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Paul Horgan

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Paul Horgan

Aliases: Paul George Vincent O'Shaughnessy Horgan

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1903-08-01 （Buffalo, New York, USA）
Died
1995-03-08 （Middlesex County Hospital, Middletown, Connecticut, USA） age 91
Nationality
United States
Languages
English
Religion
Roman Catholic
Residence History
Buffalo, New York → Albuquerque, New Mexico → Rochester, New York → Washington, D.C. → Middletown, Connecticut

Career

Occupations
novelist, historian, essayist, professor
Active Years
1924-1995
Affiliations
Wesleyan University Center for Advanced Studies (fellow; author-in-residence), Yale University (seminar/workshop instructor), University of Iowa (seminar instructor)
Memberships
American Catholic Historical Association (served as president)

Education

New Mexico Military Institute
Secondary / Military preparatory
Period: 1915-1922
Country: United States
Formed a lifelong friendship with classmate Peter Hurd
Eastman School of Music
School of Music / Composition/Performance
Period: 1923-1924
Country: United States
Attended one year, then left

Awards

Harper Prize
1933
Work: The Fault of Angels
Organization: Harper and Brothers (publisher)
Result: 受賞
Pulitzer Prize for History
1955
Work: Great River: The Rio Grande in North American History
Category: 歴史
Organization: Columbia University (Pulitzer Prize committee)
Result: 受賞
Bancroft Prize
1955
Work: Great River: The Rio Grande in North American History
Category: 歴史
Organization: Columbia University
Result: 受賞
Pulitzer Prize for History
1976
Work: Lamy of Santa Fe: His Life and Times
Category: 伝記／歴史
Organization: Columbia University (Pulitzer Prize committee)
Result: 受賞
Guggenheim Fellowship
1947
Organization: John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation
Result: 受賞
Papal knighthood
Organization: The Holy See
Result: 受与
Legion of Merit
Organization: U.S. Army / War Department
Result: 受与

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Great River: The Rio Grande in North American History

1951 history

A comprehensive history of the Rio Grande River and its significance in North American history.

borderlandsregional historywater and culture

Lamy of Santa Fe: His Life and Times

1975 biography/history

A biography of Archbishop Jean-Baptiste Lamy and his influence on New Mexico.

religious historyNew Mexico historychurch and colonialism

The Fault of Angels

1933 novel

An early novel based on the author's experiences in Rochester; noted as a Harper Prize winner.

coming-of-ageart and vocation

A Distant Trumpet

1960 historical novel

A historical novel based on the Apache Wars in the American Southwest; one of his popular works.

frontiermilitary and Native American relations

Encounters with Stravinsky

1972 biography

A biographical study of composer Igor Stravinsky that received critical praise.

music historyportrait of an artist

The Heroic Triad: Whitewater; The Thin Mountain Air; Mexico Bay

1970 novels (series)

A trilogy about different cultures in the American Southwest, exploring regional identity and cultural encounters.

cultural encountersregional narrativehistory and tradition

Bibliography

  • Men of Arms (1931)
  • The Fault of Angels (1933)
  • Great River (1951)
  • Lamy of Santa Fe (1975)
  • Encounters with Stravinsky (1972)
  • A Distant Trumpet (1960)
  • Whitewater (1970)
  • The Thin Mountain Air (1977)
  • Mexico Bay (1982)

Translations of Works

  • The Saintmaker's Christmas Eve was translated into German by Annemarie Böll

Style & Themes

Literary Style
blend of historical fact and fictional narrativedetailed, region-rooted descriptionepic and explanatory prose
Recurring Motifs
frontier and borderlandsthe Rio Grandereligion (Catholicism) and cultural encounterspeople and landscape

Legacy

Paul Horgan was an important writer on the American Southwest, notable for achievements in both history and fiction. A two-time Pulitzer Prize winner, he contributed substantially to regional history and American letters. His papers are archived in university libraries and he is recognized for both scholarly and cultural influence.

Academic Societies

  • American Catholic Historical Association

Archives

  • Yale Collection of American Literature, Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library - Paul Horgan Papers
  • Sibley Music Library (Eastman) - Paul Horgan Collection

In Popular Culture

  • Frequently cited in Southwestern literature, contributing to regional identity and imagery

Quotes

  • With the exception of Wallace Stegner, no living American has so distinguished himself in both fiction and history.
    Source: David McCullough (1989) (1989)

Trivia

  • Early in his career he worked as a set designer for an opera company in Rochester despite having no prior experience.
  • During World War II he served in the War Department's information branch, was promoted to lieutenant colonel, and received the Legion of Merit.
  • He published about 40 books and reportedly received 19 honorary degrees.