William Harrison (author) facts for kids

William Neal Harrison (born October 29, 1933 – died October 22, 2013) was an American writer. He wrote novels, short stories, and screenplays for movies.

Some of his stories were even turned into films! For example, his short story "Roller Ball Murder" became the movie Rollerball in 1975, which was later remade in 2002. Also, his novel Burton and Speke became the film Mountains of the Moon in 1990.

Many of his novels and stories were set in exciting and sometimes challenging places, especially Africa. A famous critic, John Leonard, once said that Harrison was a rare writer who could write well about both action and ideas.

William Harrison's Early Life

William Harrison was the adopted son of Samuel Scott and Mary Harrison. He grew up in Dallas, Texas, and went to public schools there. His mother loved to read and kept many scrapbooks.

Harrison went to Texas Christian University, where he became the editor of the school newspaper, The Skiff. This is where he started to write. Later, he studied at Vanderbilt University. He planned to teach about different religions, but he found himself writing again and made good friends in the English department.

After teaching for a year in North Carolina, he moved his family to Iowa. There, he studied creative writing for ten months. During this time, he sold his first short story to Esquire magazine.

A Career in Writing and Teaching

In 1964, Harrison and his family moved to Fayetteville, Arkansas. There, he published his first novels. In 1966, he helped start a special writing program at the University of Arkansas. This program, called the Master of Fine Arts (MFA) program, helped many students become successful writers.

Many famous writers and poets visited the program. Harrison's students went on to publish hundreds of books. He also helped guide the Associated Writing Programs, which supports creative writing education across America.

Awards and Achievements

William Harrison received several important awards for his writing:

• A Guggenheim Memorial Fellowship in Fiction (1973)
• A National Endowment for the Arts Grant for Fiction (1977)
• The Christopher Award for Television (1970)
• A Columbia School of Journalism Prize with Esquire Magazine (1971)

His stories have also been included in many famous collections, like The Best American Short Stories.

William Harrison's Family and Hobbies

Harrison was married to Merlee for over fifty years. They had three children: Laurie, Sean Harrison (who became a singer and songwriter), and Quentin. He lived in Fayetteville until he passed away, but he traveled a lot. He visited places like Africa, China, the Middle East, and Europe.

He was a big fan of baseball, especially the Chicago Cubs. He also enjoyed fly fishing, playing tennis, and golf. Harrison admired many famous authors like Anton Chekhov and Ernest Hemingway. He also taught his students about writers like James Joyce.

William Harrison's Books

Novels

• The Theologian (1965)
• In a Wild Sanctuary (1969)
• Lessons in Paradise (1971)
• Africana (1976)
• Savannah Blue (1979)
• Brubaker (1980) - This book was based on a movie screenplay.
• Burton and Speke (1982)
• Three Hunters (1989)
• The Blood Latitudes (2000)
• Black August (2011)

Short Story Collections

• Roller Ball Murder and Other Stories (1975)
• The Buddha in Malibu: Stories (1998)
• Texas Heat and Other Stories (2005)

Non-fiction

• The Mutations of Rollerball: Essays (2010)

Screenplays

• Rollerball (1975) - Directed by Norman Jewison.
• Mountains of the Moon (1990) - Directed by Bob Rafelson.