Michener, << MIHCH uh nuhr, >> James A. (1907-1997), an American author, won the 1948 Pulitzer Prize for fiction for his collection of stories, Tales of the South Pacific (1947). The book describes the life of U.S. servicemen among people of the Solomon Islands during World War II. Joshua Logan, Richard Rodgers, and Oscar Hammerstein II based their musical comedy South Pacific (1949) on stories in Michener’s collection.
Michener’s novels include The Fires of Spring (1949), The Bridges at Toko-ri (1953), Sayonara (1954), Hawaii (1960), The Source (1965), Centennial (1974), Chesapeake (1978), The Covenant (1980), Texas (1985), Alaska (1988), Caribbean (1989), The Novel (1991), and Miracle in Seville (1995). He also wrote on current events and Asian art. Michener wrote an autobiography, The World Is My Home (1991).
James Albert Michener was born on Feb. 3, 1907, in New York City. He died on Oct. 16, 1997.
See also South Pacific.
