Robert Cormier
Robert Edmund Cormier | |
---|---|
1997 | |
Spouse | Constance Senay |
Children | 4 |
Robert Edmund Cormier (January 17, 1925 – November 2, 2000) was an American writer and journalist, known for his deeply pessimistic novels, many of which were written for young adults. Recurring themes include abuse, mental illness, violence, revenge, betrayal, and conspiracy. In most of his novels, the protagonists do not win.[1]
Cormier's more popular works include
Early life and education
Robert Cormier was born in 1925 in Leominster, Massachusetts in the French-Canadian section of the town called French Hill.[3] He was the second of eight children.[3] His family moved frequently to afford rent, but never left his hometown. Even when he was much older and owned a summer home, it was only 19 mi (31 km) away from Leominster.[4] In a few of his books, Cormier's hometown of Leominster became the fictional town of Monument, and its village of French Hill became Frenchtown. The nearby city of Fitchburg, Massachusetts became Wickburg.[5]
Cormier attended St. Cecilia's Parochial School, a private Catholic school. He began writing when he was in the first grade and was praised at school for his poetry. He first realized his aspiration to become a writer in 7th grade, when he was encouraged by a nun to write a poem. He attended Leominster High School, graduating as the president of his class.
As a freshman at Fitchburg State College, Cormier had his first short story published when a college professor, Florence Conlon, without his knowledge, sent one of his stories to a national Catholic magazine The Sign for $75.[3]
Career
Cormier began his professional writing career scripting radio commercials. He eventually became an award-winning journalist. Even though he became widely known, he never stopped writing for his local newspaper, the
Cormier became a full-time writer after the success of his first adult novel for teenagers, Now and at the Hour (1960);
The Chocolate War has been challenged in various libraries and schools for its language and its depictions of sexual activity,
Awards
In 1991,
I Am the Cheese won the 1997 Phoenix Award from the Children's Literature Association. Named for the mythical bird, the Phoenix Award recognizes the best English language children's book that did not win a major award when it was originally published twenty years earlier.[9]
Death
Cormier died on November 2, 2000, due to complications from a blood clot.[10]
Published works
Non-Fiction
- I Have Words to Spend [Collected Newspaper Articles] (1991)
Fiction
- Novels except as stated
- Now and at the Hour (1960)
- A Little Raw on Monday Mornings (1963)
- Take Me Where the Good Times Are (1965)
- The Chocolate War (1974)
- I Am the Cheese (1977)
- After the First Death (1979)
- 8 Plus 1 (1980), short story collection
- The Bumblebee Flies Anyway (1983)
- Beyond The Chocolate War(1985)
- Fade (1988)
- Other Bells for Us to Ring (1990); UK title, Darcy (1991)
- We All Fall Down(1991)
- Tunes for Bears to Dance To (1992)
- In the Middle of the Night (1995)
- Tenderness (1997)
- Heroes (1998)
- Frenchtown Summer (1999)
- The Rag and Bone Shop (2001)
Film adaptations
- I Am the Cheese (1983), in which Cormier appears as "Mr. Hertz"
- The Chocolate War (1988)
- Lapse of Memory (1991), an adaptation of I Am the Cheese
- The Bumblebee Flies Anyway (1999)
- Tenderness (2009)
- The Assignment (2012), a student feature-film adaptation of The Chocolate War
See also
References
- ^ "Robert Cormier". Penguin Books. Archived from the original on September 27, 2013. Retrieved January 29, 2008.
- ^ a b "100 Most Frequently Challenged Books of 1990–2000". ALA.org. American Library Association. Archived from the original on January 18, 2008. Retrieved January 21, 2008.
- ^ a b c d e "Robert Cormier". A City of Words: The Worcester Writer's Project. WPI Library. Archived from the original on January 24, 2012. Retrieved January 19, 2008.
- ^ "Robert Cormier". (interview) London: ACHUKA Books. July 11, 2000. Retrieved January 29, 2008.
- ^ a b Gardner, Lyn (November 6, 2000). "Robert Cormier: American novelist whose work was a hotline to the hearts and minds of teenagers all over the world". The Guardian. London. Retrieved January 28, 2008.
- ^ "Robert Cormier". bn.com. Archived from the original on June 6, 2007. Retrieved January 25, 2008.
- ^ a b "Robert Cormier". eNotes. Retrieved January 28, 2008.
- ^ a b "1991 Margaret A. Edwards Award Winner". ALA.org. Young Adult Library Services Association, American Library Association. Archived from the original on October 6, 2013. Retrieved September 26, 2013.
- ^ "Phoenix Award Brochure 2012" (PDF). childlitassn.org. Children's Literature Association. Retrieved December 14, 2012.[permanent dead link]
- ^ Elaine Woo (November 11, 2000). "Robert Cormier; Author Gave Dark Touch to Juvenile Fiction". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 2, 2022.
External links
- Robert Cormier at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database
- Robert Cormier at Random House Authors
- Robert Cormier at Barnes & Noble Meet the Writers
- Robert Cormier at Library of Congress Authorities — with 24 catalog records