John Gardner (American writer) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
John Gardner
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Gardner in 1977
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| Born | John Champlin Gardner Jr. July 21, 1933 Batavia, New York |
| Died | September 14, 1982 (aged 49) Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania |
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| Citizenship | United States |
| Alma mater | Washington University in St. Louis, University of Iowa |
| Notable works | The Sunlight Dialogues, On Moral Fiction, Grendel |
| Spouses | Joan Louise Patterson (1953–1980), Liz Rosenberg (1980–1982) |
| Partner | Susan Thornton |
John Gardner (born July 21, 1933 – died September 14, 1982) was an American writer, teacher, and literary critic. He wrote many novels, essays, and even books for children. One of his most famous books is Grendel, which tells the old story of Beowulf from the monster's side!
Contents
Early Life and School
John Gardner was born in Batavia, New York. His dad was a farmer and a preacher, and his mom taught third grade. Both of his parents loved poetry and would often share poems they wrote about farm life.
When John was a kid, he was an active Boy Scout and even became an Eagle Scout. He went to public school and helped on his family's farm. In 1945, a sad accident happened on the farm. His younger brother, Gilbert, was killed in an accident with a farm machine called a cultipacker. John was driving the tractor at the time. This event deeply affected John and influenced many of his stories and writings later on. For example, his short story "Redemption" (written in 1977) talks about a similar accident.
John started college at DePauw University. He earned his first degree from Washington University in St. Louis in 1955. He then went on to get his master's degree in 1956 and his PhD in 1958 from the University of Iowa.
Famous Novels
John Gardner wrote several well-known novels. Here are some of them:
- The Sunlight Dialogues: This book is about a police officer who has to deal with a man who knows a lot about old myths.
- Grendel: This is one of his most famous books. It retells the ancient Beowulf story, but from the point of view of the monster, Grendel. It makes you think about life and meaning.
- October Light: This story is about a brother and sister who live in rural Vermont and don't get along. The book even includes a made-up "trashy novel" that the sister reads. This book won an award called the National Book Critics Circle Award in 1976.
Writing and Ideas
In 1977, John Gardner published a book about the famous writer Geoffrey Chaucer called The Life and Times of Chaucer. Some people later said that parts of his book were too similar to other authors' works without giving them credit. This is called plagiarism. John Gardner said he had published the book too quickly.
John Gardner also had an interesting idea about stories. He once said that in literature, there are mainly two kinds of plots:
- Someone goes on a journey.
- A stranger comes to town and changes things.
This idea comes from his book The Art of Fiction, where he gave these as exercises for writers.
Family Life
John Gardner married Joan Louise Patterson in 1953. They had children together, but their marriage ended in 1980. He then married poet and novelist Liz Rosenberg in 1980. This marriage also ended in 1982.
His Death
Sadly, John Gardner died in a motorcycle accident on September 14, 1982. The accident happened near his home in Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania. He was planning to get married to Susan Thornton just four days later. John Gardner was buried next to his brother Gilbert in Batavia's Grandview Cemetery.
His Works
Fiction Books
- The Resurrection (1966)
- The Wreckage of Agathon (1970)
- Every Night's a Festival (1971)
- Grendel (1971)
- The Sunlight Dialogues (1972)
- Jason and Medeia (1973) [an epic poem]
- Nickel Mountain: A Pastoral Novel (1973)
- The King's Indian (1974) [a collection of stories]
- October Light (1976)
- Vlemk the Box Painter (1979) [a fairy tale]
- Freddy's Book (1980)
- The Art of Living and Other Stories (1981)
- Mickelsson's Ghosts (1982)
- Stillness and Shadows (1986) [unfinished novels]
Poems
- Poems (1978)
- Jason and Medeia (1973) [an epic poem]
Children's Stories
- Dragon, Dragon (and Other Tales) (1975)
- Gudgekin The Thistle Girl (and Other Tales) (1976)
- The King of the Hummingbirds (and Other Tales) (1977)
- A Child's Bestiary (1977)
Books on Writing and Criticism
- The Forms of Fiction (1962) (with Lennis Dunlap)
- The Construction of the Wakefield Cycle (1974)
- The Poetry of Chaucer (1977)
- On Moral Fiction (1978)
- On Becoming a Novelist (1983)
- The Art of Fiction (1983)
- On Writers and Writing (1994)
Translations
- The Complete Works of the Gawain Poet (1965)
- The Alliterative Morte Arthure and Other Middle English Poems (1971)
- Tengu Child (with Nobuko Tsukui) (1983)
- Gilgamesh (with John Maier, Richard A. Henshaw) (1984)
See also
In Spanish: John Gardner (escritor estadounidense) para niños
