Richard Bach
Richard Bach | |
---|---|
Born | Richard David Bach June 23, 1936 philosophy |
Years active | 1963–present |
Spouse | Bette Jeanne Franks
(m. 1957; div. 1970)Sabryna Nelson-Alexopoulos
(m. 1999; div. 2011)Melinda Jane Kellogg
(m. 2020) |
Children | 6, including James Marcus Bach |
Website | |
www |
Richard David Bach (born June 23, 1936)[1] is an American writer. He has written numerous flight-related works of fiction and non-fiction. His works include Jonathan Livingston Seagull (1970) and Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah (1977), both of which were among the 1970s' biggest sellers.
Most of Bach's books have been semi-autobiographical, using actual or
Early life
Bach was born in
Bach's first airplane flight occurred at age 14, when his mother was campaigning for a seat on the council of
Aviation career
Bach served in the
During the summer of 1970, Bach and his friend Chris Cagle traveled to Ireland, where they participated in flying sequences for Roger Corman's film Von Richthofen and Brown. They flew a variety of World War I aircraft of the Blue Max collection owned by ex-RCAF pilot Lynn Garrison. Bach and Garrison first met when Bach wrote articles for Avian, Garrison's aviation publication.
Most of Bach's books involve flight in some way, from the early stories which are purely about flying aircraft, to Stranger to the Ground, his first book, to his later works, in which he used flight as a philosophical metaphor.
Literary career
Bach's first book, the autobiographical Stranger to the Ground (1963) described his Air National Guard unit's deployment to France. It was received favorably by Edmund Fuller in The Wall Street Journal.
1970's Jonathan Livingston Seagull, a story about a seagull who flew for the love of flying rather than merely to catch food, was released by Macmillan Publishers after the manuscript was turned down by several others. It had first been published in Soaring, the magazine of the Soaring Society of America. The book, which included photos of seagulls in flight by photographer Russell Munson, became a number-one bestseller. Containing fewer than 10,000 words, the book sold more than one million copies in 1972 alone.[4] The surprising success of the book was widely reported in the media in the early 1970s.[5]
In 1973, Jonathan Livingston Seagull was adapted into a
In 1975, Bach was the driving force behind
The second novel, Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah, published in 1977, tells of an encounter with a modern-day messiah who has decided to quit.
On August 31, 2012, Bach was injured in an aircraft landing accident on San Juan Island in Washington. He was landing a 2008 Easton Gilbert G Searey (N346PE) that he had nicknamed Puff at a private airport when the landing gear clipped some power lines. He crashed upside down in a field about two miles from Friday Harbor, taking down two poles and sparking a small grass fire.[9]
The day after the accident, Bach was reported to be in serious but stable condition with a head injury and broken shoulder.[10] Bach was hospitalized for four months. He reported that his near-death experience inspired him to finish the fourth part of Jonathan Livingston Seagull, which had been originally published in three parts.[11]
In December 2012, Publishers Weekly reported that Travels with Puff had been sent to his publisher the day before his accident.[12] Travels with Puff was released on March 19, 2013.
In 2014, Bach published his sequel to Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah, which he called Illusions II: The Adventures of a Reluctant Student. The book incorporates the story of Bach's real-life aircraft crash, with the author imagining he is being visited by the "messiah", Don Shimoda, who helps him through his difficult medical recovery.
Personal life
Bach had six children with his first wife, Bette Jeanne Franks. Also a pilot, she is the author of Patterns: Tales of Flying and of Life, a book about her life as a pilot and single mother.[13] She typed and edited most of Richard's aviation writing. They divorced in 1970, and Bach spent years without seeing his children.
His and Bette's son Jonathan, named after the titular character in Bach's bestseller, Jonathan Livingston Seagull, is a software engineer and journalist. He wrote the 1993 book Above the Clouds, about growing up without knowing his father and then later meeting him as a college student. Richard gave his approval, although he noted that it included some personal history he would "rather not see in print."[14]
Their other children are Robert, Kristel, James Marcus Bach, Erika, and their youngest daughter, Bethany, who died in an accident at the age of 15 in 1985.
In 1981, Bach married the actress Leslie Parrish, whom he met during the making of the film Jonathan Livingston Seagull. She featured significantly in two of his subsequent books: The Bridge Across Forever and One, which primarily focused on their relationship and Bach's concept of soulmates. They divorced in 1999.[15]
Bach married his third wife, Sabryna Nelson-Alexopoulos, in April 1999. They divorced on April 1, 2011.[16]
Bach has been married to his fourth wife, Melinda Kellogg, since November, 2020.[17][non-primary source needed]
Bibliography
- Stranger to the Ground. ISBN 0-440-20658-8.
- Biplane. Dell Reprint 1990, First edition 1966. ISBN 0-440-20657-X.
- ISBN 0-440-20656-1.
- ISBN 0-380-01286-3.
- A Gift of Wings. Dell Reissue 1989, First edition 1974. ISBN 0-440-20432-1.
- ISBN 0-385-28501-9.
- There's No Such Place As Far Away. Delta 1998, First edition 1979. ISBN 0-385-31927-4.
- The Bridge Across Forever: A Love Story. Dell Reissue 1989. First edition 1984. ISBN 0-440-10826-8.
- ISBN 0-440-20562-X.
- Running from Safety. Delta 1995. ISBN 0-385-31528-7.
- Out of My Mind. Delta 2000. ISBN 0-385-33490-7.
- The Ferret Chronicles (Five novellas):
- Air Ferrets Aloft. Scribner 2002. ISBN 0-7432-2753-0.
- Rescue Ferrets at Sea. Scribner 2002. ISBN 0-7432-2750-6.
- Writer Ferrets: Chasing the Muse. Scribner 2002,. ISBN 0-7432-2754-9.
- Rancher Ferrets on the Range. Scribner 2003. ISBN 0-7432-2755-7.
- The Last War: Detective Ferrets and the Case of the Golden Deed. Scribner 2003. ISBN 0-7432-2756-5.
- Air Ferrets Aloft. Scribner 2002.
- Curious Lives: Adventures from the Ferret Chronicles. Hampton Roads Publishing Company 2005. ISBN 1-57174-457-6.
- The book Curious Lives is in fact the above five Ferret Chronicles books collected in one volume, the only changes being changes to the titles of each of the five.
- Flying: The Aviation Trilogy. Scribner 2003, ISBN 0-7432-4747-7, Collected edition containing
- Stranger to the Ground
- Biplane
- Nothing by Chance
- Messiah's Handbook: Reminders for the Advanced Soul. 2004. ISBN 1-57174-421-5.
- Hypnotizing Maria. Hampton Roads Publishing Company 2009, ISBN 1-57174-623-4.
- Thank Your Wicked Parents: Blessings from a Difficult Childhood. Rainbow Ridge 2012, ISBN 978-193790-702-0.
- Travels with Puff: A Gentle Game of Life and Death. NiceTiger 2013. ISBN 978-193777-703-6.
- Illusions II: The Adventures of a Reluctant Student. Diamond Inspiration (Kindle single e-book) 2014.
- Life With My Guardian Angel. Rainbow Ridge 2018. ISBN 978-1937907563.
References
Citations
- ^ "Richard Bach (Biographical sketch)." butler-bowdon.com. Retrieved: December 11, 2015.
- ^ Science Fiction and Fantasy Literature, vol. 2, R. Reginald, 1979, pg 803
- ^ Scott, Phil. "My First Time." Air & Space/Smithsonian, Vol. 17, No. 2, June/July 2002, p. 47.
- ^ "Jonathan Livingston Seagull". Archived 2006-04-26 at the Wayback Machine 20th-Century American Bestsellers. Retrieved: December 11. 2015.
- ^ Walters, Raymond, Jr. "Book Review: 'Jonathan Livingston Seagull'." The New York Times, July 23, 1972, p. 43.
- ^ "'Seagull' Author Sues". The Evening News. Vol. 12, no. 210. Newburgh, NY. Associated Press. 12 October 1973.
- ^ "Jonathan Livingston Seagull (1973) | Via Vision Entertainment - info relayed by Leslie Parrish for the Blu-ray commentary track".
- ^ Pendo 1985, p. 58.
- ^ "Author Richard Bach injured in Washington plane crash". Fox News, September 1, 2012. Retrieved: December 11, 2015.
- ^ Valdes, Manuel. "'Jonathan Livingston Seagull' author crashes plane". MSNBC (Associated Press), September 1, 2012. Retrieved: December 11, 2015.
- ^ Sullivan, Jennifer. "Author Richard Bach, recovering from plane crash, returns to inspirational tale". Seattle Times, January 17, 2013. Retrieved: December 11, 2015.
- ^ Werris, Wendy. "Despite crash, new Bach book set for March". Publishers Weekly, December 14, 2012. Retrieved: December 11, 2015.
- ISBN 978-0979629808.
- ISBN 978-0-6881-1760-3.
- ^ Leagle.com, Bach vs Parrish "Bach vs Parrish" Retrieved: `January 17, 2021.
- ^ King County Superior Court, Seattle, Washington; case number 10-3-05920-6, decree of dissolution issued April, 1, 2011.
- ^ "Richard Bach » Who is Melinda Jane Kellogg". melindajanekellogg.com. 20 July 2018. Retrieved 22 October 2023.
General and cited references
- Pendo, Stephen. Aviation in the Cinema. Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press, 1985. ISBN 0-8-1081-746-2.
External links
- Richard Bach at IMDb