James Michener. According to history, when newly born James entered the world via Doylestown, Pennsylvania, in 1907, the child’s parents showed anything but the typical new-parent pride in their son. According to one story, they abandoned him at birth, and he was adopted by a poor young widow named Mabel Michener.
“Just not keep an appointment.” By all accounts, it was the first time in a long and eventful life that Michener’s characteristic optimism failed him. Born an orphan, raised in poverty, he rose to become a Pulitzer Prize-winning author for his first novel, 1947’s Tales of the South Pacific.
His historical epics offer neither reliable history nor satisfactory fiction. Readers come away with an uplifting but deceptive sense of having learned something. Yet the author, because it is a novel, need not bother with niceties of historical accuracy.
Best known for his novels, he wrote epic and detailed works classified as fictional documentaries. Michener was a foundling discovered in Doylestown, Pennsylvania; there is uncertainty about the date and place of his birth. He was adopted by Mabel Michener and raised as a Quaker.
The historical correctness of the novel is high, although the narrative about the early Polynesian inhabitants is based more on folklore than anthropological and archaeological sources.
The historical correctness of the novel is high, although the narrative about the early Polynesian inhabitants is based more on folklore than anthropological and archaeological sources.
Is this author adoptive? Or was he raised by foster parents? The author’s mother, Mabel Michener, was a poor young widow who lived in Doylestown, Pa. She adopted several foster children and sent some to the poorhouse. She read Dickens to her son and eventually adopted him. Michener never found out his real parents. It is unclear which is true. His adopted mother acted in his best interests, but the adoption was not final.
After Michener was adopted, his parents emigrated to Canada, where he was raised by Quakers. He later earned a master’s degree from Harvard University. In 1941, Michener worked for the Macmillan publishing company as an editor of educational books. Then, he joined the navy. Later, he taught part-time until his 70s, including stints at the University of Texas and Eckerd College in St. Petersburg. Michener married Mari Yoriko Sabusawa in 1955. Mari Yoriko Sabusawa died in 1994.
Michener grew up without knowing his biological parents. He spent the early years of his life in Pennsylvania. His adoptive mother, Mabel, helped him graduate from Doylestown High School in 1925. Michener did not return to Afghanistan until nine years later. His first novel, Tales of the South Pacific, was published in 1948. He went on to write dozens of books, including “Tales of the South Pacific,” which was critically acclaimed.
Was Michener an orphan?
James Albert Michener was born in 1907 to unknown parents and raised as an orphan in the care of widow Mabel Michener of Doylestown, Pennsylvania. By the time he graduated from high school in 1925, he had visited 45 out of the 48 states.
Are Michener books historically accurate?
His historical epics offer neither reliable history nor satisfactory fiction. Readers come away with an uplifting but deceptive sense of having learned something. Yet the author, because it is a novel, need not bother with niceties of historical accuracy.
Was Michener a Quaker?
He was adopted by Mabel Michener and raised as a Quaker. In his teens he ran away from home and eventually became a teacher and editor. He served as a naval historian in the South Pacific from 1944 to 1946, and his early fiction is set in this area.
Who was James A Michener?
James Albert Michener (/u02c8mu026atu0283u0259nu0259r/ or /u02c8mu026atu0283nu0259r/; February 3, 1907 – October 16, 1997) was an American writer. He wrote more than 40 books, most of which were long, fictional family sagas covering the lives of many generations in particular geographic locales and incorporating detailed history.
How accurate is Hawaii by James Michener?
The historical correctness of the novel is high, although the narrative about the early Polynesian inhabitants is based more on folklore than anthropological and archaeological sources.
Is Michener Hawaii historically accurate?
The historical correctness of the novel is high, although the narrative about the early Polynesian inhabitants is based more on folklore than anthropological and archaeological sources.
Is Michener worth reading?
Perhaps for the same reason, outside of the great sagas, Michener is a middling quality novelist, though certainly worth reading. But he figured something out, or stumbled into it, late in life, and it buoyed his final work beyond its time. He figured out how to use setting as the main instigator and mover in a story.
What is Michener known for?
Michener’s books include Tales of the South Pacific, for which he won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1948; Hawaii; The Drifters; Centennial; The Source; The Fires of Spring; Chesapeake; Caribbean; Caravans; Alaska; Texas; Space; Poland; and The Bridges at Toko-ri.
Is Centennial based on a true story?
Michener placed his Centennial in northern Colorado, mostly based on Greeley. Many of the events depicted in the story, however, were inspired by true events in Colorado’s history. The early portions of the novel look at the geological and natural formation of what would be Colorado.
Is James Michener dead?
First editions can reach in excess of $3,000 at auction. Michener achieved fame during his career with various bestsellers. But his legacy lives on today, not just in his works, but with a number of scholarships, bequests, museums, societies and even restaurants and hotel suites bearing his name.
Are James Michener books worth anything?
Best known for his novels, he wrote epic and detailed works classified as fictional documentaries. Michener was a foundling discovered in Doylestown, Pennsylvania; there is uncertainty about the date and place of his birth. He was adopted by Mabel Michener and raised as a Quaker.
What is James Michener known for?
Michener’s books include Tales of the South Pacific, for which he won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1948; Hawaii; The Drifters; Centennial; The Source; The Fires of Spring; Chesapeake; Caribbean; Caravans; Alaska; Texas; Space; Poland; and The Bridges at Toko-ri.
Is Hawaii by James Michener fiction?
Michener’s novels include Tales of the South Pacific for which he won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1948, Hawaii, The Drifters, Centennial, The Source, The Fires of Spring, Chesapeake, Caribbean, Caravans, Alaska, Texas and Poland.
Did Michener write Hawaii?
Michener’s work was that of Orville Prescott of The New York Times, who wrote of ”Hawaii” when it was published in 1959: ”It may never make literary history, but for some time it has been making publishing history.
Is the movie Hawaii based on a true story?
Added to which the character of Queen Malama (Jocelyne LaGarde) was based on Queen Ka’ahumanu, the actual ruler of Maui when the missionaries reached these beautiful islands. Yet, though the film’s historical background is spot on, the tale is fictional, and not based on a true story, just inspired by one.
Did James Michener live in Hawaii?
During the 1950s and into the early 1960s, Michener continued to set much of his writing in the Pacific and Far East. He lived in Hawaii for much of this time, accumulating material for “Hawaii,” but he also traveled extensively.
More Answers On Was Michener Adopted
James Albert Michener and Adoption
Michener was a foundling, raised in Bucks County, Pennsylvania by a widow who took in a number of such children. There was no father figure in the home and they lived in extreme poverty, although him mother loved and encouraged her many charges. Two local men acted as father figures and mentors to the young James. During his teens he spent several years wandering about the USA, traveling by …
James Michener | Biography, Books, & Facts | Britannica
Michener was a foundling discovered in Doylestown, Pennsylvania; there is uncertainty about the date and place of his birth. He was adopted by Mabel Michener and raised as a Quaker. In his teens he ran away from home and eventually became a teacher and editor.
James A. Michener – Wikipedia
Michener wrote that he did not know who his biological parents were, or exactly when or where he was born. He was raised a Quaker by an adoptive mother, Mabel Michener, in Doylestown, Bucks County, Pennsylvania. Michener graduated from Doylestown High School in 1925.
James A. Michener | Academy of Achievement
James Michener as a child in Doylestown, Pennsylvania. As an infant, James A. Michener was adopted by a widow in Doylestown, Pennsylvania. He was born in New York City in 1907, but over the course of a long life, he was never able to learn who his birth parents were.
James Michener | Famous People Facts | Kidadl
He was adopted by Mabel Michener and raised in Doylestown, Pennsylvania. Michener went to Doylestown High School in 1925, followed by Swarthmore College, Pennsylvania. He graduated summa cum laude from Swarthmore college in 1929 with an Arts degree in English and History. Michener attended the University of St Andrews in Scotland for two years following this. In 1933, Michener became an …
Roland Michener – Wikipedia
Daniel Roland Michener PC CC CMM OOnt CD QC FRHSC (April 19, 1900 – August 6, 1991) was a Canadian lawyer, … Adopted June 10, 1968 Crest In front of a demi-lion supporting a representation of the Mace of the House of Commons of Canada Or a Plate charged with a Maple Leaf Gules. Escutcheon Azure four bendlets interlaced in saltire between in chief a representation of the Royal Crown Or and …
James Michener Biography, Life, Interesting Facts
His official documents say he was born on February 3, 1907. His biological parents abandoned him. He was found and adopted by Mabel Michener. The poor widow became his foster mother. In 1921, James Michener joined Doylestown High School. He graduated from high school in 1925. Upon graduating, he was granted a college scholarship.
THE MICHENER PHENOMENON – The New York Times
Sep 8, 1985Not until he was a 19-year-old scholarship student at Swarthmore College did he learn, from an acquaintance, that he was adopted. He has never learned who his real parents were. These facts are…
James A. Michener – Freedom From Religion Foundation
On this date in 1907, writer James Albert Michener was born in New York City. An orphan, he spent his first few years at the Bucks County Poorhouse in Doylestown, Pa, until adopted by Edwin and Mabel Michener. As Quakers, they believed in social activism and took in several orphaned children.
Reconsidering The Astonishing Literary Legacy Of James Michener
Michener was the adopted son of Quakers (he never knew his biological parents). He was mostly an autodidact, and his thought was an odd blend of conspiracy theory and Society of Friends faux…
James A. Michener Biography – Childhood, Life Achievements & Timeline
Not much is known of James Albert Michener’s early life and his childhood except for the fact that he was raised by an adoptive mother, Mabel Michener as a Quaker in Doylestown, Bucks County, Pennsylvania. He is reported to have been born on February 3, 1907.
James A. Michener: Pedantic, Pedestrian, Poet of Diversity, Part 1
James Albert Michener was born in 1907. Past that, we have virtually no information on his earliest days, for his origins were notoriously murky. Date of birth, place of birth, and most important, his parents, are all an enigma. He was adopted by Mabel Michener of Pennsylvania, a Quaker who would give him her name and, in keeping with the …
Mining Michener ** Biographer peels away layers of personality
Michener accused Nord of adultery, cruelty and sexual abuse of their son, Brook, whom Nord had returned to an orphanage after three months. Newly married, Michener vowed never to communicate “in…
James A. Michener – Book Series In Order
Michener was adopted and raised by another woman and does not know about his biological parents. Mabel Michener raised him as his son in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. He passed out school from Pennsylvania in the year 1925 and went on to attend the Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania. Michener was a regular member of the college basketball team …
MICHENER’S FODDER: FACTS AND FANTASY – Sun Sentinel
Not until he was 19 did he learn from an acquaintance that he was adopted. Michener’s world soon reached out beyond Doylestown. “At 14 I left home with 35 cents in my pocket and hitched to Florida.
Still, there were times when the talk turned to two characters only, ourselves. On my first visit to St. Michaels in May 1978, I told Michener how I happened to bear the name of a proud Afrikaner family, having been adopted as a baby. “I was adopted,” Jim said. “I never knew my birth parents.” Nor did he, said Jim. Mabel Michener, a widow, took …
James Michener
Michener, an orphan, was adopted shortly after birth by Mabel Michener, a poverty-stricken widow with two other children. The family lived in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, surviving with few resources and often little to eat.
The Life of James A. Michener Trivia Quiz
He was raised by Mabel Michener, a widow, who adopted him. During his life, Michener was a great supporter of the arts. Where is the James A. Michener Art Museum located? Doylestown, Pennsylvania. Michener spent his childhood in Doylestown. Quoted from the museum’s website: “In 1988, with the support of many dedicated citizens, the James A. Michener Art Museum opened as an independent, non …
James Michener
Pennsylvania, in 1907, the child’s parents showed anything but the typical new-parent pride in their son. According to one story, they abandoned him at birth, and he was adopted by a poor young widow named Mabel Michener. Other stories cite Mabel as Michener’s biological mother
What Books Did James Michener Write? – JanetWhardy.com
His epic and detailed fictional works are classified as fictional documentaries; he is best known for his novels.It is unclear where Michener’s birth place took place and how old he was when he was found in Doylestown, Pennsylvania.As a child, Mabel Michener adopted him and raised him as a Quaker. Are Michener Books Historically Accurate?
Obituary: James Michener | The Independent | The Independent
Born in 1907, Michener never knew who his real parents were. He accepted that he never would and determinedly kept speculation out of his life. He was fostered by Mabel Michener who, when times…
REMEMBERING JAMES MICHENER REMEMBERING MICHENER: ‘A … – The Morning Call
On Friday, in the museum’s Michener Room, crape was draped across the top of a bookcase displaying Michener’s various sworks. And a condolence book lay open on the glass case that encloses the …
AN INTERVIEW WITH James Michener – D Magazine
At the age of 19, Michener learned that he was a foundling adopted by the people he thought were his real parents. His adoptive family was quite poor, and their hardships during the Depression …
The History Behind the Fiction: James Michener’s “Centennial”
One of the great novelists of the twentieth century, James A. Michener, set one of his best-known novels right here in Colorado. Michener spent a great deal of time in Colorado researching Centennial, renting an apartment in Capitol Hill and also spending much time in the northern part of the state, where the novel is set. Published in 1974, Centennial was adapted as a television mini-series …
James Michener | The Economist
James Michener, spurned by many but read by millions, died on October 16th, aged 90. Oct 30th 1997. Facebook. Twitter. LinkedIn. WhatsApp. About 2,000 years ago at a village in Judaea, one of the …
James A. Michener – Wikipedia
James Albert Michener (/ ˈ m ɪ tʃ ə n ər / or / ˈ m ɪ tʃ n ər /; February 3, 1907 – October 16, 1997) was an American writer. He wrote more than 40 books, most of which were long, fictional family sagas covering the lives of many generations in particular geographic locales and incorporating detailed history. Many of his works were bestsellers and were chosen by the Book of the …
Michener | Pennsylvania Center for the Book
James A. Michener was born in New York in 1907, and he was adopted into the Michener family, who resided in Doylestown, early in life. He received his early education in Pennsylvania and taught in private schools in the Commonwealth. His writing career began in 1948 with the successful and highly-esteemed Tales of the South Pacific (1947).
James A. Michener – Book Series In Order
Michener was adopted and raised by another woman and does not know about his biological parents. Mabel Michener raised him as his son in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. He passed out school from Pennsylvania in the year 1925 and went on to attend the Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania. Michener was a regular member of the college basketball team …
James Michener – fiftyflyfish.com
Michener was adopted by a Quaker, and there’s some Quaker benevolence in his attitudes. There is also a tendency in Michener to deal in racial tropes, but it has less to do I suspect with inherent prejudice than how Michener characters are used. They’re not so much portraits as game pieces, like tiles on an old board game, Stratego, Hawaiio. When you flip them over they display their value …
James Michener – Conservapedia
James Michener (1907-1997) was an American author. His works include Tales of the South Pacific (1947), Hawaii (1959), The Drifters (1971), Chesapeake (1978), Alaska (1988), and Mexico (1992). He won a Pulitzer Prize for Tales of the South Pacific.. Life and Works. Michener was born February 3, 1907 and was adopted as an infant. He was raised a Quaker, attended Swarthmore College (where he …
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