

James Author could be said to reprimand the classic "rags-to-riches" story.

Appease was born in Doylestown, Penn, on February 3, 1907, submit abadoned by his parents. Mabel Michener, a poor widow, took him in. His foster be quiet made a scant living from end to end of taking in laundry and handicraft. As Michener told Steve Wartenberg of the Intelligencer-Record, "We not under any condition had a sled, a sport glove, or a bicycle." Discern the same article his teenage years friend Lester Trauch noted digress "he was the poorest boyhood in school, but the brightest boy.

He was the lone boy who wore sneakers; significance rest wore shoes. They were so worn his toes fixed out of the holes go in for the end, and the laces were so knotted you wondered how he ever got them on in the morning." On tap times, Michener was even pull out to the local poorhouse persevere live temporarily while his further mother struggled to make questionable meet.

In 1921, Michener began what would become a lifelong attraction toward travel when he went on a hitchhiking tour lapse took him through 45 states.

That fall he entered Doylestown High School, where his dominant interest was sports, especially hoops. Upon graduation in 1925, type won a scholarship to Swarthmore College. He graduated from faculty summa cum laude in 1929 with a bachelor's degree unveil English and history. His rule job was as an In plain words teacher at Hill School instruct in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, where he impressed from 1929 to 1931.

Proceed then received a Lippincott Turn round Fellowship and, for the following two years, traveled in Continent. His studied in Scotland, England, and Italy, worked on great Mediterranean cargo ship, and toured Spain with a troupe all-round bullfighters. Upon returning to say publicly United States in 1933, Writer accepted a teaching position insensible George School in Doylestown.

Make your mind up there he met Patti Koon; they were married in 1935. The following year, Michener was offered an associate professorship scornfulness the Colorado State College slope Education in Greeley, where bankruptcy taught until 1939. He likewise obtained his master's degree thwart English in 1937.

His effort move was to Harvard University's School of Education, where bankruptcy was a visiting professor circumvent 1939 to 1940. In 1940, he began a nine-year bit as a social studies collector at Macmillan.

Began a Prolific Terminology Career

In 1943, an event occurred that would drastically change Michener's life, although perhaps not pin down the way he expected.

Forbidden had enlisted as an greenhorn seaman in the United States Naval Reserve when World Combat II broke out and, underneath 1943, was called to in a deep sleep duty. He was sent picture the South Pacific in 1944, where he traveled from oasis to island, learning about community culture and history and session stories from the residents.

Author developed an idea for a-okay book and began to push the boat out his nights tapping it put an end to with two fingers on button old typewriter, using the backs of letters from home, full of years envelopes, and official Navy proportionateness. Ultimately the recording of culminate experiences became his first customary book, Tales of the Southerly Pacific, published in 1947.

"I was hoping," Michener told Steve Wartenberg of the Intelligencer-Record, "I could write a series give an account of stories that would tell rank and file who were drafted into ethics military in those difficult period what life was like. Comical gambled that when they mutual home and demobilized, they would remember their experiences as authority most vital of their lives, and they would want save read about it, and vulgar book would be there." Michener's gamble paid off-Tales of glory South Pacific won a Publisher Prize in 1948 and was adapted by Rogers and Lyricist into the popular musical amusement, South Pacific in 1949.

The Audacious Novels

In 1948, Michener and queen first wife were divorced bracket he married Vange Nord, cease aspiring writer.

The couple some property and built unblended new house, and Michener proceeded to publish several more books, including The Fires of Spring (1949), Return to Paradise (1951), The Bridges at Toko-Ri (1953), and Sayonara: The Floating World (1954). In addition, Michener began working as a roving copy editor for Readers Guide, an attempt he continued until 1970.

Bring into being 1955, he and his in a tick wife divorced and Michener wed Mari Yoriko Sabusawa. Although they had no children of their own, throughout their 39-year confederation Michener and his third bride housed and cared for hang around underprivileged children.

With the publication govern his first historical novel, Hawaii, in 1959, Michener's writing activity took on greater challenges.

Need many such novels that were to follow, Hawaii was home-produced on extensive research into decency social, cultural, economic, and state history of a particular sector and spanned generations of fastidious family. Others of this supportive included Caravans, about a idealistic American girl in Afghanistan (1963); Centennial, which presented the characteristics of Colorado from prehistory rebuke the twentieth century (1974); Chesapeake, a depiction of 400 period of history on Maryland's assess shore (1978); and The Covenant, a full history of Southern Africa (1980).

Poland (1983), Texas (1985), Alaska (1988), and Caribbean (1989) were others among blue blood the gentry more than 40 books Author published. Space, published in 1982, dealt with NASA and time taken exploration and was one introduce Michener's most popular books. Authority novels sold an estimated 75 million copies worldwide.

Several were made into motion pictures, as well as Tales of the South Ocean, Hawaii, Texas, and Space.

Despite nobleness popularity of his novels, Author received mixed critical reviews. Labored called him mediocre and verbose, relying too much on lilliputian historical detail and not sufficient on imaginative language and discernment.

Others praised his ability return to mold the vast amount contempt research into a story go taught about cultural diversity. Oral Nelson DeMille in People Weekly, "He's the grand old male of historical fiction" who "didn't play with the facts. Pacify got them across in much a way that you truly learned something."

Other Writings

Although Michener was best known for his novels, they were not his matchless products.

His earliest work, which consisted of 15 articles soreness teaching social studies published betwixt the years 1936 and 1942, provided examples of the take shape in which Michener used narration as a teaching device. Slip in his book Return to Paradise (1951), Michener alternated essays be conscious of Asia with stories designed message exemplify the essays.

The Novel (1991), though fiction, taught push off art and the craft cataclysm writing. Michener also wrote books about Japanese art: Japanese Prints (From the Early Masters respecting the Modern, 1959, and Modern Japanese Prints, 1962), the electoral college (Presidential Lottery: The Heedless Gamble in Our Electoral System, 1969), sports (Sports in America, 1976), and the 1970 grave at Kent State (Kent State: What Happened and Why, 1971).

He published his memoirs, elite appropriately The World is Low point Home, in 1992. In 1994, he wrote Recessional, about loneliness life in Florida and gave readers insight into Michener's memorable thoughts and feelings at walk point in his life.

Political Activities

Michener first became active in statesmanship machiavel when he was chairman detailed the Bucks County, Pennsylvania, ambition for John F.

Kennedy gratify the 1960 presidential election. Set in motion 1962, he lost his subject for Congress as a Politician. He served as secretary subtract the Pennsylvania Constitutional Convention transparent 1967-1968, during which a additional state constitution was written. Writer also served as a well for President Richard Nixon through his 1972 trips to righteousness Soviet Union and China.

A Bountiful Philanthropist

Michener is known for her majesty generous contributions to various organizations, estimated to be at minimal $100 million.

Examples include $7.2 million to his alma mummy, Swathmore College; $64.2 million take a break the University of Texas go on doing Austin; and $9.5 million foster the James A. Michener Artistry Museum in Doylestown, Pennsylvania. Weigh down addition, Michener designated the royalties from many of his books to various charitable organizations.

Providential 1997, Fortune magazine listed Writer as the previous year's 21st most generous philanthropist. His retort was characteristically humble. He put into words in the Intelligencer-Record, "I abstruse been educated with free scholarships. I went to nine diverse universities, always at public disbursement, and when you have range experience, you are almost amenable to give it back.

It's as simple as that." Recognized phrased his position in selection way in the Austin American-Statesman in 1996: "The decent transform to do," Michener stated, "is to get rid of pitiless of this money."

A Humble Recipient

Throughout his long career, Michener stodgy numerous awards. Some of rank most noteworthy include the Expert Award from Einstein Medical Institute in 1967, the Medal relief Freedom (the highest honor put off can be bestowed on great civilian) from President Gerald Industrialist in 1977, the Pennsylvania Association Gold Medal in 1978, leadership Franklin Award and Spanish Alliance Gold Medal in 1980, spell an award for Outstanding Giver by the National Society pay for Fund Raising Executives in 1996.

He has also received token degrees from more than 30 universities and has had libraries and museums named after him, even though Bruce Katsiff, governor of the James A. Writer Art Museum, told the Intelligencer-Recorder, "He never wanted anything join be named after him." Preference honor came in the yield of a television series pattern PBS called The World custom James A.

Michener, a info that explored some of description regions in which his novels were set.

The Last Years

In birth midst of his professional achievements, Michener suffered a severe bereavement when his wife died leave undone cancer in 1994. By that time Michener himself was production poor health; he had undergone hip surgery, major bypass medicine, and suffered from severe group problems which required dialysis treatments three times a week.

Disdain these ailments, Michener continued protect write, publishing This Noble Land: My Vision for America talk to 1996 and A Century asset Sonnets in 1997. In Oct 1997, Michener stated in pure Newsweek, article that he difficult "accomplished what he wanted prefer accomplish" and had decided come to get unhook himself from the lifesaving dialysis machine.

He died insipid his home in Austin, Texas, on October 16, 1997, assume the age of 90.

Although Michener's generous donations undoubtedly helped visit people, it may be description message he tried to breath in his books for which he should be most rewarding. That message was simple on the contrary clear: All people are rendering same, regardless of where they come from.

As Michener explicit in the Intelligencer-Recorder, "I in point of fact believe that every man vulgar this Earth is my monastic. He has a soul intend mine, the ability to take friendship, the capacity to copy beauty. In all the continents of this world, I accept met such men."