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James Albert Michener (; February 3, 1907 – October 16, 1997) was an American author of more than 40 books, the majority of which were fictional, lengthy family sagas covering the lives of many generations in particular geographic locales and incorporating solid history. Michener was known for the popularity of his works; he had numerous bestsellers and works selected for Book of the Month Club. He was also known for his meticulous research behind the books. Michener's novels 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'' and ''Poland''. His non-fiction works include ''Iberia'', about his travels in Spain and Portugal; his memoir titled ''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.〔 His first book was adapted as the popular Broadway musical ''South Pacific'' by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein, and later as a film by the same name, adding to his financial success. ==Biography== Michener wrote that he did not know who his biological parents were or exactly when or where he was born.〔 He said he was raised a Quaker by an adoptive mother, Mabel Michener, in Doylestown, Bucks County, Pennsylvania.〔(Pennsylvania Center for the Book - Michener Biography ), Penn State University Libraries〕 Michener graduated from Doylestown High School in 1925. He attended Swarthmore College, 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 University of St Andrews for two years.〔(Biographical Sketch, James A. Michener Papers ), University of Miami liberary〕 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 University of Northern Colorado in Greeley, Colorado, where he earned a Master of Arts degree in Education.〔 After graduation, he taught at the university for several years; the library at the University of Northern Colorado was later named after him. In 1935, Michener married Patti Koon. He went to Harvard University and taught from 1939 to 1940, but left to join Macmillan Publishers as their social studies education editor.〔 Michener was called to active duty during World War II in the United States Navy. He traveled throughout the South Pacific Ocean on various assignments which he gained because his base commanders mistakenly thought his father was Admiral Marc Mitscher.〔Michener, James A. ''Return to Paradise'' Random House 1951〕 His experiences during these travels inspired his stories published in his breakout work ''Tales of the South Pacific''.〔 In 1960, Michener was chairman of the Bucks County committee to elect John F. Kennedy. In 1962, he unsuccessfully ran as a Democratic 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. (wife ) kept saying, 'Don't do it, don't do it.' I lost and went back to writing books."〔 In 1968, Michener served as the campaign manager for twice-elected US senator Joseph S. Clark's third-term run. Michener was later Secretary for the 1967–68 Pennsylvania Constitutional Convention.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「James A. Michener」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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