She gave him her name and he remained part of her household in his childhood and adolescent years. February 3, 1907 october 16, 1997 was an american author. He reveals bullfights and warrior kings, painters and processions, cathedrals and olive orchards. Michener served on the advisory council to nasa and the. Best known for his novels, he wrote epic and detailed works classified as fictional documentaries. Used items may not include supplementary materials such as cds or access codes. Michener, the pulitzer prizewinning author and celebrated citizen of the world, came. I can without hesitation say that michener is at his best in this genre.
Here, in the fresh, vivid prose that is james micheners trademark, is the. Part travel book, part history book part snapshot of cultural impressions of spain in the mid 60s. The book is a staggering paiella of information culled from history, conversations, literature and micheners stays there for over thirty years. He wrote more than 40 books, most of which were lengthy, fictional family sagas covering the lives of many generations in particular geographic locales and incorporating solid history. Michener was adopted and raised by another woman and does not know about his biological parents.
Michener, the pulitzer prizewinning author and celebrated citizen of the world, came to love as his own. Mar 10, 2015 this book is an account of micheners memories of spain stretched out over many years and several visits and was originally published in 1968. Michener was born in 1907 and raised by a quaker woman in pennsylvania. The washington post book world vast, sprawling, and eclectic in population and geography, the state has just the sort of largerthanlife history that lends itself to mr. He recounts all of his memories, from the first time he set foot in the country, experiencing and unraveling spanish stereotypes, and socially analyzing the. Micheners numerous bestselling novels also included the. I have been a fan of james a michener for years and this book is well on a par with his other classics such as alaska and texas. James michener, american novelist and shortstory writer who, perhaps more than any other single author, made foreign environments accessible to americans through fiction. Michener now shifts his fictionalizing, schoolmasterly talents to the contemporary world of book publishing, offering clear explanations of simple phenomena but grossly oversimplifying complex issues and people. His nonfiction works include iberia, about his travels in spain and portugal.
Michener began his writing career during world war ii, when as a lieutenant in the navy he was assigned to the south pacific as a naval historian. Iberia quotes showing 19 of 9 like a good spaniard he needed words as much as he needed money, and the words he wanted had to be the most expansive and inflated available. The book was published 50 years ago when franco was on the verge of giving up power. His tales of the south pacific won the pulitzer prize in 1947. Iberia is micheners enduring nonfiction tribute to his cherished second home.
Iberia spanish travels and reflections, first edition. Iberia spanish travels and reflections, first edition abebooks. In general, the michener novels set in wartime are more engaging than those set in peacetime because the author, a war veteran, is particularly adept at crafting conflict. In the fresh and vivid prose that is his trademark, he not only reveals the celebrated history. If you are planning a visit to barcelona, robert hughes book is worth reading although sometimes his opinions get in the way. Michener was one of the worlds most popular writers, the author of more than forty books of fiction and nonfiction, including the pulitzer prizewinning tales of the south pacific, the bestselling novels the source, hawaii, alaska, chesapeake, centennial, texas, caribbean, and caravans, and the memoir the world is my home. He authored more than forty books of fiction and nonfiction, including the pulitzer prizewinning tales of the south pacific, the bestselling novels the source, hawaii, alaska, chesapeake, centennial, texas, caribbean, and caravans, and the memoir the world is my home. Albert michener, born around 1907, won the pulitzer prize for his first fiction, tales of the south pacific.
The latest edition of the new spaniards was also worthwhile reading before the trip. Michener, who survived a dickensian childhood to win the pulitzer prize with his very first book, published when he was about 40, and then became one of americas favorite storytellers. It is a survey of the history of the jewish people and the land of israel from premonotheistic days to the birth of the modern state of israel. That said, there is no book about spain that i would more highly recommend than iberia. Like for of this world one never sees enough and to dine in harmony with nature is one of the gentlest and loveliest things we can do. I have a particular soft spot for tales of the south pacific 1947, the. James albert michener 19071997 american novelist, essayist, and travel book writer, best known for his massive and detailed novels hawaii, centennial, texas, etc many of which were created in his workshop with assistants and researchers. Michener 19071997 was one of the worlds most popular writers. Michener uses his skill as a story teller to provide the reader with rich cultural and historical context which breathes life into each account. He is wellknown for the amount of research that went into his work in addition to the length of his novels 900 pages was a short novel for him.
Spain is a large, diverse country with an interesting history involving a variety of people. Reviewed by alvah bessie in the marin independent journal, saturday june 1, 1968. A fine photo on back cover of robert vayra and james michener. Fulfillment by amazon fba is a service we offer sellers that lets them store their products in amazons fulfillment centers, and we directly pack, ship, and provide customer service for these products. Michener, james albert 19071997 james albert michener was born on february 3, 1907, in new york. Michener wrote his first book at the age of thirtynine and immediately won a pulitzer prize. His many fans, however, may well relish the 464page books lack of ambiguity and irony, or any disagreeable dissonances, as michener tells his tale through the points of view in turn.
The author takes a measured, literary view on such subjects as the moorish occupation, islam, catholicism, francisco franco and other controversial subjects michener shows to be very prescient, as in his talk of national. While written with the style of a novel, iberia is the best of travel non fiction you. James michener, author of novels that sweep through the. Mar 10, 2015 spain is an immemorial land like no other, one that james a.
Spanish travels and reflections, is a detailed and illustrated exploration of spain as it was during the mid1960s the author takes a measured, literary view on such subjects as the moorish occupation, islam, catholicism, francisco franco and other controversial subje. Mabel michener raised him as his son in bucks county, pennsylvania. It is historical fiction rather than fact and i know that those who have studied hawaiis history do not agree with the author that the original settlers came from bora bora. In the fresh and vivid prose that is his trademark, he not only reveals the celebrated history of bullfighters and warrior kings, painters and processions, cathedrals and olive orchards, he also shares the intimate, often hidden country he came to know, where the congeniality of living souls is thrust against the dark weight of history. This book is an account of micheners memories of spain stretched out over many years and several visits and was originally published in 1968. In the vivid prose that is micheners trademark, readers will find the real spain as he experiences it. In it michener does more than simply relay his personal experiences in an extraordinarily interesting and romantic part of europe. As a foundling, he was given to the care of a woman named mabel michener in doylestown, pennsylvania. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or. James michener is a professional tourist and every few years he comes up with an enormous book, either fiction or nonfiction, covering his most recent travels or continuing interest in foreign lands. Still a good context book if you are thinking about going to spain and want to know about spanish history up to franco. Michener, the extravagant storyteller who delivered whole states. Michener had numerous bestsellers and works selected for book of the month.
Michener was a regular member of the college basketball team. James a michener biography james albert michener february 3, 1907 october 16, 1997 was an american author of more than 40 books, most of which were fictional, lengthy family sagas covering the lives of many generations in particular geographic locales and incorporating solid history. Michener does a fantastic job of describing the art, the history, the architecture, the customs and so on that make spain such a fascinating place. Find all the books, read about the author, and more. Iberia is a travelogue and history of spain that james michener wrote in the 1960s but its still mostly relevant today. James a michener books biography and list of works. Spanish travels and reflections, is a detailed and illustrated exploration of spain as it was during the mid1960s. Michener is a detailed and illustrated exploration of spain as it was during the mid1960s. Iberia, in the fresh, vivid prose that is james micheners trademark, is the real spain. The source uses, for its central device, a fictional tell in northern israel called makor hebrew. This book presents micheners analysis of his own writing and that of his peershis reflections, remembrances, and stories of his youthful encounters with the e. He was director of the texas center for writers at the university of texas. Christians, muslims, and jews all played key roles in shaping the culture. Iberia is michener s enduring nonfiction tribute to his cherished second home.
The bestselling book was adapted into the popular musical and film, south pacific. He passed out school from pennsylvania in the year 1925 and went on to attend the swarthmore college in pennsylvania. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read iberia. He recounts all of his memories, from the first time he set foot in the country, experiencing and unraveling spanish stereotypes, and socially analyzing the way that spaniards live their daily lives. Michener grapples earnestly with the texas character in a way that texass own writers often dont. Michener score a book s total score is based on multiple factors, including the number of people who have voted for it and how highly those voters ranked the book. Iberia is a book about spain as experienced by the writer james michener.
In the fresh and vivid prose that is his trademark, he not only reveals the celebrated history of. Michener 19071997 was an american author of historical fiction and nonfiction. While written with the style of a novel, iberia is the best of travel nonfiction you. Michener was a prolific and very successful author. Spain is an immemorial land like no other, one that james a. Michener was one of the worlds most popular writers, the author of more than forty books of fiction and nonfiction, including the pulitzer prizewinning tales of the south pacific, the bestselling novels the source, hawaii, alaska, chesa. In spain words form a kind of currency which must be spent freely, and to do this is not easy for an american, yet not to do it in spain is to miss the spirit of human.
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