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Loading... Michener: A Writer's Journeyby Stephen J. May
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Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book. No current Talk conversations about this book. I can't read about Michener and not enjoy it. I even like his grumpiness. This book is more about his writing life than any other part of his life, most of which went quietly to the grave with him. He was, however, fiercely proud of his achievements and liked us all to know about them and perhaps enjoy them as much as he did. Mr. May has presented them fairly well. ( ) no reviews | add a review
James A. Michener was one of the most beloved storytellers of our time, captivating readers with sweeping historical plots that educated and entertained. In this first full-length biography of the private as well as the public Michener, Stephen J. May reveals how an aspiring writer became a best-selling novelist. It is the only book to draw on Michener?s complete papers as well as interviews with his friends and associates. The result conveys much about Michener never before revealed in print. May follows the young Michener from an impoverished Pennsylvania childhood to the wartime Pacific, where he found inspiration for Tales of the South Pacific, a book that led to a string of best sellers, including The Source, Centennial, Chesapeake, and The Covenant. May provides insights into Michener?s personal life: his three marriages, his unique working methods, and his social and political views. He also reveals the author?s hypersensitivity to criticism, his egotism, and his failure on some occasions to acknowledge the contributions of his assistants. Examining Michener?s body of writing in its biographical and cultural contexts, May describes the creation of each novel and assesses the book?s strengths and shortcomings. His close readings underscore Michener?s innovativeness in presenting mountains of historical and cultural research in an engaging literary form. This probing biography establishes Michener?s place in twentieth-century letters as it offers an unprecedented view of the man behind the typewriter. No library descriptions found. |
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Google Books — Loading... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)813.54Literature English (North America) American fiction 20th Century 1945-1999LC ClassificationRatingAverage:
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