John Dos Passos Prize
1 appearances
-
Edition 24 (2004) Winner
Maureen Theresa Howard
モーリーン・テレサ・ハワード
Maureen Theresa Howard
Aliases:
Maureen Theresa Kearns
Profile
- Gender
- Female
- Born
- 1930-06-28 （Bridgeport, Connecticut, U.S.）
- Died
- 2022-03-13 （Manhattan, New York, U.S.） age 91
- Nationality
- United States
- Languages
- English
- Religion
- Catholicism
- Residence History
- Bridgeport, Connecticut, U.S. → New York City (Manhattan), U.S. → Santa Barbara, California, U.S.
Career
- Occupations
- novelist, memoirist, editor, professor
- Active Years
- 1960-2022
- Affiliations
- Yale University, Columbia University (School of the Arts; previously School of General Studies instructor), The New School for Social Research, University of California, Santa Barbara, City University of New York (CUNY), Brooklyn College
- Memberships
- American Academy of Arts and Sciences (Elected Member), American Academy of Arts and Letters
- Influenced By
- Virginia Woolf, Edith Wharton, Flannery O'Connor, Henry James
- Nominations
- PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction (Finalist for 'Grace Abounding'), PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction (Finalist for 'Expensive Habits'), PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction (Finalist for 'Natural History')
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Smith College | — | — | — | 1948–1952 | United States |
Smith College
Period:
1948–1952
Year of Graduation:
1952
Country:
United States
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1967 | John Simon Guggenheim Fellowship | — | — | John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation | 受賞 |
| 1978 | National Book Critics Circle Award | Facts of Life | — | National Book Critics Circle | 受賞 |
| 1962 | O. Henry Award | Short story "Bridgeport Bus" | — | O. Henry Award (The O. Henry Prize) | 受賞 |
| 1966 | O. Henry Award | Short story "Sherry" | — | O. Henry Award (The O. Henry Prize) | 受賞 |
| 2004 | John Dos Passos Prize for Literature | — | — | Longwood University (Dos Passos Prize) | 受賞 |
| 1997 | Award in Literature, American Academy of Arts and Letters | — | — | American Academy of Arts and Letters | 受賞 |
| 1988 | National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship | — | — | National Endowment for the Arts | 受賞 |
| 1993 | Library Lion (New York Public Library) | — | — | New York Public Library | 受賞 |
| 2012 | Katherine Anne Porter Award, American Academy of Arts and Letters | — | — | American Academy of Arts and Letters | 受賞 |
John Simon Guggenheim Fellowship
1967
Organization:
John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation
Result:
受賞
National Book Critics Circle Award
1978
Work:
Facts of Life
Organization:
National Book Critics Circle
Result:
受賞
O. Henry Award
1962
Work:
Short story "Bridgeport Bus"
Organization:
O. Henry Award (The O. Henry Prize)
Result:
受賞
O. Henry Award
1966
Work:
Short story "Sherry"
Organization:
O. Henry Award (The O. Henry Prize)
Result:
受賞
John Dos Passos Prize for Literature
2004
Organization:
Longwood University (Dos Passos Prize)
Result:
受賞
Award in Literature, American Academy of Arts and Letters
1997
Organization:
American Academy of Arts and Letters
Result:
受賞
National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship
1988
Organization:
National Endowment for the Arts
Result:
受賞
Library Lion (New York Public Library)
1993
Organization:
New York Public Library
Result:
受賞
Katherine Anne Porter Award, American Academy of Arts and Letters
2012
Organization:
American Academy of Arts and Letters
Result:
受賞
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
Not a Word About Nightingales
1960 FictionAn early novel drawing on academic settings; follows a professor on sabbatical who decides to abandon family and work. Noted for formal invention and character focus.
academiaidentitywomen's roles
Bridgeport Bus
1965 FictionStructured as journal entries, it tells of an Irish-American woman leaving Bridgeport for New York to pursue independence.
town vs cityfemale independenceimmigrant experience
Facts of Life
1978 MemoirA memoir organized by theme rather than chronologically; personal reflections on family, religion, and identity. Critically acclaimed and awarded.
familyCatholicismidentity
Natural History
1992 FictionSet in Bridgeport, the novel interweaves memory and present-day narrative to explore family history and identity.
memoryfamily historyidentity
Seasonal Quartet (A Lover's Almanac; The Silver Screen; The Rags of Time; Big as Life)
1998 Novel sequence / novellasA quartet inspired by the four seasons; noted for formal experimentation and a focus on artistic creation as a central theme.
seasonsart and creationtime
Bibliography
- Not a Word About Nightingales (1960)
- Bridgeport Bus (1965)
- Before My Time (1974)
- Facts of Life (1978)
- Grace Abounding (1982)
- Expensive Habits (1986)
- Natural History (1992)
- A Lover's Almanac (1998)
- Big as Life: Three Tales for Spring (2001)
- The Silver Screen (2004)
- The Rags of Time (2009)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- experimental formnonlinear narrationlyric yet precise proseuse of multiple first-person perspectives
- Recurring Motifs
- landscapes of memoryfamily and mother-daughter relationsCatholic cultural influencesearch for identityseasons (four seasons motif)
Legacy
Maureen Howard is recognized for formal experimentation and works addressing women's experience and Irish-American identity. Critics praised her distinctive prose and treatment of memory; her papers and academic work have supported scholarly study.
Academic Societies
- American Academy of Arts and Sciences
- American Academy of Arts and Letters
Archives
- Columbia University Rare Book & Manuscript Library (Maureen Howard papers, 1962–2002)
Quotes
-
"No one writing in English today produces anything quite like [her sentences]."
Source: Jess Row, The New York Times (review, 2009) (2009) -
"Pleasingly full of life and fine details."
Source: Martin Levin, The New York Times (1962) (1962)
Trivia
- She began working in the local public library at age sixteen.
- Her daughter Loretta Howard runs an art gallery in New York City.
- She was married three times (Daniel F. Howard; David J. Gordon; Mark Probst).