James Albert Michener (/ˈmɪtʃənər/ or /ˈmɪtʃnər/;[2] February 3, 1907 – October 16, 1997) was an American writer. He wrote more than 40 books, most of which were long, fictional family sagas covering the lives of many generations, set in particular geographic locales and incorporating detailed history. Many of his works were bestsellers and were chosen by the Book of the Month Club. He was also known for the meticulous research that went into his books.[3]
Tales of the South Pacific was adapted as the popular Broadway musical South Pacific, by Rodgers and Hammerstein. The musical in turn was adapted as a feature film in 1958 and 2001, adding to his financial success. A number of his other stories and novels were adapted for films and TV series.
He also wrote Presidential Lottery: The Reckless Gamble in Our Electoral System, in which he condemned the United States' Electoral College system. It was published in 1969, and republished in 2014 and 2016.[4]
Early life and education
Michener was born in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, on February 3, 1907. He later wrote that he did not know who his biological parents were, or exactly when or where he was born.[3] He was raised a Quaker by an adoptive mother, Mabel Michener, in Doylestown.[5]
Michener talks about hoboing, the practice of riding freight trains for free, during the Great Depression, as mentioned in the 1998 Great Depression documentary on the History Channel.
After graduation, Michener taught at the university and at College High School. The Michener Library at the University of Northern Colorado was named after him in October 1972.[7][8]
As a Quaker, he could have qualified as a conscientious objector and not been drafted into the military, but Michener enlisted in the United States Navy during World War II.[3][9][10] He traveled throughout the South Pacific Ocean on various assignments which he gained because his base commanders mistakenly thought his father was Admiral Marc Mitscher.[11] His experiences during these travels inspired the stories published in his breakout work Tales of the South Pacific.[5]
Michener tried television writing but was unsuccessful. American television producer Bob Mann wanted Michener to co-create a weekly anthology series from Tales of the South Pacific and serve as narrator. Rodgers and Hammerstein, however, had bought all dramatic rights to the novel and did not relinquish their ownership.[13] Michener did lend his name to a different television series, Adventures in Paradise, in 1959, starring Gardner McKay as Captain Adam Troy in the sailing ship Tiki III.[14]
Michener was a popular writer during his lifetime; his novels sold an estimated 75 million copies worldwide.[15] His novel Hawaii (1959), well-timed on its publication when Hawaii became the 50th state, was based on extensive research. He used this approach for nearly all of his subsequent novels, which were based on detailed historical, cultural, and even geological research. Centennial (1974), which documented several generations of families in the Rocky Mountains of the American West, was adapted as a popular 12-part television miniseries of the same name and aired on the National Broadcasting Company (NBC television network) from October 1978 through February 1979.[16]
In 1996, State House Press published James A. Michener: A Bibliography, compiled by David A. Groseclose. Its more than 2,500 entries from 1923 to 1995 include magazine articles, forewords, and other works.[18]
Michener's prodigious output made for lengthy novels, several of which run more than 1,000 pages. The author states in My Lost Mexico (1992) that at times he would spend 12 to 15 hours per day at his typewriter for weeks on end, and that he used so much paper, his filing system had trouble keeping up.[page needed]
Personal life
Michener was married three times. In 1935, he married Patti Koon. In 1948, they divorced, and the same year Michener married his second wife, Vange Nord.[3] Michener met his third wife, Mari Yoriko Sabusawa, at a luncheon in Chicago. An American, she and her Japanese parents were interned in western camps that the U.S. government set up during the early years of World War II to hold ethnic Japanese from West Coast / Pacific communities. Michener divorced Nord in 1955 and married Sabusawa the same year. Sabusawa died in 1994.[3]
Michener's novel Sayonara (1954) is quasi-autobiographical.[5] Set during the early 1950s, it tells the story of Major Lloyd Gruver, a United States Air Force ace jet pilot in the Korean War (1950–1953), now stationed in Japan, who falls in love with Hana-ogi, a Japanese woman. The novel follows their cross-cultural romance and illuminates the racism of the post-World War II time period. In 1957 it was adapted into the highly successful movie Sayonara which starred Marlon Brando, James Garner, Miiko Taka, Miyoshi Umeki and Red Buttons; Umeki and Buttons both won the 1958 Academy Award ("Oscar") for best supporting actor / actress for their performances.[19]
Political career
Campaign poster from Michener's 1962 campaign for Congress
In the 1960 presidential election, Michener was chairman of the Bucks County, Pennsylvania committee to elect Democrat John F. Kennedy as the 35th President. In 1962, he unsuccessfully ran as a Democratic Party candidate for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania, a decision he later considered a misstep. "My mistake was to run in 1962 as a Democratic candidate for Congress. [My wife] kept saying, 'Don't do it, don't do it.' I lost and went back to writing books."[5] In his memoir The World Is My Home, Michener would describe running for office as "one of the best things I've done because campaigning in public knocks sense into a man."[20]
In 1968, Michener served as campaign manager for the U.S. SenatorJoseph S. Clark of Pennsylvania, who was running for reelection to a third term. Clark ultimately lost the race to Richard Schweiker, a moderate Republican.[21] Michener later served as Secretary for the 1967–1968 Pennsylvania Constitutional Convention.[5] Also that year, Michener was a member of the Electoral College, serving as a Pennsylvania Democrat. He wrote about that experience in a political science text Presidential Lottery: The Reckless Gamble in Our Electoral System, which was published the following year. In it, he suggested alternate systems, including using a direct popular vote by majority for the office of President of the United States and other more creative solutions.
Philanthropy
Michener became a major philanthropist, donating more than $100 million to educational, cultural, and writing institutions, including his alma mater, Swarthmore College, the Iowa Writers Workshop, and the James A. Michener Art Museum,[22] and more than $37 million to University of Texas at Austin. By 1992, his gifts made him UT Austin's largest single donor to that time. Over the years, Mari Michener played a major role in helping direct his donations.[3]
In 1989, Michener donated the royalty earnings from the Canadian edition of his novel Journey (1989), published in Canada by McClelland & Stewart, to create the Journey Prize, an annual Canadian literary prize worth $10,000 (CDN) that is awarded for the year's best short story published by an emerging Canadian writer.
In October 1997, suffering from terminal kidney disease, Michener opted to end his daily dialysis treatment that had kept him alive for four years. He said he had accomplished what he wanted and did not want further physical complications. On October 16, 1997, he died of kidney failure, at age 90.[3][12] Michener was cremated, and his ashes were placed next to those of his wife at Austin Memorial Park Cemetery in Austin, Texas. Michener is honored by a memorial headstone at the Texas State Cemetery in Austin.[25]
In 1980, Michener threw out the first pitch of Game Two of the National League Championship between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Houston Astros.[28]
Many of the fondest memories of my travels stem back to my years of military service in the New Hebrides – (now Vanuatu) – during the Pacific War years of the early 1940s...While those beautiful islands have changed much with progress in the ensuing years, I know from subsequent visits that the friendliness of the peoples, their infectious smiles and their open-heartedness will remain forever one of life's treasures.[30]
The Library at The University of Northern Colorado in Greeley, Colorado, his alma mater, is named "The James Michener Library" in his honor. On the mezzanine, there is a small display of his effects, including one of his typewriters.[32]
In 1998, the Raffles Hotel in Singapore named one of their suites after the author, in memory of his patronage and affection for the hotel. Michener first stayed at the Singapore hotel in 1949 after World War II. In a 1987 interview, he said it was a luxury for him, a young man, to stay at the Raffles Hotel then, and that he had the time of his life. He returned on a later trip. The suite was officially christened by Steven J. Green, Ambassador of United States to Singapore.[12]
Opened in 1988, in Michener's hometown of Doylestown, Pennsylvania, the James A. Michener Art Museum houses collections of local and well-known artists. Michener pledged $5.5 million to the museum in 1996.[3] Constructed from the remains of an old state prison, the museum is a non-profit organization with both permanent and rotating collections. Two prominent permanent fixtures are the James A. Michener display room and the Nakashima Reading Room, constructed in honor of his third wife's Japanese heritage. The museum is known for its permanent collection of Pennsylvania Impressionist paintings.
James A. Michener Society
The James A. Michener Society was formed in the fall of 1998. It comprises people who share a common interest and admirers of Michener's life and work.[33] The society sponsors a variety of activities and publishes an electronic internet newsletter. Annual meetings of members are held at locations closely associated with Michener's life.[33]
The society's purpose is to:[33]
Preserve the intellectual legacy of James A. Michener as a writer, teacher, historian, public servant, patriot, and philanthropist
Ensure that future generations have full access to all his writings
Promote the exchange of ideas and information about his writings
Encourage fellowship among readers of his writings
Inform devotees and members of the Society about recent publications and critiques of his writings
Works
In addition to writing novels, short stories, and non-fiction, Michener was very involved with movies, TV series, and radio. The following is only a selection of the listings in the Library of Congress files.[citation needed]
Set during the early 1950s, it tells the story of Major Gruver, a soldier stationed in Japan, who falls in love with Hana-Ogi, a Japanese woman. The novel follows their cross-cultural Japanese romance and illuminates the racism of the post-World War II time period.
Framed through the eyes of an American diplomat looking for an American woman married to an Afghan engineer, this novel explores the cultural shifts in post World War II Afghanistan.
In The Source, Michener recounts the origins and rise of Judaism starting with early Hebrews and carrying the reader all the way through to the modern Arab-Israeli conflict.
Centennial, one of Michener's most critically acclaimed novels, tells the story of Colorado, the Centennial State, from its geologic origins up to the 1976 Bicentennial.
This novel explores the history of the Caribbean, telling of the arrival of Columbus, the days of the buccaneers, the rise of the Jamaican sugar plantations, and moves up to the problems of the present day.
An American journalist, Norman Clay, arrives in Mexico not only to report on a duel between two celebrated matadors but to learn more about his family's past.
Told through the eyes of an American writer, Miracle in Seville explores bullfighting culture in Spain.
Matecumbe
2007
Set in Florida, Matecumbe is a small, character-driven story detailing the relationship of a mother and daughter, both divorced and living parallel lives.
Books—non-fiction
Title
Year published
Notes
The Future of the Social Studies ("The Problem of the Social Studies")
The Voice of Asia, a compilation of fifteen articles published in 1951, presents Michener's personal experiences traveling through Asia after World War II.
The Floating World
1954
Michener, in the text accompanying these prints, details how Japanese printmakers in the Edo period kept their art alive in the face of government restrictions.
In this collection of short pieces, Michener and Day present the thrilling tales of ten real life adventurers.
Japanese Prints: From the Early Masters to the Modern
1959
Featuring text written by Michener, this book presents sketches made by the artist Jack Levine during a trip to Japan. It also features notes by Richard Lane
Report of the County Chairman
1961
Michener, who served as the chairman of the Bucks County Citizens for Kennedy Committee, recounts the process of campaigning for John F. Kennedy in Pennsylvania.
The Modern Japanese Print: An Appreciation
1968
In this limited edition book, Michener provides commentary on ten works by Japanese woodblock print masters.
In this non-fiction travelogue, Michener explores the culture, history, and geography of Portugal and Spain.
Presidential Lottery
1969
Written in the run-up to the 1972 election, this non-fiction volume examines the limitations of the US electoral system and proposes reforms.
The Quality of Life
1970
Michener presents his reflections and criticisms of US politics and culture in the 1970s as well as his recommendations for the future.
Kent State: What Happened and Why
1971
In Kent State, Michener investigates the 1970 shooting of unarmed college students by the Ohio National Guard.
A Michener Miscellany: 1950–1970
1973
This compilation of essays features works by Michener published between 1950 and 1970.
Firstfruits: A Harvest of 25 Years of Israeli Writing
1973
Edited by Michener, Firstfruits collects outstanding Israeli short fiction from the first 25 years of the country's existence.
Sports in America
1976
In this non-fiction volume, Michener examines the phenomenon of sports culture in America and its inherent issues.
About Centennial: Some Notes on the Novel
1978
In this unique offering from Michener, he outlines the process of writing Centennial in this book distributed only to libraries and select booksellers.
Michener reflects on early influences in his life in this limited edition book.
Six Days in Havana
1989
Based on his research trip to Cuba for his novel Caribbean, Six Days in Havana presents Michener's recollection of the vibrant people and landscapes he encountered in Havana.
Pilgrimage: A Memoir of Poland and Rome
1990
Part travelogue, part memoir, in Pilgrimage Michener recounts his travels to Poland and Italy and reflects on his relationships with Pope John Paul II, Stan Musial, and others.
Recounts the period in Texas history when renegade Sam Houston emigrated to the Mexican state of Tejas and helped lead the 1836 revolution against Mexican president Santa Anna
1957 film nominated for 10 Academy Awards, won four; including Best Supporting Actress, for Miyoshi Umeki, the first East Asian Actress to win an Oscar. Based on the semi-autobiographical novel Sayonara (1954).
^Michener, James (1992). The World is My Home (First ed.). New York: Random House. p. 188. ISBN0-679-40134-2.
^Beers, Paul B. (March 31, 1976). Pennsylvania Politics Today and Yesterday: The Tolerable Accommodation. Penn State University Press. p. 198. ISBN978-0271002385.
Dybwad, G.L.; Bliss, Joy V.; Michener, James A. (1995). James A. Michener: The Beginning Teacher and His Textbooks. The Book Stops Here. (His formative school years with Michener's personal reminiscences.)
Grobel, Lawrence (1999). Conversations with Michener (hardcover titled Talking with Michener).
.jpg)
.jpg)
_(cropped).jpg)
