Richard Bach facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Richard Bach
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| Born | Richard David Bach June 23, 1936 Oak Park, Illinois. U.S. |
| Occupation | Writer |
| Alma mater | Long Beach State College |
| Genre | Aviation, fantasy, philosophy |
| Years active | 1963–present |
| Notable works | Jonathan Livingston Seagull Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah |
| Spouse |
Bette Jeanne Franks
(m. 1957; div. 1970)Leslie Parrish
(m. 1981; div. 1999)Sabryna Nelson-Alexopoulos
(m. 1999; div. 2011)Melinda Jane Kellogg
(m. 2020) |
| Children | 6, including James Marcus Bach |
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Richard David Bach (born June 23, 1936) is an American writer famous for his stories about flying and life. He wrote many popular books, including Jonathan Livingston Seagull (1970) and Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah (1977). These books were huge bestsellers in the 1970s.
Many of Bach's books are inspired by his own life. He uses real or imagined events to share his ideas about life. A main theme in his work is that the limits we think we have, like our physical bodies, are not as real as they seem.
Bach has loved flying since he was a teenager. He often uses flight as a metaphor, or a symbol, for freedom and self-discovery. In 2012, he was badly hurt in a plane crash but recovered.
Contents
Early Life and Love for Flying
Richard Bach was born in Oak Park, Illinois. His father, Roland R. Bach, was a manager for the American Red Cross. In 1955, Richard attended Long Beach State College.
He fell in love with flying at age 14. His mother was running for a local government position in Long Beach, California. Her campaign manager, Paul Marcus, was a pilot and offered to take Richard for a flight. That first trip in a Globe Swift airplane sparked a lifelong passion.
Aviation and Writing Career
Bach joined the United States Navy Reserve and later became a fighter pilot in the New Jersey Air National Guard. He flew the Republic F-84F Thunderstreak jet. After his military service, he had several jobs. He was a technical writer for Douglas Aircraft and an editor for Flying magazine.
He also became a "barnstormer," a type of pilot who performs flying tricks and gives rides to people. In the summer of 1970, Bach flew World War I planes in Ireland for the movie Von Richthofen and Brown.
Flying is a central theme in almost all of Bach's books. His early stories were simply about the joy of flying planes. In his later books, he used flying to explore deeper ideas about life and purpose.
Famous Books
Jonathan Livingston Seagull
Bach's most famous book is Jonathan Livingston Seagull. It's a short story about a seagull who loves to fly for the sake of flying, not just to find food like the other gulls. Many publishers rejected the book at first.
It was finally published in 1970 and became a massive success. It sold over one million copies in 1972 alone. The book, which has less than 10,000 words, showed readers that it's important to follow your passion.
In 1973, the book was made into a movie with music by Neil Diamond. Bach had disagreements with the director over changes to the story. Because of this, he asked for his name to be removed from the movie's writing credits.
Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah
In 1977, Bach published another bestseller called Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah. The story is about a pilot who meets a modern-day messiah, or a powerful spiritual teacher, who has decided to quit his job of performing miracles. The book explores ideas about reality and what people can achieve if they believe in themselves.
A Serious Plane Crash
On August 31, 2012, Bach was seriously injured in a plane crash. He was trying to land his small plane, which he called "Puff," on San Juan Island in Washington state. The plane's landing gear hit power lines, and it crashed upside down.
Bach suffered a head injury and a broken shoulder. He was in the hospital for four months. He later said that this near-death experience gave him the inspiration to finish the fourth part of Jonathan Livingston Seagull.
The day before his accident, he had sent the manuscript for a new book, Travels with Puff, to his publisher. It was released in 2013. In 2014, he published Illusions II: The Adventures of a Reluctant Student, which uses his crash and recovery as part of the story.
Personal Life
Richard Bach has been married four times and has six children from his first marriage to Bette Jeanne Franks. Their son, Jonathan, is a writer and software engineer. He wrote a book called Above the Clouds about what it was like to meet his famous father as a young man.
Bach was also married to actress Leslie Parrish, whom he met while the movie Jonathan Livingston Seagull was being made. She was a big part of his books The Bridge Across Forever and One.
See also
In Spanish: Richard Bach para niños
