Jeffrey Shaara
Encyclopedia
Jeffrey M. "Jeff" Shaara (born February 21, 1952) is an American
novel
ist, the son of Pulitzer Prize
winner Michael Shaara
.
Jeffrey Shaara was born in New Brunswick, New Jersey
and grew up in Tallahassee, Florida
. He graduated from Florida State University
in 1974 with a degree in Criminology
and now lives in Sarasota.
He wrote Gods and Generals and The Last Full Measure which are the prequel and sequel, respectively, to his father Michael's award-winning novel The Killer Angels
. Jeff followed his father's footsteps upon the latter's death, writing historical fiction
and documenting the American wars and their most historically relevant characters. In total, Jeff has penned eight New York Times bestselling novels.
He completed a trilogy in 2010 about World War II
in the European
and North African
theaters. A fourth WWII novel, titled The Final Storm, covers the end of the war in the Pacific
, and is expected to be released on May 17, 2011. He says he will then return to the Civil War, with a trilogy of novels set in the Western theater. After that, Shaara is considering going on to the Korean War
or even the Vietnam War
.
In 2003, Warner Brothers made the major motion picture Gods and Generals
, which was based upon his book of the same title. Shaara's works have received three literary awards from the American Library Association
. He has also been awarded the Lincoln Forum's "Richard Nelson Currant Award", New York Civil War Round Table's "Bell I. Wiley Award", and Florida State University's "Artes Award" as a Distinguished Alumnus.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
ist, the son of Pulitzer Prize
Pulitzer Prize
The Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City...
winner Michael Shaara
Michael Shaara
Michael Shaara was an American writer of science fiction, sports fiction, and historical fiction. He was born to Italian immigrant parents in Jersey City, New Jersey, graduated from Rutgers University in 1951, and served as a sergeant in the 82nd Airborne division...
.
Jeffrey Shaara was born in New Brunswick, New Jersey
New Brunswick, New Jersey
New Brunswick is a city in Middlesex County, New Jersey, USA. It is the county seat and the home of Rutgers University. The city is located on the Northeast Corridor rail line, southwest of Manhattan, on the southern bank of the Raritan River. At the 2010 United States Census, the population of...
and grew up in Tallahassee, Florida
Tallahassee, Florida
Tallahassee is the capital of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat and only incorporated municipality in Leon County, and is the 128th largest city in the United States. Tallahassee became the capital of Florida, then the Florida Territory, in 1824. In 2010, the population recorded by...
. He graduated from Florida State University
Florida State University
The Florida State University is a space-grant and sea-grant public university located in Tallahassee, Florida, United States. It is a comprehensive doctoral research university with medical programs and significant research activity as determined by the Carnegie Foundation...
in 1974 with a degree in Criminology
Criminology
Criminology is the scientific study of the nature, extent, causes, and control of criminal behavior in both the individual and in society...
and now lives in Sarasota.
He wrote Gods and Generals and The Last Full Measure which are the prequel and sequel, respectively, to his father Michael's award-winning novel The Killer Angels
The Killer Angels
The Killer Angels is a historical novel by Michael Shaara that was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1975. The book tells the story of four days of the Battle of Gettysburg in the American Civil War: June 30, 1863, as the troops of both the Union and the Confederacy move into battle around...
. Jeff followed his father's footsteps upon the latter's death, writing historical fiction
Historical fiction
Historical fiction tells a story that is set in the past. That setting is usually real and drawn from history, and often contains actual historical persons, but the principal characters tend to be fictional...
and documenting the American wars and their most historically relevant characters. In total, Jeff has penned eight New York Times bestselling novels.
He completed a trilogy in 2010 about World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
in the European
European Theatre of World War II
The European Theatre of World War II was a huge area of heavy fighting across Europe from Germany's invasion of Poland on September 1, 1939 until the end of the war with the German unconditional surrender on May 8, 1945...
and North African
North African campaign
During the Second World War, the North African Campaign took place in North Africa from 10 June 1940 to 13 May 1943. It included campaigns fought in the Libyan and Egyptian deserts and in Morocco and Algeria and Tunisia .The campaign was fought between the Allies and Axis powers, many of whom had...
theaters. A fourth WWII novel, titled The Final Storm, covers the end of the war in the Pacific
Pacific War
The Pacific War, also sometimes called the Asia-Pacific War refers broadly to the parts of World War II that took place in the Pacific Ocean, its islands, and in East Asia, then called the Far East...
, and is expected to be released on May 17, 2011. He says he will then return to the Civil War, with a trilogy of novels set in the Western theater. After that, Shaara is considering going on to the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
or even the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
.
In 2003, Warner Brothers made the major motion picture Gods and Generals
Gods and Generals (film)
Gods and Generals is a 2003 American film based on the novel Gods and Generals by Jeffrey Shaara. It depicts events that take place prior to those shown in the 1993 film Gettysburg, which was based on The Killer Angels, a novel by Shaara's father, Michael...
, which was based upon his book of the same title. Shaara's works have received three literary awards from the American Library Association
American Library Association
The American Library Association is a non-profit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world, with more than 62,000 members....
. He has also been awarded the Lincoln Forum's "Richard Nelson Currant Award", New York Civil War Round Table's "Bell I. Wiley Award", and Florida State University's "Artes Award" as a Distinguished Alumnus.
Novels
- Gods and Generals (1996)—Civil War (1861–1865)
- The Last Full Measure (1998)—Civil War (1861–1865)
- Gone for SoldiersGone for SoldiersGone for Soldiers is a 2000 historical novel by Jeffrey Shaara about the Mexican-American War. It was written as a stand-alone novel, but could also be seen as a prequel to the Civil War trilogy written by Shaara and his father, Michael Shaara, introducing some of the key protagonists in the...
(2000)—US-Mexican War (1847–1848) - Rise to RebellionRise to RebellionRise to Rebellion is a 2001 historical fiction book by Jeff Shaara that tells the story of the events leading up to the American Revolution. The book spans from the Boston Massacre to the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776...
(2001)—Pre-American Revolutionary War (1770–1776) - The Glorious CauseThe Glorious CauseThe Glorious Cause is a historical novel by author Jeff Shaara, a sequel to Rise to Rebellion and the conclusion to Shaara's retelling of the American Revolution....
(2002)—American Revolutionary War (1776–1783) - To the Last ManTo the Last ManTo the Last Man: A Novel of the First World War is a historical novel written by Jeff Shaara about the experience of a number of combatants in World War I. The book became a national best seller and received praise from people such as General Tommy Franks.The novel is based on the arrival of...
(2004)—World War I (1914–1918) - Jeff Shaara's Civil War Battlefields: Discovering America's Hallowed Ground (2006)
- The Rising Tide (2006)—World War II (1939–1945), Trilogy Part 1 of 3
- The Steel WaveThe Steel WaveThe Steel Wave: A Novel of World War II is a historical novel written by Jeff Shaara about Operation Overlord. The book is the second book in a trilogy written by Shaara.The novel begins in January 1944, nearly six months before the invasion of Normandy...
(2008)—World War II (1939–1945), Trilogy Part 2 of 3 - No Less Than VictoryNo Less Than VictoryNo Less Than Victory is the third novel of a trilogy by Jeff Shaara based on certain theaters of World War II. It was published on November 3, 2009....
(2009)—World War II (1939–1945), Trilogy Part 3 of 3 - The Final Storm (2011)—World War II (1939–1945), Pacific Theater
Upcoming Work
After his final novel on World War II is published in May 2011, Shaara has said that he plans on writing a Civil War trilogy centered on the Western Theater of the war, which will include "Shiloh" in spring 2012, "Vicksburg" in spring 2013, and "Sherman's March" in 2014. He notes one of the reasons for this is, "I’ve gotten a lot of letters from people in Tennessee and Mississippi saying, “You know, we’re kind of tired of hearing about just Robert E. Lee and Virginia.” (laughs) There’s a whole lot more story that no one seems to want to find out about. I’ll respond to that and do the best I can."External links
- Author's website
- Interview on The Rising Tide at the Pritzker Military LibraryPritzker Military LibraryThe Pritzker Military Library is a research library for the study of military history in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded in 2003 by COL James N. Pritzker, IL ARNG to be a non-partisan institution for the study of "the citizen soldier as an essential element for the preservation of...
- Video or audio interview by Karen Saupe on Inner Compass
- Video interview on The Steel Wave
- Interview on his father and No Less Than Victory