where did michener write chesapeake

When was Chesapeake by James Michener published?

Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Chesapeake is a novel by James A. Michener, published by Random House in 1978. The story deals with several families living in the Chesapeake Bay area around Virginia and Maryland, from 1583 to 1978.

What is the setting of Chesapeake by James Michener?

James Michener has a remarkable talent for introducing a setting and taking his readers on a journey, that will make one understand the area through it's history and it's people. In Chesapeake, he forms a novel around that area in Maryland that borders the Choptank River, a tributary of Chesapeake Bay.

Is Chesapeake by James Michener good?

Still, Chesapeake was good and worth the time spent reading it. James Michener has a remarkable talent for introducing a setting and taking his readers on a journey, that will make one understand the area through it's history and it's people.

Who is James Michener and what did he write?

James A. Michener. He also wrote an analysis of the United States' Electoral College system in a book which condemned it, entitled Presidential Lottery: The Reckless Gamble in Our Electoral System. It was published in 1969, and republished in 2014 and 2016.

When did Michener write Chesapeake?

1978Chesapeake is a novel by James A. Michener, published by Random House in 1978. The story deals with several families living in the Chesapeake Bay area around Virginia and Maryland, from 1583 to 1978....Chesapeake (novel)First edition coverAuthorJames A. MichenerGenreHistoricalPublisherRandom HousePublication dateJune 12, 19788 more rows

When did Michener write the source?

1965Michener published in 1965....The Source (novel)First editionAuthorJames A. MichenerPublication date1965Media typePrint (Hardback & Paperback)6 more rows

Where is Devon Island Chesapeake?

Talbot CountyI think it was no accident that the fictional Devon Island, Patamoke and Peace Cliff of the novel are set in Talbot County, with excellent microfilm records and a library strong in the history and genealogy of the region.

Who wrote the Chesapeake?

James A. MichenerChesapeake / AuthorJames Albert Michener 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. Wikipedia

Who wrote the source?

James A. MichenerThe Source / Author

How many pages is the source?

1104Product DetailsISBN-13:9780375760389Edition description:ReprintPages:1104Sales rank:38,208Product dimensions:5.40(w) x 8.20(h) x 1.60(d)2 more rows•Jul 9, 2002

What is the book Chesapeake about?

In the early 1600s, young Edmund Steed is desperate to escape religious persecution in England. After joining Captain John Smith on a harrowing journey across the Atlantic, Steed makes a life for himself in the New World, establishing a remarkable dynasty that parallels the emergence of America.

How big is Chesapeake VA?

351 mi²Chesapeake / Area

Who wrote Alaska?

James A. MichenerAlaska / Author

What is considered James Michener's best book?

1. Tales of the South Pacific. Michener is well known for this tome, and it won him his Pulitzer Prize.

What did Michener write?

Most of Michener's works are historical novels, all distinguished by the thorough research which is his hallmark. Among these are: The Bridges at Toko-Ri, Sayonara, The Source, Centennial, Chesapeake, The Covenant, Space, Poland, Texas and Alaska.

Did James Michener write about Russia?

Promoting his account of the uprising, The Bridge at Andau (1957), Michener chooses to dwell not on the tales of heroism and tragedy recounted in his book, nor upon the future of Hungary, but rather on what the events mean for the future of Russia itself and, in turn, "what the impact on Russia might be on us." ...

When did Michener write Hawaii?

1959Hawaii is a novel by James A. Michener published in 1959, the year that Hawaii became the 50th U.S. state. It has been translated into 32 languages....Hawaii (novel)First editionAuthorJames A. MichenerLanguageEnglishPublisherRandom HousePublication dateNovember 20, 19593 more rows

When did Michener write Alaska?

1988Alaska is a 1988 historical novel by James A. Michener.

What did James Michener write?

Most of Michener's works are historical novels, all distinguished by the thorough research which is his hallmark. Among these are: The Bridges at Toko-Ri, Sayonara, The Source, Centennial, Chesapeake, The Covenant, Space, Poland, Texas and Alaska.

What is considered James Michener's best book?

1. Tales of the South Pacific. Michener is well known for this tome, and it won him his Pulitzer Prize.

Where is James Michener's Chesapeake?

In Chesapeake, he forms a novel around that area in Maryland that borders the Choptank River, a tributary of Chesapeake Bay.

What is the book Chesapeake about?

Chesapeake is as much about a way of life, as it is about the place and its people. The book is typical Michener, and uses individual stories across generations to show the way a place and its society has evolved.

What is the focus of the book Chesapeake Bay?

Michener, I'm told by this friend, is a famed histo-geographical fictionalist, which is to say he writes stories that span centuries in a way in which a geographic location is just as important as the characters who cross it over time. In "Chesapeake," we're taken from the prehistoric Native American days up to the race riots of the 1970s. From what I gather thus far, the novel will focus on Chesapeake Bay life, mainly in Maryland and specifically on the Choptank River, one of the estuary's tributories.

How did Michener use anthropomorphism?

Michener also used anthropomorphism to make the world of geese and crabs come alive in a way that helped the reader to understand the changes taking place in nature. I greatly appreciated this much more than the straightforward approach he used in other novels.

What is the setting of Michener's book?

Michener begins with the natives just prior to settlement by colonial English. Through native (and later colonial) eyes, the reader gets a good feel for the bounty available in this area. He describes a beautiful natural setting with fish and fowl, berries and trees - everything capable of sustaining life. His descriptions of the land make it a valuable treasure to his characters and his readers, and this is even more poignant in later chapters of the book, when environmental concerns come into play.

How to make history digestible?

There is no better way to make history digestible than by telling the story through fictional characters...dynasties, really. This was really a beautiful and telling account of American history, from the days of Native Americans to the tragedy of Watergate. The scope of the story is magnificent - from exploration, to taming the land, to revolutions, to pirates, to civil rights. One of the things that struck me was how dramatic of a change occurred between about 1890 to 1930. I was sort of disappointed in the lack of transition on Michener's part, but then I realized how dramatic the change really was during those years. There was no transition then either...things changed so quickly. This was really an insightful and pleasurable account of American history from the point of view of Marylanders on the Eastern Shore of the Chesapeake Bay. Being on the border of the Mason-Dixon line, this is a perfect position to describe the mentalities of both Northerners and Southerners. Furthermore, the beautiful setting makes you appreciate the vast array of natural beauty that America provides. Really a great story.

What page does Franklin enter the chapter Three Patriots?

Hi Lynne, that is the chapter entitled "Three Patriots". In the Corgi paperback edition I have, Franklin enters on page 498. (less)

What was the first book Michener wrote?

Navy he was assigned to the South Pacific as a naval historian. He later turned his notes and impressions into Tales of the South Pacific (1947), his first book, published when he was age 40. It won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 1948, and Rodgers and Hammerstein adapted it as the hit Broadway musical South Pacific, which premiered on Broadway in New York City in 1949. The musical was also adapted as eponymous feature films in 1958 and 2001 .

How many books did James Michener write?

James Albert Michener ( / ˈmɪtʃənər / or / ˈmɪtʃnər /; February 3, 1907 – October 16, 1997) was an American author. 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 Month Club; he was known for the meticulous research that went into his books.

How much money did James Michener donate to the University of Texas?

Michener Art Museum, and more than $37 million to University of Texas at Austin.

What was the name of the restaurant that Michener endorsed?

In 1994, Michener endorsed the naming as "Michener's" the restaurant at Iririki Island Resort, Port Vila, Vanuatu.

How to preserve James Michener's legacy?

Preserve the intellectual legacy of James A. Michener as a writer, teacher, historian, public servant, patriot, and philanthropist. Ensure that future generations have full access to all his writings. Promote the exchange of ideas and information about his writings. Encourage fellowship among readers of his writings.

Why was the Raffles Hotel named after the author?

In 1998, the Raffles Hotel in Singapore named one of their suites after the author, in memory of his patronage and affection for the hotel. Michener first stayed at the Singapore hotel in 1949 after World War II. In a 1987 interview, he said it was a luxury for him, a young man, to stay at the Raffles Hotel then, and that he had the time of his life. He returned on a later trip. The suite was officially christened by Steven J. Green, Ambassador of United States to Singapore.

What is the story of Sayonara?

Set during the early 1950s, it tells the story of Major Lloyd Gruver, a United States Air Force ace jet pilot in the Korean War (1950–1953) , now stationed in Japan, who falls in love with Hana-Ogi, a Japanese woman.

Where did Michener work?

Michener worked in the tiny second bedroom that overlooked the garden and the hundreds of trees he had planted, surrounding the house with the privacy of a pine forest. He would walk there in the late afternoon, using one of his collection of walking sticks. There was a small manual typewriter on which he pounded from 8 a.m. until late at night, breaking for meals and a ritual nap.

Where did James Michener see the Great Blue Heron?

Literary legend has it that James Michener saw a great blue heron above the St. Michaels property he was inspecting and immediately decided to buy the 25 acres and the old house that sat on a creek off the Choptank River, near the entrance to the Chesapeake Bay.

How long was the Michener house vacant?

The house had been vacant for 12 years, tended by a caretaker who lived in a cottage Michener and his wife, Mari, had converted from a garage. At the time of the sale, Michener had long since relocated to Texas, and his wife had recently died.

What did Anne say about the cottage?

But as they left that view and that dated cottage in the rear-view mirror, Anne said, "I had this really overwhelming feeling we had to buy this place, and I am not an impulsive person." Her husband suspects it was the allee of loblolly pine along the driveway that reinforced her memories of home in Durham.

Why was the retreat called Southwind?

He called the retreat "Southwind" for the unceasing breeze that blew up the bay.

Who are Anne and Paul?

Both Anne, an interior designer , and Paul, a cardiac surgeon at Baltimore's Sinai Hospital, had memories of growing up on the water with their fathers and uncles, taking out small boats and crabbing, fishing or duck hunting.

What drew Michener to the Eastern Shore in the 1970s?

What drew Michener to the Eastern Shore in the 1970s were memories of sailing the upper bay in his college days. He conducted countless interviews for Chesapeake and spent more than his share of time hunched over manuscripts in the Maryland Room of the Talbot County Free Library in Easton. His research went on for one year, then two, and into a third.

What was the road to Chesapeake about?

The Road to Chesapeake. Tossing that heartbreak aside, Michener got about living a life that turned into quite an adventure. After graduating from Swarthmore College in 1929, he studied for a bit in Scotland, then burned through jobs as a teacher, a Chautauqua actor, and a coal-ship laborer.

What song did Michener listen to over and over again while writing?

The song that Michener listened to over and over again while writing Chesapeake was “Yakety Yak, ” by the Coasters.

What did Michener think of Mabel?

For a long time he thought Mabel was his mother. She ran a makeshift orphanage out of her house. Mabel took in laundry and did some sewing to help make ends meet. On three occasions that Michener could remember, she (and he) landed in the poorhouse, unable to keep up with the bills.

How many books did James Michener sell?

By the time Chesapeake was published in June of 1978, James Michener was richer than God. This is a guy who sold 75 million books during his lifetime. He confessed to a journalist once that he could have retired on the earnings of his first book, Tales of the South Pacific (1947), which was the source material for a certain Broadway hit.

What is the postscript section at the end of Chesapeake?

At the end of each trip in the book, there is a postscript section that tells a bit of historical or natural lore attached to the trip. This is at the end of the chapter about visiting St. Michaels, Md. By the time Chesapeake was published in June of 1978, James Michener was richer than God.

What did Mari and James serve up?

When Mari and James served up fish sticks, they did so on a table stocked with packets of ketchup and other condiments that had been liberated from area restaurants. In an interview later in life, Michener confessed: “I still worry about having enough money.

Who is James Michener?

James Michener, in full James Albert Michener, (born February 3, 1907?, New York City, New York?, U.S.—died October 16, 1997, Austin, Texas), American novelist and short-story writer who, perhaps more than any other single author, made foreign environments accessible to Americans through fiction. Best known for his novels, he wrote epic and detailed works classified as fictional documentaries.

What is the scope of Michener's books?

Michener’s novels were usually massive in scope, and he researched them extensively. Novels such as Hawaii (1959) and The Source (1965) typically open with the earliest history of an area—the geology, flora, and fauna—and ultimately encompass the people who settle and rule there.

What is the name of the movie that he wrote about the U.S. space program?

Another massive opus was Space (1982), in which he tried, with mixed results, to fictionally chronicle the U.S. space program. Mexico (1992) fictionally deals with the problems of contemporary Mexico, partly as seen through the lens of bullfighting.

What is an encyclopedia editor?

Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. ...

Why did Michener use setting?

But he did setting all wrong, at least according to modern theory. He used settings to give his characters freedom, not oppression. For Michener, setting is far from a Marxist or deterministic quality in fiction.

What is the irony of Michener?

If there’s one quality Michener does not traffic in, it’s irony. Michener is striving to make each novel into a mirror of nature in spirit and, especially in a Michener saga, in physical fact. If you don’t think such a thing is possible, you have to conclude that the work is worthless. Or at least, you have to say that’s what you think, even if you do hide a copy of “Poland” in your bathroom to read when nobody’s watching.

When did the literary novel become toxic?

But then came the 1960s. After that, things got weird and unpleasant. By the 1980s they were beyond unpleasant. The literary novel got downright toxic. Deconstructionism and the whole gamut of modern literary theory descended there like Smaug on Erebor, and by the late 80s, irony ruled the day.

Was Michener an autodidact?

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 naiveté when it came to the gears and levels of the contemporary world. His political judgment leads to a few ill-advised and, because he was Michener, seemingly endless detours in the novels. The final chapters of “Chesapeake” are tough going (advice below on which section to skip). They are also evidence that, for better or worse, Michener wrote his own books.

Did Michener have a broad reader base?

Then there were the literary snobs. Michener had far too broad a base of readers to be endured by such people. How could you claim to have special knowledge of an artist genius when even Republicans read him?

Is Michener a good book?

Because, as I discovered for myself last year, Michener got a bad rap. The books are good. Very good. The guy can tell a tale. He paints a beautiful, rich setting from which the tale naturally arises. And, best of all, he tugs at your heart and tickles your mind with characters who seem to effortlessly flow through the setting and bring the plot to life, often in an unexpected and delightful manner. This is pretty much the definition of the successful novel as it comes down to us from the 19th and early 20th century.

What books did James Michener write?

His novel Hawaii was adapted into a film, and Centennial became a hit twelve-part mini-series. Michener also wrote screenplays, including Sayonara and The Bridges of Toko-Ri. Michener donated much of his earnings, sharing over $100 million with numerous beneficiaries. He died in 1997. Books By James A. Michener.

Who is James Michener?

James A. Michener. James A. (Albert) Michener, born around 1907, won the Pulitzer Prize for his first fiction, Tales of the South Pacific. The bestselling book was adapted into the popular musical and film, South Pacific. Michener's numerous bestselling novels also included The Source, Centennial, Texas, Hawaii, and Chesapeake.

Overview

Biography

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External links