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Pat Conroy

パット・コーンロイ

Pat Conroy

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1945-10-26 （Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.）
Died
2016-03-04 （Beaufort, South Carolina, U.S.） age 70
Nationality
United States
Languages
English
Religion
Catholic (inferred from funeral at a Catholic church)
Residence History
Beaufort, South Carolina → Charleston, South Carolina → Orlando, Florida → Daufuskie Island, South Carolina

Career

Occupations
Novelist, Memoirist, Screenwriter, Essayist
Active Years
1970-2016
Influenced By
Ann Head, Donald Conroy (father), Experience as a military brat (cultural background)
Influenced
George R. R. Martin (has praised Conroy), Writers of Southern literature and contemporary American novelists (broad influence)

Education

The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina
English (major) / Department of English
Degree: 学士
Period: 1963–1967
Year of Graduation: 1967
Country: United States
Graduated from the Corps of Cadets as an English major

Awards

Anisfield-Wolf Book Award
1973
Work: The Water Is Wide
Organization: Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards
Result: 受賞
National Education Association Humanitarian Award
1974
Work: The Water Is Wide
Organization: National Education Association (NEA)
Result: 受賞
Academy Award (Best Adapted Screenplay)
1992
Work: The Prince of Tides (film)
Category: 脚色賞
Organization: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
Result: ノミネート
James Beard Foundation Award (Journalism)
2001
Work: The Pat Conroy Cookbook (journalistic feature with recipes)
Organization: James Beard Foundation
Result: 受賞
South Carolina Hall of Fame
2010
Organization: South Carolina Hall of Fame
Result: 殿堂入り（表彰）
Golden Plate Award (American Academy of Achievement)
1993
Organization: American Academy of Achievement
Result: 受賞
F. Scott Fitzgerald Award
2005
Organization: F. Scott Fitzgerald Literary Conference
Result: 受賞
Order of the Palmetto
2002
Organization: State of South Carolina
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

The Boo

1970 Memoir / Anecdotes

A collection of anecdotes about cadet life at The Citadel, centered on Lt. Colonel Thomas Nugent Courvoisie, the inspiration for later fictional characters.

military school lifementorshipmemory

The Water Is Wide

1972 Nonfiction (teaching memoir)

An account of Conroy's time teaching on Daufuskie Island, exploring educational struggles, community, and relationships formed with students.

educationcommunityhuman relationships
Adaptations
  • [Film] Conrack / Martin Ritt (1974)
  • [Television film] The Water Is Wide (Hallmark TV adaptation) (2006)

The Great Santini

1976 Novel (literary fiction)

A novel about a domineering Marine pilot father and the psychological effects on his family. Themes include father-son conflict, abuse, and eventual reconciliation; much is drawn from Conroy's own life.

father-son conflictmilitary familyabuse and reconciliation
Adaptations
  • [Film] The Great Santini (film) / Lewis John Carlino (1979)

The Lords of Discipline

1980 Novel (campus / military school novel)

Based on Conroy's experiences at The Citadel, the novel explores the harsh discipline of a military college, racism, friendship, and betrayal. Its publication caused controversy among some alumni.

discipline and authorityrace issuesfriendship
Adaptations
  • [Film] The Lords of Discipline (film) (1983)

The Prince of Tides

1986 Novel (literary fiction)

Tom Wingo, a teacher from the South, confronts family trauma when he helps his sister in New York. The novel examines memory, family wounds, and healing.

family memorypsychological traumahealing
Adaptations
  • [Film] The Prince of Tides (film) / Barbra Streisand (1991)

Beach Music

1995 Novel (literary fiction)

An American expatriate in Rome returns home on news of his mother's terminal illness and confronts past demons, including friendship, loss, and the legacy of the Vietnam era.

return homeguilt and atonementlegacy of war

Bibliography

  • 1970: The Boo
  • 1972: The Water Is Wide
  • 1976: The Great Santini
  • 1980: The Lords of Discipline
  • 1986: The Prince of Tides
  • 1995: Beach Music
  • 2002: My Losing Season
  • 2004: The Pat Conroy Cookbook: Recipes of My Life
  • 2009: South of Broad
  • 2010: My Reading Life
  • 2013: The Death of Santini
  • 2016: A Lowcountry Heart: Reflections on a Writing Life

Adaptations

  • Conrack (1974 film) — film adaptation of The Water Is Wide, starring Jon Voight
  • The Great Santini (1979 film) — film adaptation of the novel, starring Robert Duvall
  • The Lords of Discipline (1983 film) — film adaptation of the novel
  • The Prince of Tides (1991 film) — film adaptation of the novel, directed by Barbra Streisand

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Lyrical, emotionally rich prose rooted in Southern literatureFrank, autobiographical narrative voiceDetailed character and landscape description
Recurring Motifs
father-child conflictmilitary brat experiencehome and returntrauma and healing

Health

  • Depression (longstanding)
    生涯にわたる（成人期〜）
    Affected his personal life and writing; he experienced breakdowns and suicidal ideation at times.
  • Pancreatic cancer
    2016年2月（公表）〜2016年3月（死去）
    Announced publicly in February 2016 and led to his death in March 2016.

Legacy

Pat Conroy is regarded as a leading figure in late-20th-century Southern literature. His novels and memoirs about family conflict and military-family experience reached wide audiences, spawned film adaptations, and his legacy is preserved and promoted through the Pat Conroy Literary Center in Beaufort.

Museums

  • Pat Conroy Literary Center Beaufort, South Carolina Opened in 2016

Academic Societies

  • South Carolina Hall of Fame
  • Georgia Writers Hall of Fame

Archives

  • University of South Carolina Irvin Department of Rare Books and Special Collections (Pat Conroy Archive)

In Popular Culture

  • Several works were adapted into films and television, increasing his presence in popular culture.
  • Frequently cited in documentaries and writings about the military brat subculture.

Quotes

  • We spent our entire childhoods in the service of our country, and no one even knew we were there.
    Source: Quoted in the documentary 'Brats: Our Journey Home' (from his essay on military childhood) (2005)

Trivia

  • Full name: Donald Patrick Conroy.
  • Married three times (Barbara Jones, Lenore Fleischer, Cassandra King).
  • Multiple works were adapted to film; two adaptations received Academy Award nominations.
  • The Pat Conroy Literary Center was established in Beaufort.