World Literary Awards

← Back to Home

William H. Gass

ウィリアム・エイチ・ガス

William H. Gass

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1924-07-30 （Fargo, North Dakota, U.S.）
Died
2017-12-06 （University City, Missouri, U.S.） age 93
Nationality
United States
Languages
English
Residence History
Fargo, North Dakota (birthplace) → Warren, Ohio (childhood) → St. Louis / University City, Missouri (teaching, later life)

Career

Occupations
novelist, short story writer, essayist, critic, philosophy professor
Active Years
1959-2017
Affiliations
The College of Wooster (faculty), Purdue University (faculty), Washington University in St. Louis (professor / emeritus)
Influenced By
Gertrude Stein, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, James Joyce, Franz Kafka
Influenced
Contemporary prose writers and critics (broad influence)

Education

Kenyon College
Philosophy / Philosophy
Degree: A.B.
Period: 〜1947
Year of Graduation: 1947
Country: United States
Elected to Phi Beta Kappa
Cornell University
Graduate School of Philosophy / Philosophy
Degree: Ph.D.
Period: 1947–1954
Year of Graduation: 1954
Country: United States
Susan Linn Fellow; dissertation on metaphor (A Philosophical Investigation of Metaphor)

Awards

National Book Critics Circle Award (Criticism)
1985
Work: Habitations of the Word
Organization: National Book Critics Circle
Result: 受賞
National Book Critics Circle Award (Criticism)
1997
Work: Finding a Form
Organization: National Book Critics Circle
Result: 受賞
National Book Critics Circle Award (Criticism)
2003
Work: Tests of Time
Organization: National Book Critics Circle
Result: 受賞
Truman Capote Award for Literary Criticism
2007
Work: A Temple of Texts
Organization: Truman Capote Award committee
Result: 受賞
American Book Award
1996
Work: The Tunnel
Organization: American Book Award committee
Result: 受賞
William Dean Howells Medal
2015
Work: Middle C
Organization: American literary organizations
Result: 受賞
PEN/Nabokov Award (Lifetime Achievement)
2000
Organization: PEN
Result: 受賞
Lannan Lifetime Achievement Award
1997
Organization: Lannan Foundation
Result: 受賞
Pushcart Prize
1976
Organization: Pushcart Press
Result: 受賞
Pushcart Prize
1983
Organization: Pushcart Press
Result: 受賞
Mark Twain Award for Distinguished Contribution to the Literature of the Midwest
1994
Organization: Mark Twain Award committee
Result: 受賞
St. Louis Literary Award
2007
Organization: Saint Louis University Library Associates
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Omensetter's Luck

1966 Novel

Set in a small Ohio town in the 1890s, the novel follows Brackett Omensetter and the upheaval his presence causes, especially in conflict with the zealot Reverend Jethro Furber. Noted for its linguistic virtuosity.

community and othernesslanguage and expressionisolation

The Tunnel

1995 Novel (experimental)

Follows William Frederick Kohler as he attempts to write an introduction to a historical work and instead unearths his own life’s lies, obsessions, and memories. A long, often brutal meditation on history, evil, and memory.

history and responsibilityevil and conscienceself-excavation (introspection)
Adaptations
  • [Audiobook (narration)] The Tunnel (unabridged audio) (2006)

Middle C

2013 Novel

Tells the story of Joseph Skizzen, a middling professor, exploring family history, survival before the war, and his rich fantasy life centered on his imagined Inhumanity Museum; addresses memory and the arts.

memory and family historyart and imaginationtraces of immigration

Bibliography

  • Omensetter's Luck (1966)
  • In the Heart of the Heart of the Country (1968)
  • Willie Masters' Lonesome Wife (1968)
  • The Tunnel (1995)
  • Cartesian Sonata and Other Novellas (1998)
  • Middle C (2013)
  • Habitations of the Word (1985)
  • Finding a Form (1996)
  • Tests of Time (2002)
  • A Temple of Texts (2006)
  • Life Sentences (2012)

Adaptations

  • Unabridged audio recording of The Tunnel (2006), read by the author

Style & Themes

Literary Style
linguistically virtuosic prosemetafictional techniquesmeticulous, frequently revised style
Recurring Motifs
the materiality of languageisolation and the difficulty of lovememory and historical responsibilityself-excavation (tunneling)

Legacy

William H. Gass was a major figure in late 20th- and early 21st-century American letters, known for his linguistic precision and experimental long fiction. He was highly regarded as an essayist and critic and influenced contemporary prose technique.

Archives

  • The William Gass Papers at Washington University in St. Louis

In Popular Culture

  • Mentioned in Dan Simmons's novel Hyperion as a highly honored writer
  • Has a star on the St. Louis Walk of Fame

Quotes

  • I write slowly because I write badly. I have to rewrite everything many, many times just to achieve mediocrity.
    Source: Interview / essay (citation referenced in collected writings) (2003)
  • I don't think anything is sacred and therefore I am prepared to extol or make fun of anything.
    Source: Interview (e.g., The Paris Review) (1995)

Trivia

  • Served as David May Distinguished University Professor at Washington University in St. Louis.
  • Stated that The Tunnel took him 26 years to write.
  • Founded the International Writers Center at Washington University.