James Michener

Novelist

Birthday February 3, 1907

Birth Sign Aquarius

Birthplace Doylestown, PA

DEATH DATE Oct 16, 1997 (90)

#225,982 Most Popular

About

World traveler and author who wrote Tales of the South Pacific, for which he won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1948. His other literary works include The Fires of Spring, The Drifters, Chesapeake, and Caravans.

Before Fame

After graduating from Swarthmore College and Colorado State Teachers College, he served in the U.S. Navy during World War II. His wartime experiences inspired his famous work, Tales of the South Pacific.

Trivia

He thoroughly researched topics before beginning a novel, as is described in his 1992 memoir, The World Is My Home.

Family Life

He was adopted and raised by Mabel Michener, a Pennsylvania Quaker woman. After divorcing his first two wives (Patti Koon and Vange Noord), he married his third wife, Mari Yoriko Sabusawa, in 1955.

Associated With

Louisa May Alcott was also an acclaimed, Pennsylvania-born author.