James Albert Michener | Introduction To An Author

James A Michener, (February 3, 1907 – October 16, 1997), is one of the most memorable names when it comes to semi-real sagas, i.e., stories of lives and characters based in authentic historical landscapes. He was an orphan, born and raised in America, by an adoptive mother. And it seems that the search of his own roots was the drive that took him all over the world and he gave us those wonderful stories.

Michener did very well in schools and college and graduated with highest honours, his major subjects being English and Psycholology. He travelled Europe for two years and came back to USA to become a high school teacher. For many years, he continued teaching at various schools and adding more feathers to his qualifications as teacher.

But the magic happened when he was called in to serve for World War II in US Navy, which gave him an opportunity to travel throughout the South Pacific on various missions. From this travels we got “Tales of the South Pacific”, and he won the Pulitzer prize for fiction in 1948. This was followed by more than 40 books, all supported by meticulous research work.

He remains one of the most popular writers with @75 million copies of his books sold world-wide. Some of the best-sellers include ‘Hawaii’, ‘The Drifters’, ‘Centennial’, ‘The Source’, ‘The Fires of Spring’, ‘Chesapeake’, ‘Caribbean’, ‘Caravans’, ‘Alaska’, ‘Texas’, ‘Poland’, ‘Iberia’, ‘The World is my Home’ and ‘Return to Paradise’. His stories have been a source of numerous TV and film adaptations.

This prolific writer spent his last years in Texas and died on October 16, 1997 at the age of 90. In 1998, the James A Michener Society was founded, with a commitment to preserve the intellectual legacy of an extraordinary man who was a successful writer, historian, public servant, patriot and philanthropist.

In following days, we will tell you the gist of a few of his fantastic stories……..So, keep looking….