O. Henry Award
2 appearances
-
Edition 36 (1956) Winner
-
Edition 44 (1964) Winner
John Cheever
ジョン・ウィリアム・チーヴァー
John William Cheever
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1912-05-27 （Quincy, Massachusetts, U.S.）
- Died
- 1982-06-18 （Ossining, New York, U.S.） age 70
- Nationality
- United States
- Languages
- English
- Residence History
- Quincy, Massachusetts → Manhattan, New York City → Ossining, New York → Rome, Italy → Scarborough-on-Hudson, Westchester County
Career
- Occupations
- Writer, Novelist, Short story writer
- Active Years
- 1935-1982
- Influenced By
- Anton Chekhov
- Influenced
- Raymond Carver, T. C. Boyle, John Updike
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thayer Academy | — | — | — | 1926–1930（在籍、中途離脱） | United States |
| Quincy High School | — | — | — | 1928–1930 | United States |
Thayer Academy
Period:
1926–1930（在籍、中途離脱）
Country:
United States
Attended as a day student; left before completion
Quincy High School
Period:
1928–1930
Year of Graduation:
1930
Country:
United States
Won a short story contest which helped launch his writing career
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1958 | National Book Award | The Wapshot Chronicle | — | National Book Foundation | 受賞 |
| 1965 | William Dean Howells Medal | The Wapshot Scandal | — | American Academy of Arts and Letters (associated) | 受賞 |
| 1979 | Pulitzer Prize for Fiction | The Stories of John Cheever | — | Columbia University (Pulitzer Prize) | 受賞 |
| 1981 | National Book Critics Circle Award | The Stories of John Cheever (paperback edition) | — | National Book Critics Circle | 受賞 |
| 1982 | National Medal for Literature | — | — | American Academy of Arts and Letters | 受賞 |
| 1979 | Edward MacDowell Medal | — | — | MacDowell Colony | 受賞 |
National Book Award
1958
Work:
The Wapshot Chronicle
Organization:
National Book Foundation
Result:
受賞
William Dean Howells Medal
1965
Work:
The Wapshot Scandal
Organization:
American Academy of Arts and Letters (associated)
Result:
受賞
Pulitzer Prize for Fiction
1979
Work:
The Stories of John Cheever
Organization:
Columbia University (Pulitzer Prize)
Result:
受賞
National Book Critics Circle Award
1981
Work:
The Stories of John Cheever (paperback edition)
Organization:
National Book Critics Circle
Result:
受賞
National Medal for Literature
1982
Organization:
American Academy of Arts and Letters
Result:
受賞
Edward MacDowell Medal
1979
Organization:
MacDowell Colony
Result:
受賞
Awards & Nominations
Pulitzer Prize for Fiction
1 appearances
-
Edition 1 (1979) Winner
Ambassador Book Award
1 appearances
-
Edition 7 (1992) Winner
Works
Major Works
The Wapshot Chronicle
1957 NovelSet in a fictional New England community, the novel portrays family and community caught between tradition and change, blending humor, nostalgia, and moral conflict.
NostalgiaFamily tiesTradition vs. change
The Wapshot Scandal
1964 NovelA continuation of the Wapshot family saga, offering sharp portrayals of characters' flaws and the changes of the times; highly regarded critically.
Family relationsMoral declineResistance to modernization
Bullet Park
1969 NovelA portrait of suburban community life; a character-driven novel that received harsh criticism from some reviewers at the time.
SuburbiaIsolationAppearances vs. reality
Falconer
1977 NovelSet in a prison, the novel addresses violence, loneliness, and the possibility of redemption. It was a bestseller at the time of publication.
LonelinessViolenceRedemption
Oh What a Paradise It Seems
1982 NovellaA late-career novella that sensitively treats loss, memory, and individual redemption.
MemoryLossRedemption
The Stories of John Cheever
1978 Short story collectionAn anthology of Cheever's key short stories, depicting the duality of human nature and suburban nostalgia; it won the Pulitzer Prize.
Duality of human natureSuburban lonelinessNostalgia
Bibliography
- The Way Some People Live (1943)
- The Enormous Radio and Other Stories (1953)
- The Housebreaker of Shady Hill and Other Stories (1958)
- The Wapshot Chronicle (1957)
- The Wapshot Scandal (1964)
- Bullet Park (1969)
- Falconer (1977)
- The Stories of John Cheever (1978)
- Oh What a Paradise It Seems (1982)
Adaptations
- Film adaptation of 'The Swimmer' (1968)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- Realist prose with symbolic elementsNarration centered on short stories, using psychological insight and irony
- Recurring Motifs
- Suburbia and alienationDuality of appearance and inner lifeNostalgia and vanishing communitiesWater/swimming as symbolAlcoholism and self-destruction
Health
-
Pulmonary edema1973（入院・治療）Alcohol-related pulmonary edema that nearly killed him; led to hospitalization and a period of sobriety
-
Lung cancer with metastases1981–1982Diagnosed in 1981 with metastases to bone and pelvis; led to his death in 1982.
Legacy
John Cheever is regarded as one of the major American short story writers and novelists of the 20th century, noted for his portrayals of suburban life, duality of human nature, and nostalgia. He won major awards including the Pulitzer Prize and his papers are preserved in institutional collections.
Museums
- John Cheever Reading Room (Ossining Public Library) Ossining, New York, U.S.
Academic Societies
- American Academy of Arts and Letters (associated)
- MacDowell Colony (award-giving organization)
Archives
- Brandeis University (John Cheever literary manuscripts)
- Houghton Library (Harvard University) holdings of journals and papers
In Popular Culture
- His daughter's memoir revealed aspects of his private life, and the story was parodied in an episode of Seinfeld
Quotes
-
A page of good prose remains invincible.
Source: Remarks at the National Medal for Literature ceremony (Carnegie Hall, 1982) (1982)
Trivia
- Often called 'the Chekhov of the suburbs.'
- Posthumous publication of uncollected stories and biographies continued after his death.
- Two of his children, Susan and Benjamin, became writers.