James A. Michener: A Biography

by John P. Hayes

Everyone knows the name, but scarcely anyone knows the man. James A. Michener, the world's best selling story teller, didn't begin writing until he was 40, but with Tales of the South Pacific, his first book, he hit the jackpot. Each succeeding bestseller made him a millionaire many times over. Here for the first time is Michener's life story. This biography, written with Michener's cooperation, explores the drive behind the man's success, his relationships with women, agents, editors, publishers and friends. The book was published a dozen years before Michener's death.

Genres: Biography

276 pages, Hardcover

Published January 1, 1987

About the author

Originally from Ohio . . . graduate of Kent State University (BA 1971, MA 1973) . . . moved to Philadelphia, Pa. and completed a PhD at Temple University . . . wrote Franchising: The Inside Story and by surprise it created a career opportunity -- I left college teaching and developed a consulting business that specialized in marketing franchised and entrepreneurial businesses. That experience led to dozens of rewarding relationships that are spread through various parts of the world. In the process I developed skills as a writer, marketer, speaker, trainer. Eventually moved to Dallas, Texas, sold my business, served on corporate boards, continued writing books, owned a couple of franchises, and ultimately served as CEO of a franchise company with 260 franchisees. One of my long-term goals was to return to a university to teach and write, and I did so in 2010 at Gulf University for Science & Technology. In Kuwait! Happy to join the business and communications faculty and am enjoying the adventure.

Reviews

[JCB · Rating 3 out of 5]

An evenhanded look at one of the best selling authors ever, the book doesn’t come close to the hagiography I thought it might be.

It explores many of Michener’s faults and weaknesses, his ego (apparently he was miffed that he hadn’t won a Nobel prize), and other less praiseworthy aspects of his personality.

The book also deals with Michener’s deep interest in politics (he ran for congress, and explored other political activities throughout his life), and the sometimes heavily political bent of some of his books. One of his observations noted in his short book ‘Presidential Lottery' (written regarding the Wallace effort to force the 1968 election into the Electoral College, of which Michener was later a member of) is especially prescient:

'Refusal to revise/abolish the Electoral College system is major proof of our stupidity...sometime within this century (it will) explode with dire consequences. In retrospect one day they’ll remember that (I) was right’.

So Michener was a bit off on the timing, but ultimately correct in his fears.

So the book is interesting . And though the last of Michener’s half dozen books are speedily compressed into one paragraph, and despite the bio being written about a dozen years before Michener’s death, it does seem to deliver on what it set out to accomplish - and that is to paint a realistic portrait of this best selling novelist/historian.

[Christine Mathieu · Rating 2 out of 5]

To be honest, it just was not what I expected.
Most of all I was hoping to find out much more about Michener's novel "Chesapeake".
Well, this biography was from 1984 and has only 276 pages.
"Chesapeake" is mentioned in one sentence on one page.
Maybe another author dedicated more research and effort into Michener's life and work in the meantime.

Because of the wonderful novel "Chesapeake" I decided to stay for 2 nights at a lovely B & B close to the Choptank River which was mentioned in the book. I participated in a river cruise.

[Jeremy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have always been fascinated with James Michener and how he managed to be so prolific, successful and interesting. This biography of him doesn't disappoint. Hard to put down and endlessly fascinating. Loved it

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting. He was a complicated man. Well written bio.

[Gary Osborne · Rating 4 out of 5]

James Michener is one of my all-time favorite writers. I especially enjoy reading his historical fiction about places I am visiting such as "The Source" (Israel), "Poland," "Hawaii," and "Centennial" (Colorado). I had long been curious about the man behind these epic, meticulously researched, and deeply human stories, and this biography helped pull back the curtain on his education, his professional development as an editor, and his late start as an author—publishing his first book at age forty. If you love Michener’s novels, then this biography is well worth reading.

[Ross-Barry Barcock. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the last of Michener's books I read and there was so much I could relate to in his writing. Through all his book there was a character, no one of the main characters in the story, who popped-up in all his books.The character was a member of the "Religious Society of Friends", or a Quaker - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quakers. Michener was himself a Quaker.

[Michael Harris · Rating 3 out of 5]

A find from the APL Recycled Reads Store. A very interesting story, not especially well written, about an author whose works I enjoy reading. Michener is one of few fiction writers that makes me feel I am reading history.

[Joanne J · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this book was good but not long enough; it finished years before Michener died with still several novels to write. He was a complex man as most good writers are and he was not well-liked in his day by critics and his peers. I wonder if a lot of it was jealousy. He was so commercially successful and that’s what many accused him of: writing for the money. The fact of the matter was he gave most of it away and actually lived simply. I liked him. He threw himself 100% or more into his projects and traveled the world researching and writing as well as being politically active, until the Kennedy assassination, when he left politics behind. Altho he was an ambassador of sorts for Johnson and Nixon. He was an astute student of world politics and cultures and I think that was the strong point of his writing. I don’t know how he had time to do all that he did although he didn’t have a family other than his very accommodating wife so that helped. I’m looking forward to reading his books now and hope I can get through a lot of them. I don’t think I’ll get to all of them because there are so many and they are so long, approaching 1000 pages. But I’ll begin and see how far I get before tiring of them or just wanting to move on.
Michener died in 1997. In a 1980 interview he proclaimed his motivation for writing:
"I think about Tolstoy, Flaubert and Dickens, and I’m jealous of what those authors accomplished. Because I am jealous, I am a writer now. I remain jealous and this gives me a guide to what I might accomplish. Without that sense of jealousy, of greatness, I doubt that I would have amounted to much."