Anisfield-Wolf Book Award
1 appearances
-
Edition 27 (1962) Winner
John Howard Griffin
ジョン・ハワード・グリフィン
John Howard Griffin
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1920-06-16 （Dallas, Texas, U.S.）
- Died
- 1980-09-09 （Fort Worth, Texas, U.S.） age 60
- Nationality
- United States
- Languages
- English
- Religion
- Catholicism Baptized in 1952
- Residence History
- Dallas (birthplace) → Mansfield (early life/home) → Fort Worth (later residence) → Mexico (temporary residence)
Career
- Occupations
- writer, journalist, photographer
- Active Years
- 1940-1980
- Influenced By
- Thomas Merton, (influenced by figures through spiritual interests)
- Influenced
- Civil rights activists and journalists addressing race relations, Reportedly influenced later investigative journalists
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Poitiers | Faculty of Letters / Languages | French language and literature | — | 1930s–1940s | France |
| École de Médecine (Poitiers) | Faculty of Medicine | Medicine | — | 1930s–1940s | France |
University of Poitiers
Faculty of Letters / Languages
/ French language and literature
Period:
1930s–1940s
Country:
France
Studied French language and literature and medicine in France. Exact graduation year unknown.
École de Médecine (Poitiers)
Faculty of Medicine
/ Medicine
Period:
1930s–1940s
Country:
France
Studied medicine; information on final degree is unclear.
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1964 | Pacem in Terris Award | — | — | Davenport Catholic Interracial Council | 受賞 |
Pacem in Terris Award
1964
Organization:
Davenport Catholic Interracial Council
Result:
受賞
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
Black Like Me
1961 Non-fiction (reportage / social investigation) 224 pagesGriffin temporarily darkened his skin and traveled through the American South posing as a black man, documenting segregation and the lived experience of African Americans. Originally published as articles, it was expanded into a bestselling book.
racesegregationempathysocial justice
Adaptations
- [Film] Black Like Me (film) (1964)
Translations
- Black Like Me (translated into multiple languages, including Japanese)
Nuni
1956 semi-autobiographical novel 180 pagesA semi-autobiographical novel based on his year 'marooned' in the Solomon Islands, reflecting ethnographic interests and experiences of isolation.
cross-cultural understandingisolationethnography
The Devil Rides Outside
1952 Novel 200 pagesTells the story of a young American composer who goes to study Gregorian chant in a French monastery. An early novel by Griffin.
musicreligionself-discovery
Bibliography
- The Devil Rides Outside (1952)
- Nuni (1956)
- Land of the High Sky (1959)
- Black Like Me (1961)
- The Church and the Black Man (1969)
- A Hidden Wholeness: The Visual World of Thomas Merton (1970)
- Twelve Photographic Portraits (1973)
- Jacques Maritain: Homage in Words and Pictures (1974)
- A Time to be Human (1977)
- The Hermitage Journals: A Diary Kept While Working on the Biography of Thomas Merton (1981)
- Follow the Ecstasy: Thomas Merton, the Hermitage Years, 1965–1968 (1983, posthumous)
- Scattered Shadows: A Memo of Blindness and Vision (2004, posthumous)
- Available Light: Exile in Mexico (2008, posthumous)
Adaptations
- Black Like Me (1964 film adaptation)
- Uncommon Vision (2011 documentary commemorating the 50th anniversary)
Translations of Works
- Black Like Me (translated into Japanese and multiple other languages)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- reportage-stylerealisticessayisticintegration of photography and prose
- Recurring Motifs
- race and identitymotifs of sight and blindnessreligion and spiritualityjourney and transformation
Health
-
spinal malaria / temporary paraplegia1940sContracted during WWII and experienced temporary paraplegia; later recovery occurred. Contributed to later health trajectory.
-
loss of sight (later regained)1946–1957（視力回復の時期は1957）Reportedly lost his sight around 1946 and regained it in 1957. The experience influenced his interest in photography and shaped his writing; some researchers have questioned aspects of his blindness.
-
type 2 diabetes1970s–1980（末期）Affected his later life and is cited as a contributing factor to complications leading to his death in 1980.
Legacy
Black Like Me remains an influential work that made visible the realities of race in America; Griffin's journalism and books contributed significantly to discussions of race relations and social justice during the civil rights era and beyond.
Museums
- Harry Ransom Center (John Howard Griffin Collection) The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, U.S.
Academic Societies
- Catholic Interracial Council (as awarding organization)
Archives
- Harry Ransom Center (John Howard Griffin collection)
- Various private and institutional archives, including Texas-area repositories
In Popular Culture
- 1964 film adaptation (Black Like Me)
- 2011 commemorative documentary 'Uncommon Vision'
Quotes
-
I wanted to know what it was like to be black in America, to experience firsthand how segregation affected daily life.
Source: Black Like Me (1961) (1961)
Trivia
- He underwent treatments (including methoxsalen and sunlamp) to darken his skin for his race project.
- There is scholarly debate over his reported blindness and subsequent recovery.
- Served as a medic with the French Resistance during WWII, according to accounts.
- Sustained assaults by Ku Klux Klan members in the 1960s–1970s.
- Black Like Me became a bestseller and has been published in many editions.