William Gaddis facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
William Gaddis
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Gaddis in 1975
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| Born | William Thomas Gaddis, Jr. December 29, 1922 New York City, New York, United States |
| Died | December 16, 1998 (aged 75) East Hampton, New York, United States |
| Education | Harvard University |
| Period | 1955–1998 |
| Genre | Novel |
| Literary movement | Postmodernism |
| Notable works |
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| Notable awards | National Book Award |
| Spouse |
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| Children | 2 |
William Thomas Gaddis, Jr. (born December 29, 1922 – died December 16, 1998) was an American writer. He wrote five novels during his life.
Two of his books, J R and A Frolic of His Own, won the important National Book Award for Fiction. His first novel, The Recognitions, was even named one of TIME magazine's 100 best novels from 1923 to 2005.
Many people see Gaddis as one of the first and most important American writers of a style called postmodernism. This style often uses different ways of telling stories and can be quite complex.
Contents
William Gaddis: His Life and Writing Journey
William Gaddis was born in New York City. His father worked in finance and politics, and his mother was a business executive. When he was three, his parents separated. William was then raised by his mother in Massapequa, Long Island.
He went to private schools for most of his early education. He finished high school in Farmingdale in 1941. After that, he went to Harvard University. While at Harvard, he was part of the Harvard Lampoon, a humor magazine. He left Harvard in 1944.
After college, Gaddis worked as a fact checker for The New Yorker magazine for about a year. Then, he spent five years traveling. He visited places like Mexico, Central America, Spain, France, England, and North Africa. He came back to the United States in 1951.
His First Novel: The Recognitions
Gaddis's first novel, The Recognitions, came out in 1955. It was a very long and detailed book. At first, many newspaper reviewers found it too difficult or confusing. It took some time for readers and critics to truly understand and appreciate it.
Writing and Awards: J R and Other Works
To support himself and his family, Gaddis worked in public relations and made documentary films. He also received grants from organizations like the Rockefeller Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts. These grants helped him focus on his writing.
In 1975, he published his second novel, J R. This book is special because it's told almost entirely through conversations, without saying who is speaking. The main character is an 11-year-old boy who learns about the stock market and builds his own financial business. This time, critics loved his work, and J R won the National Book Award for Fiction.
His next book, Carpenter's Gothic (1985), was shorter and easier to read. It showed Gaddis's unique, often sarcastic, view of the world.
In 1994, he published A Frolic of His Own. This novel focused on legal battles and lawsuits. It earned him his second National Book Award.
Later Life and Final Works
William Gaddis passed away at his home in East Hampton, New York, on December 16, 1998. He had prostate cancer.
Before he died, he finished his last work, Agapē Agape. This short novel was published in 2002. It's like the final thoughts of a character who is similar to Gaddis himself. At the same time, a collection of his non-fiction writings, The Rush for Second Place, was also published.
Family Life of William Gaddis
In 1955, William Gaddis married Patsy Thompson Black. She was a model and actress. They had two children: Sarah, born in 1955, and Matthew, born in 1958. Their marriage ended in 1965.
In 1968, Gaddis married Judith Thompson, who was a journalist. They separated in 1978. Later, he reunited with Muriel Murphy Oxenberg, whom he had first met in 1953. They lived together for many years, and his book A Frolic of His Own is dedicated to her. Gaddis lived alone for the rest of his life.
How William Gaddis Influenced Other Writers
Many fans of postmodern fiction believe Gaddis is one of the most important American novelists after World War II. Critics like Steven Moore helped people understand his work better.
Gaddis had a big influence on other writers, even if it wasn't always obvious. Famous postmodern authors like Don DeLillo and Thomas Pynchon seem to have been inspired by him. Some people even thought Pynchon might be Gaddis writing under a different name because their styles were similar!
Other writers who admired Gaddis include Joseph McElroy, William Gass, David Markson, and David Foster Wallace. They all said they liked his work, especially The Recognitions.
Jonathan Franzen, another well-known author, called Gaddis "an old literary hero." Franzen said that The Recognitions was the most difficult book he ever read completely. He also noted that Gaddis's later books became angrier.
Some characters in other novels might even be based on William Gaddis. For example, "Harry Lees" in Chandler Brossard's 1952 novel Who Walk in Darkness and "Harold Sand" in Jack Kerouac's 1958 book The Subterraneans.
You can find out more about his life and work on a website called The Gaddis Annotations. His writings and papers are kept at Washington University in St. Louis. The first full book about his life, Nobody Grew but the Business: On the Life and Work of William Gaddis, was published in 2015.
Gaddis's books have been translated into many languages, including French, German, Spanish, and Chinese.
Awards and Special Recognitions
Besides the awards for his specific books, William Gaddis received several other important honors:
- He won the MacArthur Foundation’s "Genius Award" in 1982. This award recognizes very talented people.
- He was chosen to be a member of the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters in 1989. This is a group that honors great artists and writers.
- He received the Lannan Literary Award for Lifetime Achievement in 1993. This award celebrates a writer's entire career.
William Gaddis's Books
Here are the main books written by William Gaddis:
Fiction Novels
- The Recognitions (published in 1955)
- J R (published in 1975)
- Carpenter's Gothic (published in 1985)
- A Frolic of His Own (published in 1994)
- Agapē Agape (finished in 1998, published in 2002)
Non-fiction Collection
- The Rush for Second Place (a collection of essays, published in 2002)
Images for kids
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Gaddis in 1975
See also
In Spanish: William Gaddis para niños
