William Harrison (author)
William Neal Harrison (October 29, 1933 – October 22, 2013)[1] was an American novelist, short story writer, and screenwriter.
Three films were based on two of his works: The short story "Roller Ball Murder" was turned into a screenplay for the 1975 film Rollerball, with a remake in 2002.[2] The novel Burton and Speke was turned into the 1990 film Mountains of the Moon.
Five of his novels are set in Africa and his three volumes of short stories contain most of his fifty published stories. Many of his stories that appeared in Esquire and the novel Africana were experimental in tone. His fiction is distinguished by the exotic and sometimes hostile settings in which he places his characters.
Early in his career, John Leonard wrote in The New York Times, "He is that rare young novelist who writes equally well about action and ideas."[This quote needs a citation] David Black, a reviewer for The Nation wrote, "Burton and Speke…has a quality that is even rarer than excellence: it is a likable book, one of those uncommon novels you will carry with you in your imagination long after turning the final page."[3]
Personal background
Harrison was the adopted son of Samuel Scott and Mary Harrison, and grew up in
Harrison attended
In 1964, Harrison moved with his family to Fayetteville, Arkansas, where he published his first novels and in 1966 became the founder and co-director of the Master of Fine Arts program at the University of Arkansas with his colleague James Whitehead. Many American and European writers and poets came as visitors to their program and their students went on to publish hundreds of books of poetry and fiction in major New York and university publishing houses.
Harrison also served on the original board of directors (1970–75) for the
Harrison received a Guggenheim Memorial Fellowship in Fiction (1973), a
Merlee was Harrison's wife of more than fifty years, and his children are Laurie, singer/songwriter Sean Harrison and Quentin. He lived in Fayetteville until his death, although he traveled widely in Africa, China, the Middle East and Europe. He was a longtime baseball fan and Chicago Cubs supporter. He was an active fly fisherman and played tennis and golf.
His heroes were
Novels
- The Theologian (1965)
- In a Wild Sanctuary (1969)
- Lessons in Paradise (1971)
- Africana (1976)
- Savannah Blue (1979)
- W.D. Richter and Arthur Ross
- Burton and Speke (1982)
- Three Hunters (1989)
- The Blood Latitudes (2000)
- Black August (2011)
Short story collections
- Roller Ball Murder and Other Stories (1975)
- The Buddha in Malibu: Stories (1998)
- Texas Heat and Other Stories (2005)
Non-fiction
- The Mutations of Rollerball: Essays (2010)
Screenplays
- Rollerball (1975) directed by Norman Jewison for United Artists
- Mountains of the Moon (1990) directed by Bob Rafelson for Carolco/Tri-Star
External links
- William Harrison at IMDb
References
- ^ "William Harrison Official Website".
- ^ Ramsey, David. "Writer William Harrison dies | Rock Candy | Arkansas news, politics, opinion, restaurants, music, movies and art". Arktimes.com. Retrieved 2013-10-25.
- ^ Black, David (January 29, 1983). "Victorian Adventurers". The Nation. 236 (4): 122–123 – via EBSCO.