Ward Just
Encyclopedia
Ward Just is an American
writer. He is the author of 17 novels and numerous short stories.
, attended Lake Forest Academy
, and subsequently graduated from Cranbrook School
in 1953. He briefly attended Trinity College
in Hartford, Connecticut. He started his career as a print journalist for the Waukegan (Illinois) News-Sun
. He was also a correspondent for Newsweek
and The Washington Post
from 1959 to 1969, after which he left journalism to write fiction.
His influences include Henry James
and Ernest Hemingway
. His novel An Unfinished Season was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction
in 2005. His novel Echo House was a finalist for the National Book Award
in 1997. He has twice been a finalist for the O. Henry Award
: in 1985 for his short story About Boston, and again in 1986 for his short story The Costa Brava, 1959. He was Spring 1999 Rome Prize
fellow.
His fiction is often concerned with the influence of national politics on Americans' personal lives. Much of it is set in Washington D.C. and foreign countries. Another common theme is the alienation felt by Midwesterners in the East.
According to Washington Post book critic Jonathan Yardley, Just's three finest novels are A Family Trust, An Unfinished Season and Exiles in the Garden.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
writer. He is the author of 17 novels and numerous short stories.
Biography
Just was born in Michigan City, IndianaMichigan City, Indiana
Michigan City's origins date to 1830, when the land for the city was first purchased by Isaac C. Elston. Elston Middle School, formerly Elston High School, located at 317 Detroit St., is named after the founder....
, attended Lake Forest Academy
Lake Forest Academy
Lake Forest Academy is a college preparatory boarding and day school for grades 9 through 12 located on the North Shore in Lake Forest, Illinois, United States. As of the 2008-2009 school year, students at Lake Forest Academy come from 20 states and 28 countries. The current Head of School is Dr....
, and subsequently graduated from Cranbrook School
Cranbrook Schools
Cranbrook Schools is a private, PK–12 school located on a campus in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. The schools comprise a co-educational elementary school, a middle school with separate schools for boys and girls, and a co-educational high school with boarding facilities...
in 1953. He briefly attended Trinity College
Trinity College (Connecticut)
Trinity College is a private, liberal arts college in Hartford, Connecticut. Founded in 1823, it is the second-oldest college in the state of Connecticut after Yale University. The college enrolls 2,300 students and has been coeducational since 1969. Trinity offers 38 majors and 26 minors, and has...
in Hartford, Connecticut. He started his career as a print journalist for the Waukegan (Illinois) News-Sun
News Sun
The Lake County News-Sun is a regional newspaper based in Gurnee, Illinois, that predominantly covers news for Lake County, Illinois, a part of the Chicago metropolitan area. It is currently owned by the Sun-Times Media Group as part of its Suburban Chicago Newspapers division, which publishes...
. He was also a correspondent for Newsweek
Newsweek
Newsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
and The Washington Post
The Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
from 1959 to 1969, after which he left journalism to write fiction.
His influences include Henry James
Henry James
Henry James, OM was an American-born writer, regarded as one of the key figures of 19th-century literary realism. He was the son of Henry James, Sr., a clergyman, and the brother of philosopher and psychologist William James and diarist Alice James....
and Ernest Hemingway
Ernest Hemingway
Ernest Miller Hemingway was an American author and journalist. His economic and understated style had a strong influence on 20th-century fiction, while his life of adventure and his public image influenced later generations. Hemingway produced most of his work between the mid-1920s and the...
. His novel An Unfinished Season was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction
Pulitzer Prize for Fiction
The Pulitzer Prize for Fiction has been awarded for distinguished fiction by an American author, preferably dealing with American life. It originated as the Pulitzer Prize for the Novel, which was awarded between 1918 and 1947.-1910s:...
in 2005. His novel Echo House was a finalist for the National Book Award
National Book Award
The National Book Awards are a set of American literary awards. Started in 1950, the Awards are presented annually to American authors for literature published in the current year. In 1989 the National Book Foundation, a nonprofit organization which now oversees and manages the National Book...
in 1997. He has twice been a finalist for the O. Henry Award
O. Henry Award
The O. Henry Award is the only yearly award given to short stories of exceptional merit. The award is named after the American master of the form, O. Henry....
: in 1985 for his short story About Boston, and again in 1986 for his short story The Costa Brava, 1959. He was Spring 1999 Rome Prize
Rome Prize
The Rome Prize is an American award made annually by the American Academy in Rome, through a national competition, to 15 emerging artists and to 15 scholars The Rome Prize is an American award made annually by the American Academy in Rome, through a national competition, to 15 emerging artists...
fellow.
His fiction is often concerned with the influence of national politics on Americans' personal lives. Much of it is set in Washington D.C. and foreign countries. Another common theme is the alienation felt by Midwesterners in the East.
According to Washington Post book critic Jonathan Yardley, Just's three finest novels are A Family Trust, An Unfinished Season and Exiles in the Garden.
Novels
- A Soldier of the Revolution (1970)
- Stringer (1974)
- Nicholson at Large (1975)
- A Family Trust (1978)
- In the City of Fear (1982)
- The American Blues (1984)
- The American Ambassador (1987)
- Jack Gance (1989)
- The Translator (1991)
- Ambition & Love (1994)
- Echo House (1997)
- A Dangerous Friend (1999)
- The Weather in Berlin (2002)
- An Unfinished Season (2004)
- Forgetfulness (2006)
- Exiles In The Garden (2009)
- Rodin's Debutante (2011)
Story collections
- The Congressman Who Loved Flaubert (1973)
- Honor, Power, Riches, Fame, and the Love of Women (1979)
- Twenty-one: Selected Stories (1990)
- Lowell Limpett and Two Stories (2001)
External links
- Houghton MifflinHoughton MifflinHoughton Mifflin Harcourt is an educational and trade publisher in the United States. Headquartered in Boston's Back Bay, it publishes textbooks, instructional technology materials, assessments, reference works, and fiction and non-fiction for both young readers and adults.-History:The company was...
author page for Ward Just - Perseus Books Group author page for Ward Just
- Ward Just resources on the Web
- Ward Just's Washington by Michael Nelson, published in The Virginia Quarterly ReviewThe Virginia Quarterly ReviewThe Virginia Quarterly Review is a literary magazine in the United States. It was founded in 1925 by James Southall Wilson, at the request of University of Virginia president E. A. Alderman...
- Biography with brief summaries of novels
- Brief biography with links to book excerpts from the PBSPublic Broadcasting ServiceThe Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
series Reporting America At War produced by Insignia Films and WETAWETA-TVWETA-TV is a Public Broadcasting Service member public televisionstation for the Washington, D.C., area. Its studios are in nearby Arlington, Virginia... - Interview, online at CBC Words at Large (audio)