George R. Stewart
Encyclopedia
George Rippey Stewart was an American
toponymist, a novelist, and a professor of English at the University of California, Berkeley
. His 1959 book Pickett's Charge, a detailed history of the final attack at Gettysburg
, was called "essential for an understanding of the Battle of Gettysburg
".
, Stewart was the son of a railway engineer. He earned a bachelor's degree from Princeton University
in 1917, an MA from the University of California, Berkeley
, and his Ph.D. in English literature from Columbia University
in 1922. He accepted a position in the English department at Berkeley in 1923.
Stewart was a founding member of the American Name Society
in 1956-57, and he once served as an expert witness in a murder
trial as a specialist in family names. His best-known academic work is Names on the Land: A Historical Account of Place-Naming in the United States (1945; reprinted, New York Review Books, 2008). He wrote three other books on place-names, A Concise Dictionary of American Place-Names (1970), Names on the Globe (1975), and American Given Names (1979). His scholarly works on the poetic meter of ballads (published under the name George R. Stewart, Jr.), beginning with his 1922 Ph.D. dissertation at Columbia, remain important in their field.
(1949), a post-apocalyptic novel, for which he won the first International Fantasy Award
in 1951. It was dramatized on radio's Escape
and served as an inspiration for Stephen King
's The Stand
, as King has stated.
His 1941 novel Storm
, featuring as its protagonist a Pacific storm called "Maria," prompted the National Weather Service
to use personal names to designate storms and inspired Alan Jay Lerner
and Frederick Loewe to write the song "They Call the Wind Maria
" for their 1951 musical Paint Your Wagon. Storm was dramatized as A Storm Called Maria on a 1959 episode of ABC's Disneyland. Another novel, Fire (1948), and an historical work, Ordeal by Hunger (1936), also evoked environmental catastrophes.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
toponymist, a novelist, and a professor of English at the University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
. His 1959 book Pickett's Charge, a detailed history of the final attack at Gettysburg
Battle of Gettysburg
The Battle of Gettysburg , was fought July 1–3, 1863, in and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The battle with the largest number of casualties in the American Civil War, it is often described as the war's turning point. Union Maj. Gen. George Gordon Meade's Army of the Potomac...
, was called "essential for an understanding of the Battle of Gettysburg
Battle of Gettysburg
The Battle of Gettysburg , was fought July 1–3, 1863, in and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The battle with the largest number of casualties in the American Civil War, it is often described as the war's turning point. Union Maj. Gen. George Gordon Meade's Army of the Potomac...
".
Early life and university career
Born in Sewickley, PennsylvaniaSewickley, Pennsylvania
Sewickley is a borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, west northwest of Pittsburgh along the Ohio River. It is a residential suburb of Pittsburgh. The population was 3,827 at the 2010 census...
, Stewart was the son of a railway engineer. He earned a bachelor's degree from Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
in 1917, an MA from the University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
, and his Ph.D. in English literature from Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
in 1922. He accepted a position in the English department at Berkeley in 1923.
Stewart was a founding member of the American Name Society
American Name Society
The American Name Society, founded in 1951, is a learned society founded "to promote onomastics, the study of names and naming practices, both in the United States and abroad [and] to investigate cultural insights, settlement history, and linguistic characteristics revealed in names." Its...
in 1956-57, and he once served as an expert witness in a murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
trial as a specialist in family names. His best-known academic work is Names on the Land: A Historical Account of Place-Naming in the United States (1945; reprinted, New York Review Books, 2008). He wrote three other books on place-names, A Concise Dictionary of American Place-Names (1970), Names on the Globe (1975), and American Given Names (1979). His scholarly works on the poetic meter of ballads (published under the name George R. Stewart, Jr.), beginning with his 1922 Ph.D. dissertation at Columbia, remain important in their field.
Novelist
He is best known for his only science fiction novel Earth AbidesEarth Abides
Earth Abides is a 1949 post-apocalyptic science fiction novel by American writer George R. Stewart. It tells the story of the fall of civilization from deadly disease and its rebirth. Beginning in the United States in the 1940s, it deals with Isherwood "Ish" Williams, Emma, and the community they...
(1949), a post-apocalyptic novel, for which he won the first International Fantasy Award
International Fantasy Award
The International Fantasy Award was an annual literary award for the best science fiction or fantasy book and, in 1951-1953, the best non-fiction book of interest to science fiction and fantasy readers. The IFA was given by an international panel of prominent fans and professionals in 1951-1955 and...
in 1951. It was dramatized on radio's Escape
Escape (radio program)
Escape was radio's leading anthology series of high-adventure radio dramas, airing on CBS from July 7, 1947 to September 25, 1954. Since the program did not have a regular sponsor like Suspense, it was subjected to frequent schedule shifts and lower production budgets, although Richfield Oil signed...
and served as an inspiration for Stephen King
Stephen King
Stephen Edwin King is an American author of contemporary horror, suspense, science fiction and fantasy fiction. His books have sold more than 350 million copies and have been adapted into a number of feature films, television movies and comic books...
's The Stand
The Stand
The Stand is a post-apocalyptic horror/fantasy novel by American author Stephen King. It demonstrates the scenario in his earlier short story, Night Surf...
, as King has stated.
His 1941 novel Storm
Storm (novel)
Storm is a novel written by George Rippey Stewart and published in 1941. The book became a best-seller and helped lead to the naming of tropical cyclones worldwide, even though the main character of the book was an extratropical cyclone.-Plot summary:...
, featuring as its protagonist a Pacific storm called "Maria," prompted the National Weather Service
National Weather Service
The National Weather Service , once known as the Weather Bureau, is one of the six scientific agencies that make up the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration of the United States government...
to use personal names to designate storms and inspired Alan Jay Lerner
Alan Jay Lerner
Alan Jay Lerner was an American lyricist and librettist. In collaboration with Frederick Loewe, he created some of the world's most popular and enduring works of musical theatre for both the stage and on film...
and Frederick Loewe to write the song "They Call the Wind Maria
They Call the Wind Maria
"They Call the Wind Maria" is an American popular song with lyrics written by Alan J. Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe for their 1951 Broadway musical, Paint Your Wagon, which is set in the California Gold Rush. Rufus Smith originally sang the song on Broadway, and Joseph Leader was the...
" for their 1951 musical Paint Your Wagon. Storm was dramatized as A Storm Called Maria on a 1959 episode of ABC's Disneyland. Another novel, Fire (1948), and an historical work, Ordeal by Hunger (1936), also evoked environmental catastrophes.
Listen to
- OTR Network Library: Escape: "Earth Abides," parts one and two
- Two short radio episodes from StormStorm (novel)Storm is a novel written by George Rippey Stewart and published in 1941. The book became a best-seller and helped lead to the naming of tropical cyclones worldwide, even though the main character of the book was an extratropical cyclone.-Plot summary:...
(1941): "Valley Rain" and "Final Success". California Legacy ProjectCalifornia Legacy ProjectThe California Legacy Project began in 2000 as a project at Santa Clara University in Santa Clara, CA and later partnered with Heyday Books in Berkeley, CA. The project uses a research team of SCU interns to create radio scripts for the radio anthology "Your California Legacy" on KAZU 90.3 FM,...
.
External links
- American Name Society biography of Stewart by William Bright
- Tribute website GeorgeRStewart.com
- Donald M. Scott's essay on George R. Stewart, on the U. S. Route 40 website
- Extensive list of publications by and about George R. Stewart
- U.C. Berkeley interviews with George R. Stewart on the writing process
- Guide to the George Rippey Stewart Papers at The Bancroft Library