Robert Coover facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Robert Coover
|
|
|---|---|
.jpg)
Coover in 2009
|
|
| Born | February 4, 1932 Charles City, Iowa, U.S. |
| Died | October 5, 2024 (aged 92) Warwick, England |
| Occupation | Writer |
| Education | Southern Illinois University Carbondale Indiana University Bloomington (BA) University of Chicago (MA) |
| Period | 1966–2023 |
| Genre | Short story, novel |
| Spouse |
Maria Pilar Sans i Mallafré
(m. 1959) |
| Children |
|
Robert Lowell Coover (born February 4, 1932 – died October 5, 2024) was an American writer. He wrote many novels and short stories. He was also a professor at Brown University. Coover was known for his unique writing styles called fabulation and metafiction. He also helped start the field of electronic literature. He was a founder of the Electronic Literature Organization.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Robert Coover was born in Charles City, Iowa. He went to Southern Illinois University Carbondale. Later, he earned his first degree in Slavic Studies from Indiana University Bloomington in 1953. After college, he served in the United States Navy for four years, from 1953 to 1957. He became a lieutenant during his time in the Navy.
In 1965, he received a master's degree from the University of Chicago. In 1968, he joined a group of writers and editors. They promised to refuse tax payments to protest the Vietnam War. Coover taught writing at many different universities. He taught at Brown University from 1981 until 2012.
His Books and Stories
Coover's first novel was called The Origin of the Brunists. In this book, the only person to survive a mine accident starts a new religious group. His second book, The Universal Baseball Association, Inc., J. Henry Waugh, Prop., explores the idea of a creator. The main character, J. Henry Waugh, is a shy accountant. He creates a fantasy baseball game where dice rolls decide everything. He even invents players for his game.
In 1969, Coover released a collection of short stories titled Pricksongs and Descants. This collection included a famous story called "The Babysitter." This story was later made into a movie in 1995.
Coover's most famous book is The Public Burning. This novel is about the real-life case of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg. They were executed in 1953. The book uses a style called magic realism. Half of the book features the mythical hero Uncle Sam. He deals with a fantasy character called the Phantom, who represents international Communism. The other chapters show Richard Nixon trying to make the Rosenberg execution a public event in Times Square. A reviewer for The New York Times said that Nixon was the most interesting character in the story.
In 1987, Coover won the Rea Award for the Short Story. This award honors writers of short fiction. In 2021, Coover worked with Art Spiegelman to release a book called Street Cop.
Electronic Literature
Robert Coover was a big supporter of early electronic literature. This is a type of writing that uses computers and digital media. He helped create the Electronic Literature Organization. He taught electronic literature at Brown University. He also organized events like the Technology Platforms for 21st Century Literature (TP21CL) in 1999.
In 1992, he wrote an essay called "The End of Books" for The New York Times. This essay introduced many people to the new world of digital writing. The essay caused a lot of discussion in the literary world. Many scholars of electronic literature still talk about it today. For example, J. Yellowlees Douglas named her book The End of Books–Or Books Without End? Reading Interactive Narratives after Coover's essay. In 1993, Coover wrote another New York Times essay about electronic literature. It was titled "Hyperfiction: Novels for the Computer."
Coover also started a special program at Brown University. It was called the MFA program in Digital Language Arts. He helped bring many electronic literature writers to the university. These writers included John Cayley, Talan Memmott, Noah Wardrip-Fruin, William Gillespie, and Samantha Gorman. Talan Memmott was the first graduate student to study electronic writing at Brown.
Personal Life
Coover's wife was Pilar Sans Coover. She was a well-known needlepoint artist. They had three children together. One of their children is Sara Caldwell.
Passing Away
Robert Coover passed away on October 5, 2024. He was 92 years old. He died at a care home in Warwick, England.
Awards and Recognitions
- 1967 William Faulkner Foundation Award for his first novel, The Origin of the Brunists
- 1987 Rea Award for the Short Story
See Also
In Spanish: Robert Coover para niños
- List of electronic literature authors, critics, and works
- Digital poetry
- E-book#History
- Electronic literature
- Hypertext fiction
- Interactive fiction
- Literatronica
