View source for Biography:James A. Michener

{{Short description|American author (1907–1997)}}
{{Infobox writer <!-- for more information see :Template:Infobox writer/doc -->
| name             = James A. Michener
| image            = James Albert Michener · DN-SC-92-05368.JPEG
| caption          = Michener in 1991
| pseudonym        = 
| birth_date       = {{birth date|1907|02|03}}
| birth_place      = Doylestown, Pennsylvania, U.S.
| death_date       = {{death date and age|1997|10|16|1907|02|03}}
| death_place      = {{wipe|Austin, Texas}}, Texas, U.S.
| occupation       = {{flatlist|
* Author
* philanthropist
* [[Social:Teacher|teacher]]
* academic
* naval officer 
* political advisor
}}
| genre            = Historical fiction
| awards           = * Pulitzer Prize for Fiction (1948)
* Presidential Medal of Freedom (1977)<ref name="WJT 2">{{cite web|last=Wolley|first=John T.|author2=Gerhard Peters|date=January 10, 1977|title=Gerald R. Ford, 38th President of the United States: 1974 ‐ 1977, Remarks Upon Presenting the Presidential Medal of Freedom|url=https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/remarks-upon-presenting-the-presidential-medal-freedom|access-date=March 29, 2020|work=The American Presidency Project|publisher=www.presidency.ucsb.edu|archive-date=February 11, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200211232541/https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/remarks-upon-presenting-the-presidential-medal-freedom|url-status=live}}</ref>
| notableworks     = ''Tales of the South Pacific'' (1946)
| spouses          = {{plain list|
* {{marriage|Patti Koon|1935|1948|end=div}}
* {{marriage|Vange Nord|1948|1955|end=div}}
* {{marriage|Mari Yoriko Sabusawa|1955|1994|end=died}}
}}
| alma_mater       = [[Organization:Swarthmore College|Swarthmore College]]<br>[[Organization:University of St Andrews|University of St Andrews]]<br>[[Organization:University of Northern Colorado|University of Northern Colorado]]
| movement         = 
| influences       = 
| influenced       = 
| website          = 
| signature        = 
}}

'''James Albert Michener''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|m|ɪ|tʃ|ə|n|ər}} or {{IPAc-en|ˈ|m|ɪ|tʃ|n|ər}};<ref>{{cite news|title=Michener |work=The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language |edition=Fourth |publisher=Houghton Mifflin |year=2004  |url=http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/michener}}</ref> 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 [[Company:Book of the Month Club|Book of the Month Club]]; he was known for the meticulous research that went into his books.<ref name="nytimesobit">{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1997/10/17/books/james-michener-author-of-novels-that-sweep-through-the-history-of-places-is-dead.html |title=James Michener, Author of Novels That Sweep Through the History of Places, Is Dead |first=Albin |last=Krebs |work=The New York Times |date=October 17, 1997 |access-date=November 5, 2009}}</ref>

Michener's books include ''Tales of the South Pacific'', for which he won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1948; ''Hawaii''; ''The Drifters''; ''Centennial''; ''The Source''; ''The Fires of Spring''; ''Chesapeake''; ''Caribbean''; ''Caravans''; ''Alaska''; ''Texas''; ''Space''; ''Poland''; and ''The Bridges at Toko-ri''. His non-fiction works include ''Iberia'', about his travels in Spain and Portugal; his memoir, ''The World Is My Home''; and ''Sports in America''. ''Return to Paradise'' combines fictional short stories with Michener's factual descriptions of the Pacific areas where they take place.<ref name="nytimesobit" />

His first book was adapted as the popular Broadway musical ''South Pacific'', by Rodgers and Hammerstein, and later as eponymous feature films 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.<ref>{{cite book|url=   http://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/114093/presidential-lottery-by-james-a-michener/9780812986822/|title= Presidential Lottery|date=1969|author=Michener, James|publisher =   Penguin Random House|access-date=March 1, 2017 }}</ref>

==Biography==
Michener was born in Doylestown, Pennsylvania. He later wrote that he did not know who his biological parents were, or exactly when or where he was born.<ref name=nytimesobit/> He was raised a Quaker by an adoptive mother, Mabel Michener, in Doylestown, Bucks County, Pennsylvania.<ref name="secureapps.libraries.psu.edu">{{cite web|url=https://pabook.libraries.psu.edu/michener__james_albert |website=Pennsylvania Center for the Book|title=James Michener Biography|publisher= Penn State University Libraries}}</ref>

Michener graduated from Doylestown High School in 1925. He attended [[Organization:Swarthmore College|Swarthmore College]], in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, where he played basketball and was a member of the Phi Delta Theta fraternity. After graduating summa cum laude in 1929, with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and History, he traveled and studied in Scotland at the [[Organization:University of St Andrews|University of St Andrews]] in the medieval town of St. Andrews, Fife, on the coast of the North Sea for two years.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.library.miami.edu/specialcollections/collections/findingaids/m0134_find.html |title=Biographical Sketch, James A. Michener Papers |website=University of Miami Library |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120729050100/http://www.library.miami.edu/specialcollections/collections/findingaids/m0134_find.html |archive-date=July 29, 2012 |df=mdy-all }}</ref>

Michener talks about hoboing (riding freight trains for free) during the Great Depression, as mentioned in the 1998 Great Depression documentary on the History Channel.

Michener took a job as a high school English teacher at The Hill School in Pottstown, Pennsylvania. From 1933 to 1936, he taught English at George School in Newtown, Pennsylvania. He attended Colorado State Teachers College in Greeley, Colorado, (in 1970 renamed the [[Organization:University of Northern Colorado|University of Northern Colorado]]), where he earned a Master of Arts degree in education.<ref name="secureapps.libraries.psu.edu"/> After graduation, he taught at the university and at College High School (the University Lab School) for several years.  The [[Organization:University of Northern Colorado#Michener Library|library]] at the [[Organization:University of Northern Colorado|University of Northern Colorado]] was named after him in October 1972.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.unco.edu/news/releases.aspx?id=4484|title=UNC Celebrating Michener Library's First 40 Years|first=Kalen|last=May|date=October 30, 2012|website=University of Colorado|access-date=July 17, 2016|archive-date=May 10, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170510102404/http://www.unco.edu/news/releases.aspx?id=4484|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|website=Michener Library |url=http://libguides.unco.edu/c.php?g=94768&p=2497317|title=Michener}}</ref>

In 1935, Michener married Patti Koon. He accepted a Guest Lecturer position at [[Organization:Harvard University|Harvard University]], from 1939 to 1940, but left to join Macmillan Publishers as their [[Social:Social studies|social studies]] education editor.<ref name="secureapps.libraries.psu.edu"/>

Although as a Quaker, he could have qualified as a conscientious objector and not been drafted into the military, Michener enlisted in the United States Navy during [[Social:World War II|World War II]] (1941–1945).<ref name="nytimesobit" /><ref>{{cite web|title= James A. Michener Biography and Interview |website=www.achievement.org|publisher=American Academy of Achievement|url= https://achievement.org/achiever/james-a-michener/#interview}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web | url=https://epdf.pub/michener-a-writers-journey.html | title=Michener: A Writer's Journey - PDF Free Download| date=July 7, 0419}}</ref> He traveled throughout the [[Earth:South Pacific Ocean|South Pacific Ocean]] on various assignments which he gained because his base commanders mistakenly thought his father was Admiral Marc Mitscher.<ref>{{cite book|author=Michener, James A. |title=Return to Paradise|url=https://archive.org/details/returntoparadise0000mich |url-access=registration |publisher=Random House|date= 1951}}</ref>  His experiences during these travels inspired the stories published in his breakout work ''Tales of the South Pacific''.<ref name="secureapps.libraries.psu.edu"/>

In 1960, Michener was chairman of the Bucks County committee to elect Democrat [[Biography:John F. Kennedy|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."<ref name="secureapps.libraries.psu.edu"/>

In 1968, Michener served as the [[Social:Campaign manager|campaign manager]] for the U.S. Senator Joseph S. Clark of Pennsylvania, who was running for reelection to a third term. Clark ultimately lost the race to Richard Schweiker, a moderate Republican.<ref>{{cite book |title=Pennsylvania Politics Today and Yesterday: The Tolerable Accommodation |first= Paul B. |last=Beers |page=198 |publisher=Penn State University Press |date=March 31, 1976 |isbn=978-0271002385}}</ref> Michener later served as Secretary for the 1967–1968 Pennsylvania Constitutional Convention.<ref name="secureapps.libraries.psu.edu"/> 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.

===Writing career===
[[File:Michenertypewriter.JPG|thumb|200 px|Michener's typewriter at the James A. Michener Art Museum in Doylestown, Pennsylvania]]
Michener began his writing career during [[Social:World War II|World War II]], when as a lieutenant in the U.S. Navy he was assigned to the South Pacific as a naval historian. He later turned his notes and impressions into ''Tales of the South Pacific'' (1947), his first book, published when he was age 40. It won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 1948, and Rodgers and Hammerstein adapted it as the hit Broadway musical ''South Pacific'', which premiered on Broadway in {{wipe|New York City}} in 1949.<ref name="suite"/>  The musical was also adapted as eponymous feature films in 1958 and 2001.

In the late 1950s, Michener began working as a roving editor for the ''Readers' Guide to Periodical Literature''. He gave up that work in 1970.{{citation needed|date=February 2013}}

Michener tried [[Engineering:Television|television]] writing but was unsuccessful. American television producer Bob Mann wanted Michener to co-create a weekly [[Engineering:Anthology series|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.<ref>{{cite book|author=Hayes, John Michael|title=James A. Michener: A Biography|url=https://archive.org/details/jamesamichenerbi00haye|url-access=registration|publisher= Bobbs-Merrill|date= 1984|page=[https://archive.org/details/jamesamichenerbi00haye/page/158 158]|isbn=9780672527821}}</ref>  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''.<ref>Hayes, p. 159.</ref>

Michener was a popular writer during his lifetime; his novels sold an estimated 75&nbsp;million copies worldwide.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bookrags.com/biography/james-michener/ |title=James Michener Biography |website=Bookrags.com |access-date=May 3, 2009}}</ref> 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 [[Engineering:Miniseries|miniseries]] of the same name and aired on the National Broadcasting Company (NBC television network) from October 1978 through February 1979.<ref>{{cite web|url=  http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/34269/centennial-the-complete-series/  |title= Centennial: The Complete Miniseries|website= DVDTalk.com    
|access-date=March 1, 2017 }}</ref>

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.<ref>{{cite book|title=   James A. Michener, A Bibliography|isbn = 1880510235|last1 = Groseclose|first1 = David A.|year = 1996| publisher=State House Press }}</ref>

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|date=February 2013}}

===Marriages===
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.<ref name="nytimesobit"/>

Michener met his third wife, Mari Yoriko Sabusawa, at a luncheon in {{wipe|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.<ref name="nytimesobit"/>

Michener's novel ''Sayonara'' (1954) is quasi-autobiographical.<ref name="secureapps.libraries.psu.edu"/> Set during the early 1950s, it tells the story of Major Lloyd Gruver, a {{wipe|United States Air Force}} ace jet pilot in the Korean War (1950–1953), now stationed in {{wipe|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.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1958|title=The 30th Academy Awards (1958) Nominees and Winners|access-date=August 27, 2013|publisher=Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS)}}</ref>

===Philanthropist===
Michener became a major philanthropist, donating more than $100&nbsp;million to educational, cultural, and writing institutions, including his ''[[Social:Alma mater|alma mater]]'', [[Organization:Swarthmore College|Swarthmore College]], the Iowa Writers Workshop, and the James A. Michener Art Museum,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.michenerartmuseum.org/|title=James A. Michener Art Museum|website=michenerartmuseum.org|access-date=February 16, 2004|archive-date=March 30, 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060330003403/http://www.michenerartmuseum.org/|url-status=dead}}</ref> and more than $37&nbsp;million to [[Organization:University of Texas at Austin|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.<ref name="nytimesobit"/>

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.

===Final years and death===
[[File:South Pacific rehearsal.jpg|thumb|right|The creative team and star of ''South Pacific'', L–R: Joshua Logan, Richard Rodgers, Oscar Hammerstein II, Mary Martin, and Michener (1949)]]
In the Micheners' final years, he and his wife lived in {{wipe|Austin, Texas}}, and they endowed the Michener Center for Writers at the University of Texas at Austin. The Center provides three-year Michener Fellowships in fiction, poetry, playwriting and screenwriting to a small number of students.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.utexas.edu/academic/mcw/program/ |title=The Michener Center for Writers and its Master of Fine Arts program at the University of Texas at Austin |website=utexas.edu |access-date=May 28, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.utexas.edu/academic/mcw/program/fellowship-support/ |title=The Michener Fellowship at the University of Texas at Austin |website=utexas.edu |access-date=May 28, 2014}}</ref>

Suffering from terminal kidney disease, in October 1997, Michener ended the daily [[Engineering:Kidney dialysis|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.<ref name=nytimesobit/><ref name="suite">{{cite news |title=Get Me Michener at Raffles |location=Singapore |work=The New Paper |date=September 16, 1998}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite web|url=   http://www.cemetery.state.tx.us/pub/user_form.asp?step=2&pers_id=6230&last_name=Michener&first_name=James|title=James Albert Michener|website= Texas State Cemetery|access-date=March 1, 2017 }}</ref>

===Bequests===
Michener left most of his estate and book copyrights to [[Organization:Swarthmore College|Swarthmore College]], where he earned his bachelor's degree.<ref>{{cite news |last=O'Neill |first=James |title=Michener's gift keeps on giving |newspaper=Philadelphia Inquirer |date=March 1, 1998}}</ref> He had donated his papers to the [[Organization:University of Northern Colorado|University of Northern Colorado]], where he earned his master's degree.<ref name=nytimesobit/>

==Honors==
[[File:James Michener in University of Texas at Arlington Library Special Collections (10003851) (cropped).jpg|thumb|Michener in 1985]]
* In 1971, Michener was awarded the Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement<ref>{{cite web|title= Golden Plate Awardees of the American Academy of Achievement |website=www.achievement.org|publisher=American Academy of Achievement|url=https://achievement.org/our-history/golden-plate-awards/#the-arts}}</ref>
* In 1980, Michener threw out the first pitch of Game Two of the National League Championship between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Houston Astros.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NhXxkB2xq2w | title=1980 NLCS Game 2 - Astros vs Phillies @mrodsports | website=[[Company:YouTube|YouTube]] }}</ref> 
* In 1981, Michener was awarded the St. Louis Literary Award from the [[Organization:Saint Louis University|Saint Louis University]] Library Associates in St. Louis, Missouri.
* In 1993, the U.S. Navy Memorial Foundation awarded Michener its "Lone Sailor Award" for his naval war service and his literary achievements.<ref>{{cite web|title=Lone Sailor Award Recipients|url=http://www.navymemorial.org/lone-sailor-award-recipients|website=The United States Navy Memorial|access-date=29 November 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151016214216/http://www.navymemorial.org/lone-sailor-award-recipients|archive-date=October 16, 2015|url-status=dead|df=mdy-all}}</ref>
* In 1994, Michener endorsed the naming as "Michener's" the restaurant at Iririki Island Resort, [[Place:Port Vila|Port Vila]], Vanuatu. He wrote:

<blockquote>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.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.iririki.com/dinning.html|website=iririki.com|title=Michener's}}</ref></blockquote>

===Posthumous===
* On May 12, 2008, the United States Postal Service honored him with a 59¢ Distinguished Americans series postage stamp.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.usps.com/communications/newsroom/2008/sr08_058.htm|title=Two American Legends Appearing on Stamps: The Postal Service Honors James Michener and Dr. Edward Trudeau|website=USPS.gov|date=2008|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101009025233/http://www.usps.com/communications/newsroom/2008/sr08_058.htm|archive-date=October 9, 2010|df=mdy-all}}</ref>
* The Library at The [[Organization:University of Northern Colorado|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.<ref>{{cite web|title=Michener Library|url=http://library.unco.edu/libraries/michener.htm|website=Libraries: UNC's Information Source|access-date=29 November 2014}}</ref>
* In 1998, the Raffles Hotel in [[Place:Singapore|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 [[Social:World War II|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.<ref name="suite"/>

===James A. Michener Art Museum===
[[File:Michener Museum Dtown.JPG|thumb|James Michener Museum in Doylestown, Pennsylvania]]
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&nbsp;million to the museum in 1996.<ref name=nytimesobit/>  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.<ref name="society">{{cite web|url=http://www.michenersociety.com|title=Michener Society|website=MichenerSociety.com}}</ref> 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.<ref name="society"/>
The society's purpose is to:<ref name="society"/>
* 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|date=February 2013}}

===Books—fiction===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
!Title!!Year Published!!Description
|-
|''Tales of the South Pacific''||1947||Pulitzer Prize–winning collection of sequentially related short stories about World War II.<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://thegreatestbooks.org/items/306 |title = Tales of the South Pacific by James A. Michener - the 613th Greatest Fiction Book of All Time}}</ref>
|-
|''The Fires of Spring''||1949||This coming of age tale follows orphan David Harper as he navigates life and love in America.
|-
|''Return to Paradise''||1950||Eight essays, each describing a South Pacific Island, and followed by a short story about that island.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://bestsellers.lib.virginia.edu/submissions/194|title=20th-Century American Bestsellers|website=Bestsellers.lib.virginia.edu|access-date=August 25, 2018}}</ref>
|-
|''The Bridges at Toko-ri''||1953||This short novel chronicles the lives of young American servicemen fighting in the Korean War.
|-
|''Sayonara''||1954||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.
|-
|''Hawaii''||1959||This historical novel spans centuries of Hawaiian history, exploring the myriad influences that have shaped the people and landscapes of the state.
|-
|''Caravans''||1963||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.
|-
|''The Source''||1965||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.
|-
|''The Drifters''||1971||''The Drifters'' examines the lives of young travelers as they search for meaning in the Vietnam war era.
|-
|''Centennial''||1974||''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.
|-
|''Chesapeake''||1978||This novel recounts the history of a Maryland coastal community in Michener's trademark style.
|-
|''The Watermen''||1978||An excerpt from his larger novel, ''Chesapeake'', which was published by {{wipe|Random House}} the same year.
|-
|''The Covenant''||1980||From the prehistoric bushmen to British colonists, Michener traces the history of South Africa from its origins to the Second Boer War.
|-
|''Space''||1982||The lives of scientists, astronauts, and politicians intertwine in this fictional account of the United States Space program.
|-
|''Poland''||1983||Inspired by his travels in Poland, this Michener novel examines Polish history and culture from the 1200s up until the 1980s.
|-
|''Texas''||1985||In this book, which spans over 400 years, Michener chronicles the origins, history and culture of Texas.
|-
|''Legacy''||1987||''Legacy'' presents a fictionalized account of the Iran–Contra scandal through the eyes of a conflicted US lieutenant colonel.
|-
|''Alaska''||1988||This novel traces the background of Alaska from prehistory, through the gold rush, and into World War II.
|-
|''Caribbean''||1989||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.
|-
|''Journey''||1989||Journey, based on a chapter from ''Alaska'', follows the trials and tribulations of a British mining expedition during the Klondike Gold Rush.
|-
|''The Novel''||1991||''The Novel'' tells the story of a book, from its creation to publication, through the intersecting narratives of a writer, editor, reader, and critic.
|-
|''Mexico''||1992||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.
|-
|''Recessional''||1994||''Recessional'', Michener's final novel, presents the challenges faced by a doctor caring for an unusual patient in a Florida hospice facility.
|-
|''Miracle in Seville''||1995||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—nonfiction===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
!Title!!Year published!!Notes
|-
|''The Future of the Social Studies ("The Problem of the Social Studies")''||1939|| Editor
|-
|''The Voice of Asia''||1951||''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.
|-
|''The Bridge at Andau''||1957||Michener chronicles the experience of hundreds of refugees, fleeing brutal persecution by the Hungarian State Security Police
|-
|''Rascals in Paradise'' ||1957||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.
|-
|''Iberia''||1968|| In this nonfiction 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.
|-
|''James A. Michener's USA: The People and the Land''||1981|| Edited by Peter Chaitin; foreword by Michener
|-
|''Collectors, Forgers—and a Writer: A Memoir''||1983||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.
|-
|''The Eagle and the Raven''||1990||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
|-
|''My Lost Mexico''||1992||Michener recounts the process of writing and editing ''Mexico'', a novel which he set aside for 30 years before finishing it in 1992.
|-
|''The World Is My Home''||1992||''The World Is My Home'', Michener's widest arching memoir, presents the writer's reflections on both his life and career.
|-
|''Creatures of the Kingdom''||1993||Collection of fifteen animal-focused segments from ''Hawaii'', ''Centennial'', ''Chesapeake'', ''The Covenant'', ''Texas'' and ''Alaska'', and one original story.
|-
|''Literary Reflections''||1993||''Literary Reflections'', a collection of Michener's reminiscences, also includes the reprinted text of ''Collectors, Forgers—and a Writer and Testimony''.
|-
|''William Penn''||1994||A monograph by Michener about the life and beliefs of William Penn, the founder and first governor of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, 
|-
|''Ventures in Editing''||1995||In this limited edition book, Michener offers commentary on the writing and publishing process. 
|-
|''This Noble Land''||1996||''This Noble Land: My Vision for America'', describes the nation's strength and weakness and the author's hopes for its future.
|-
|''Three Great Novels of World War II'' ||1996||A compilation of World War II novels featuring Michener's ''Tales of the South Pacific'' as well as Thomas Heggen's ''Mr. Roberts'' and Leon Uris' ''Battle Cry.'' 
|-
|''A Century of Sonnets''||1997||This collection of poetry written by Michener contains over one hundred poems written over a span of seventy-years. 
|-
|}

===Adaptations===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
!Title!!Notes
|-
|''South Pacific''||1949 Broadway musical by Rodgers and Hammerstein based on the novel ''Tales of the South Pacific'' (1946)
|-
|''The Bridges at Toko-Ri''||1954 film based on the novella ''The Bridges at Toko-ri'' (1953)
|-
|''Return to Paradise''||1953 film based on the short story "Mr. Morgan" in the collection ''Return to Paradise'' (1951)
|-
|''Men of the Fighting Lady'' (also known as Panther Squadron) ||1954 film inspired by Michener's ''Saturday Evening Post'' article, "The Forgotten Heroes of Korea"
|-
|''Until They Sail''||1957 film based on a short story included in ''Return to Paradise''
|-
|''Sayonara''||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).
|-
|''South Pacific''||1958 film based on the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical in turn based on the novel ''Tales of the South Pacific'' (1946)
|-
|''Adventures in Paradise''||1959–62 television series created by Michener
|-
|''Hawaii''||1966 film based on the novel ''Hawaii'' (1959)
|-
|''The Hawaiians''||1970 film based on the novel ''Hawaii'' (1959)
|-
|''Centennial''||1978 TV miniseries based on the novel ''Centennial'' (1974)
|-
|''Caravans''||1978 film starring Anthony Quinn based on the novel ''Caravans'' (1963)
|-
|''Space''||1985 TV miniseries based on the novel ''Space'' (1982)
|-
|''James A. Michener's Texas''||1994 TV miniseries based on the novel ''Texas'' (1985)
|-
|''South Pacific''||2001 television movie based on the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical in turn based on the novel ''Tales of the South Pacific'' (1946)
|}

==See also==
* List of bestselling novels in the United States
* Edward Rutherfurd
{{clear}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite book|author1=Dybwad, G.L. |author2=Bliss, Joy V. |author3=Michener, James A. |title=James A. Michener: The Beginning Teacher and His Textbooks|date= 1995|publisher=The Book Stops Here}} (His formative school years with Michener's personal reminiscences.)
* {{cite book|author=Grobel, Lawrence |title=Conversations with Michener ''(hardcover titled ''Talking with Michener'')''|date= 1999}}
* {{cite book|author1=Groseclose, David A. |author2=Michener, James A. |title=James A. Michener: A Bibliography|url=https://archive.org/details/jamesamichenerb00dybw |url-access=registration |date= 1996|isbn=9780963161215 }}
* {{cite book|author=Hayes, John Phillip|title=James A. Michener: A Biography|url=https://archive.org/details/jamesamichenerbi00haye|url-access=registration|publisher= Bobbs Merrill|date= 1985|isbn=9780672527821}}
* {{cite book|author1=May, Steven J. |author2=Hemingway, Valerie |title=Michener: A Writer's Journey|url=https://archive.org/details/michenerwritersj00mays |url-access=registration |date= 2005|publisher=University of Oklahoma Press|isbn=9780806136998 }}
* {{cite book|author=Roberts, F.X.|publisher=Greenwood Press|date=1995|title= James A. Michener: A Checklist of His Works, with a Selected, Annotated Bibliography|isbn=9780313294532|url=https://archive.org/details/jamesamichenerch00robe|url-access=registration}}
* {{cite book|author=Silverman, Herman |title=Michener and Me: A Memoir|edition=Hardcover |date=1999}} (Memoir by a long-time friend of Michener's.)
* {{cite book|author=Vavra, Robert (Photographer)|title=Michener's The Name|date= 2006}} (Photo essay and commentary on Michener's writing of ''Iberia'' in Spain.)

==External links==
* {{IMDb name|585151}}
* [http://www.randomhouse.com/rhpg/authors/results.pperl?authorid=20535 Published books with covers]
* [http://www.unco.edu/library/ James A. Michener Library at the University of Northern Colorado]
* [https://achievement.org/achiever/james-a-michener/#interview James A. Michener Biography and Interview on American Academy of Achievement]
* [http://www.unco.edu/library/archives/james_michener_collection/ James A. Michener Collection at the University of Northern Colorado]
* [http://www.michenersociety.com James A. Michener Society]
* [http://www.michenerartmuseum.org/ James A. Michener Art Museum, Doylestown, PA] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060330003403/http://www.michenerartmuseum.org/ |date=March 30, 2006 }}
* [http://www.utexas.edu/academic/mcw/ Michener Center for Writers at the University of Texas at Austin]
* [http://www.edwardrutherfurd.com/index.php?id=52&i=ngt4638ab6 Michener: His Influence and Ethics] by Edward Rutherfurd
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070717173512/http://www.erroluys.com/WorkingwithJamesA.MichenerIndex.htm Working with James A. Michener—The Making of ''The Covenant'']
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iua7WkaYJZs James Michener interviewed by Stephen Banker] (~1978)
* [http://www.cemetery.state.tx.us/pub/user_form.asp?step=2&pers_id=6230&last_name=Michener&first_name=James Biographical Entry] at the Texas State Cemetery
* {{Find a Grave|3132}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:Michener, James A.}}
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{{Sourceattribution|James A. Michener}}