James Gould Cozzens

Novelist

Birthday August 19, 1903

Birth Sign Leo

Birthplace Chicago, IL

DEATH DATE Aug 9, 1978 (74)

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About

A twentieth-century American novelist, he is known for works such as Guard of Honor and By Love Possessed. Two of his short stories, Total Stranger and a Farewell to Cuba, received the prestigious O. Henry Award.

Before Fame

He published his debut novel, Confusion, while he was a student at Harvard University.

Trivia

A vocal critic of literary modernism, he once said that he could not read more than ten pages of John Steinbeck without throwing up.

Family Life

He was born in Chicago, and he grew up in New York City. He married Sylvia Bernice Baumgarten in 1927.

Associated With

John Updike criticized Cozzens's last novel, Morning, Noon, and Night.