James A. Michener

James A. Michener’s Followers (3,592)

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James A. Michener


Born
in New York, New York, The United States
February 03, 1907

Died
October 16, 1997

Genre

Influences


James Albert Michener is best known for his sweeping multi-generation historical fiction sagas, usually focusing on and titled after a particular geographical region. His first novel, Tales of the South Pacific , which inspired the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical South Pacific, won the 1948 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.

Toward the end of his life, he created the Journey Prize, awarded annually for the year's best short story published by an emerging Canadian writer; founded an MFA program now, named the Michener Center for Writers, at the University of Texas at Austin; and made substantial contributions to the James A. Michener Art Museum in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, best known for its permanent collection of Pennsylvania Impressionist pain
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Average rating: 4.15 · 362,691 ratings · 16,519 reviews · 522 distinct worksSimilar authors
Hawaii

by
4.22 avg rating — 81,542 ratings — published 1959
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The Source

4.30 avg rating — 45,519 ratings — published 1965 — 23 editions
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Centennial

4.26 avg rating — 44,988 ratings — published 1974 — 108 editions
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Chesapeake

4.22 avg rating — 27,325 ratings — published 1978 — 92 editions
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The Covenant

4.22 avg rating — 21,939 ratings — published 1980 — 57 editions
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Texas

4.11 avg rating — 19,416 ratings — published 1985
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Alaska

by
4.17 avg rating — 16,819 ratings — published 1988 — 81 editions
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Tales of the South Pacific

4.04 avg rating — 16,617 ratings — published 1947 — 95 editions
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Poland

4.06 avg rating — 11,968 ratings — published 1983 — 82 editions
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Caravans

4.12 avg rating — 9,411 ratings — published 1963 — 113 editions
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More books by James A. Michener…
Quotes by James A. Michener  (?)
Quotes are added by the Goodreads community and are not verified by Goodreads. (Learn more)

“I love writing. I love the swirl and swing of words as they tangle with human emotions.”
James Michener

“If you reject the food, ignore the customs, fear the religion, and avoid the people, you might better stay home.”
James A. Michener

“Character consists of what you do on the third and fourth tries.”
James A. Michener

Polls

3rd Quarter 2025 Long Reads (July - September)

The Tale of Genji by Murasaki Shikibu, c. 1000, 1182 pages
 
  39 votes, 20.2%

No Name by Wilkie Collins, 1862, 748 pages
 
  34 votes, 17.6%

Hawaii by James A. Michener, 1959, 937 pages
 
  31 votes, 16.1%

 
  30 votes, 15.5%

Lincoln by Gore Vidal, 1984, 672 pages
 
  24 votes, 12.4%

 
  23 votes, 11.9%

Tigana by Guy Gavriel Kay, 1990, 676 pages
 
  12 votes, 6.2%

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