John Knowles facts for kids

John Knowles (born September 16, 1926 – died November 29, 2001) was an American writer. He is most famous for his novel A Separate Peace, which was published in 1959. This book is often read in schools today.

About John Knowles's Life

John Knowles was born on September 16, 1926. His hometown was Fairmont, West Virginia. His father worked as an executive for a coal company. This meant his family had a comfortable life. Even as a young boy, John loved to write. He believed he could write stories as well as those in popular magazines.

Knowles's School Days

John Knowles went to St. Peter's High School from 1938 to 1940. After that, he attended Phillips Exeter Academy in Exeter, New Hampshire. He graduated from Exeter in 1945.

After high school, Knowles joined the US Army Air Forces. He served for eight months at the end of World War II.

He then went to Yale University. He graduated from Yale in 1949. While at Yale, he wrote for the school's humor magazine. He also worked on the student newspaper, Yale Daily News. He was a strong swimmer too, setting records during his second year.

Early Writing Career

After college, Knowles started his career in writing. He wrote for the Hartford Courant newspaper. He also worked as an assistant editor for Holiday magazine. A famous writer named Thornton Wilder encouraged him. This encouragement helped Knowles begin writing his own novels.

John Knowles passed away on November 29, 2001. He died near Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

A Separate Peace: A Famous Novel

A Separate Peace is John Knowles's most well-known book. It was first published in London in 1959. Then, it was published in New York in 1960.

The Story's Setting

The novel is based on Knowles's own experiences. He attended Phillips Exeter Academy for high school. The "Devon School" in the book is a fictional version of Exeter. The campus and town in the story are very similar to the real places.

The story itself is not exactly what happened to Knowles. However, some parts come from his life. For example, he was part of a secret society at school. He also hurt his foot jumping from a tree during a society activity. Knowles once wrote that his real summer at school was full of friendship. He said the anger and violence in the book were added for the story.

Characters in the Book

The character Finny (Phineas) is a close friend of the main character, Gene. Knowles said he based Finny on a real person. This person was David Hackett from Milton Academy. Knowles met Hackett during a summer session at Phillips Exeter Academy. Hackett later became a friend of Robert F. Kennedy.

Another student named Phineas Sprague lived in the same dorm as Knowles. This student might have inspired the name for the character Finny.

The writer Gore Vidal also went to Phillips Exeter Academy. He was two years ahead of Knowles. Vidal said that Knowles told him the character Brinker was based on Vidal himself. Vidal admired the novel that Knowles wrote about their school days.

Awards and Recognition

John Knowles received several important awards for his writing. He won the PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction. He also received the Rosenthal Award from the National Institute of Arts and Letters.

Selected Books and Stories

Here are some of the works written by John Knowles:

• "A Turn with the Sun" (short story), 1953
• "Phineas" (short story), 1956
• A Separate Peace (novel), 1959
• Morning in Antibes (novel), 1962
• Double Vision; American Thoughts Abroad, 1964
• Indian Summer, 1966
• Phineas. Six Stories, 1968
• The Paragon (novel), 1971
• "Rapture of the Deep" (short story), 1972
• Spreading Fires, 1974
• A Vein of Riches, 1978
• Peace Breaks Out (novel), 1981
• A Stolen Past, 1983
• The Private Life of Axie Reed, 1986
• A Special Time, A Special Place, 1995 (an autobiographical note)