World Literary Awards

← Back to Home

William Keepers Maxwell Jr.

ウィリアム・キーパーズ・マックスウェル・ジュニア

William Keepers Maxwell Jr.

Pen Names: Jonathan Harrington（Pen name used for some short stories）

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1908-08-16 （Lincoln, Illinois, U.S.）
Died
2000-07-31 （New York City, U.S.） age 91
Nationality
United States
Languages
English
Residence History
Lincoln, Illinois → Bloomington, Illinois → Chicago, Illinois → New York City

Career

Occupations
editor, novelist, short story writer, essayist, children's author, memoirist
Active Years
1930-2000
Influenced
J. D. Salinger, John Updike, John Cheever, Isaac Bashevis Singer

Education

University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign
Degree: B.A.
Period: 1926–1930
Year of Graduation: 1930
Country: United States
Graduated summa cum laude; class salutatorian; Phi Beta Kappa
Harvard University
Degree: A.M.
Period: 1930–1932
Year of Graduation: 1932
Country: United States
Earned an A.M. (Master of Arts)

Awards

Newbery Medal (runner-up)
1947
Work: The Heavenly Tenants
Organization: American Library Association (ALA)
Result: 次点
William Dean Howells Medal
1980
Work: So Long, See You Tomorrow
Organization: American Academy of Arts and Letters
Result: 受賞
National Book Award (paperback fiction)
1982
Work: So Long, See You Tomorrow
Category: Paperback Fiction
Organization: National Book Foundation
Result: 受賞
Brandeis Creative Arts Award
1984
Organization: Brandeis University (Poses Institute for the Arts)
Result: 受賞
PEN/Malamud Award
1995
Organization: PEN America
Result: 受賞
Mark Twain Award
1995
Organization: Society for the Study of Midwestern Literature
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

So Long, See You Tomorrow

1980 Domestic realism

A short autobiographical novel about childhood friendship, a murder, and enduring regret set in a small Illinois town; deals with loss and forgiveness.

childhoodfamilylossregret

Ancestors

1972 Memoir / Family history

A memoir drawing on family history and childhood memories; explores the impact of the 1918 influenza epidemic and the death of his mother on his life and writing.

remembrancefamily historygrief

The Heavenly Tenants

1946 Children's literature / Fantasy

A children's story with fantastical elements in which constellations come to life and visit a family farm; was runner-up for the Newbery Medal.

imaginationfamilynature and constellations

Bibliography

  • Bright Center of Heaven (1934)
  • They Came Like Swallows (1937)
  • The Folded Leaf (1945)
  • Time Will Darken It (1948)
  • The Chateau (1961)
  • Ancestors (1972)
  • So Long, See You Tomorrow (1980)
  • The Outermost Dream (1989)
  • Various short story collections and children's books

Style & Themes

Literary Style
quiet, restrained prosegentle narrative voice with detailed psychological observationautobiographical elements woven into realism
Recurring Motifs
memories of childhoodfamily bonds and losslife in Midwestern small townsthe deep significance of small events

Health

  • 1918 influenza infection (survived)
    1918
    His illness during the 1918 influenza epidemic and the death of his mother profoundly affected his sense of loss and recurring themes in his work.

Legacy

William Maxwell is known both for his long career as a fiction editor at The New Yorker and for his restrained prose exploring family and childhood loss. He mentored many writers and left a significant mark on 20th-century American literature.

Academic Societies

  • National Institute of Arts and Letters (elected president, 1968)

Archives

  • Collections and catalog records at the Library of Congress

In Popular Culture

  • Frequently cited in literary circles as a legendary mentor and editor

Quotes

  • For fiction writers, he was the headquarters.
    Source: Comment by Eudora Welty

Trivia

  • His gravestone in Oregon bears the epitaph 'The Work is the Message.'
  • He was married to Emily Noyes Maxwell for 55 years and died eight days after his wife.
  • He published some short stories under the pen name Jonathan Harrington.