John Edgar Wideman
Encyclopedia
John Edgar Wideman is an American
writer
, professor at Brown University
, and sits on the contributing editorial board of the literary journal Conjunctions
.
, Pennsylvania
, USA
and much of his writing is set there, especially in the Homewood neighborhood of the East End. He graduated from Pittsburgh's Peabody High School
, then attended the University of Pennsylvania
, where he became an All-Ivy League
forward on the basketball
team. He was the second African-American to win a Rhodes Scholarship
(New College
, Oxford University, England
), graduating in 1966. He also graduated from the Iowa Writers' Workshop
at the University of Iowa
.
/Faulkner Award twice: in 1984 for Sent for You Yesterday and in 1990 for Philadelphia Fire. In 2000, he won the O. Henry Award
for his short story
"Weight", published in The Callaloo Journal
. Following the publication of the Homewood trilogy, the New York Times proclaimed John Edgar Wideman, "one of America's premier writers of fiction."
He has taught at the University of Wyoming, University of Pennsylvania
, where he founded and chaired the African American Studies
Department, and the University of Massachusetts Amherst
's MFA Program for Poets & Writers
. He currently is a professor at Brown University.
nomination, and his memoir
Fatheralong was a finalist for the National Book Award
. In 1997, his novel The Cattle Killing won the James Fenimore Cooper Prize for Best Historical Fiction
.
Wideman was chosen as winner of the Rea Award for the Short Story
in 1998, for outstanding achievement, and won the lifetime achievement award of the Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards
in 2011.
Wideman is also the recipient of a MacArthur genius grant.
Jacob Edgar Wideman, John's middle child, is currently serving a life sentence for a 1986 murder, and was denied parole in May 2011.
Jamila Wideman
later became a professional basketball player in the Women's National Basketball Association
and the Israeli League.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
, professor at Brown University
Brown University
Brown University is a private, Ivy League university located in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1764 prior to American independence from the British Empire as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations early in the reign of King George III ,...
, and sits on the contributing editorial board of the literary journal Conjunctions
Conjunctions
Conjunctions, is a biannual American literary journal based at Bard College. It was founded in 1981 and is currently edited by Bradford Morrow....
.
Early life
Wideman was born on June 14, 1941. He grew up in PittsburghPittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and much of his writing is set there, especially in the Homewood neighborhood of the East End. He graduated from Pittsburgh's Peabody High School
Peabody High School
Peabody High School is a public school in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA, in the neighborhood of East Liberty, The school opened in 1911 after the renovations of a former elementary school and was rededicated after Highland Park doctor Benjamin Peabody. After 100 years in operation the school...
, then attended the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
, where he became an All-Ivy League
Ivy League
The Ivy League is an athletic conference comprising eight private institutions of higher education in the Northeastern United States. The conference name is also commonly used to refer to those eight schools as a group...
forward on the basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
team. He was the second African-American to win a Rhodes Scholarship
Rhodes Scholarship
The Rhodes Scholarship, named after Cecil Rhodes, is an international postgraduate award for study at the University of Oxford. It was the first large-scale programme of international scholarships, and is widely considered the "world's most prestigious scholarship" by many public sources such as...
(New College
New College, Oxford
New College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom.- Overview :The College's official name, College of St Mary, is the same as that of the older Oriel College; hence, it has been referred to as the "New College of St Mary", and is now almost always...
, Oxford University, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
), graduating in 1966. He also graduated from the Iowa Writers' Workshop
Iowa Writers' Workshop
The Program in Creative Writing, more commonly known as the Iowa Writers' Workshop, at the University of Iowa in Iowa City, Iowa, is a highly regarded graduate-level creative writing program in the United States...
at the University of Iowa
University of Iowa
The University of Iowa is a public state-supported research university located in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. It is the oldest public university in the state. The university is organized into eleven colleges granting undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees...
.
Writing and teaching career
A widely-celebrated writer and the winner of many literary awards, he is the first to win the International PENInternational PEN
PEN International , the worldwide association of writers, was founded in London in 1921 to promote friendship and intellectual co-operation among writers everywhere....
/Faulkner Award twice: in 1984 for Sent for You Yesterday and in 1990 for Philadelphia Fire. In 2000, he won the O. Henry Award
O. Henry Award
The O. Henry Award is the only yearly award given to short stories of exceptional merit. The award is named after the American master of the form, O. Henry....
for his short story
Short story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
"Weight", published in The Callaloo Journal
The Callaloo Journal
Callaloo was founded in 1976 by its current editor, Charles Henry Rowell, when he was teaching at Southern University . He originally described the fledgling periodical as a “Black South Journal,” whose function was to serve as a publication outlet for marginalized writers in the racially...
. Following the publication of the Homewood trilogy, the New York Times proclaimed John Edgar Wideman, "one of America's premier writers of fiction."
He has taught at the University of Wyoming, University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
, where he founded and chaired the African American Studies
African American studies
African American studies is a subset of Black studies or Africana studies. It is an interdisciplinary academic field devoted to the study of the history, culture, and politics of African Americans...
Department, and the University of Massachusetts Amherst
University of Massachusetts Amherst
The University of Massachusetts Amherst is a public research and land-grant university in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States and the flagship of the University of Massachusetts system...
's MFA Program for Poets & Writers
MFA Program for Poets & Writers
The MFA Program for Poets & Writers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst is a graduate creative writing program.-History:The MFA Program for Poets & Writers was founded in the 1960s by poet Joseph Langland and is part of the English Department at the University of Massachusetts...
. He currently is a professor at Brown University.
Awards
Wideman has been the recipient of a number of awards for his writing. His 1990 novel Philadelphia Fire: A Novel won the PEN/Faulkner Award in 1990, and the American Book Award in 1991. His nonfiction book Brothers and Keepers received a National Book Critics CircleNational Book Critics Circle
The National Book Critics Circle is an American tax-exempt organization for active book reviewers. Its flagship is the National Book Critics Circle Award....
nomination, and his memoir
Memoir
A memoir , is a literary genre, forming a subclass of autobiography – although the terms 'memoir' and 'autobiography' are almost interchangeable. Memoir is autobiographical writing, but not all autobiographical writing follows the criteria for memoir set out below...
Fatheralong was a finalist for the National Book Award
National Book Award
The National Book Awards are a set of American literary awards. Started in 1950, the Awards are presented annually to American authors for literature published in the current year. In 1989 the National Book Foundation, a nonprofit organization which now oversees and manages the National Book...
. In 1997, his novel The Cattle Killing won the James Fenimore Cooper Prize for Best Historical Fiction
James Fenimore Cooper Prize for Best Historical Fiction
The James Fenimore Cooper Prize for Best Historical Fiction is a biannual award given by The Society of American Historians. The prize is given "to honor works of literary fiction that significantly advance the historical imagination" . The prize is named for nineteenth century American...
.
Wideman was chosen as winner of the Rea Award for the Short Story
Rea Award for the Short Story
The Rea Award for the Short Story is an annual award given to a living American or Canadian author chosen for unusually significant contributions to short story fiction.-The Award:...
in 1998, for outstanding achievement, and won the lifetime achievement award of the Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards
Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards
The Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards are United States literary awards dedicated to honoring written works that make important contributions to the understanding of racism and the appreciation of the rich diversity of human culture...
in 2011.
Wideman is also the recipient of a MacArthur genius grant.
Family
In 1965 he married Judith Ann Goldman, an attorney, with whom he has three children: Daniel, Jacob, and Jamila. That marriage ended in divorce in 2000. In 2004 he married a former French journalist, with whom he resides on the lower East Side of Manhattan in New York City.Jacob Edgar Wideman, John's middle child, is currently serving a life sentence for a 1986 murder, and was denied parole in May 2011.
Jamila Wideman
Jamila Wideman
Jamila Wideman is an American female left-handed point guard basketball player, lawyer and activist.-Early life:Wideman's father, John Edgar Wideman, an African-American author and professor, is the first 2-time winner of the PEN/Faulkner Award and a professor at Brown University...
later became a professional basketball player in the Women's National Basketball Association
Women's National Basketball Association
The Women's National Basketball Association is a women's professional basketball league in the United States. It currently is composed of twelve teams. The league was founded on April 24, 1996 as the women's counterpart to the National Basketball Association...
and the Israeli League.
Novels
- A Glance Away, Harcourt (New York, NY), 1967.
- Hurry Home, Harcourt (New York, NY), 1970.
- The Lynchers, Harcourt (New York, NY), 1973.
- Hiding PlaceHiding Place (novel)Hiding Place is a novel by the American writer John Edgar Wideman set in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania during the 1970s.The novel tells the story of Tommy, a character who first appeared in Wideman's short story collection Damballah...
, Avon (New York, NY), 1981. - Sent for You YesterdaySent for You YesterdaySent for You Yesterday is a novel by the American writer John Edgar Wideman set in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania during the 1970s.The novel tells the story of Albert Wilkes, who after seven years on the run, returns to Homewood, an African American neighborhood of the East End.Sent for You Yesterday is...
, Avon (New York, NY), 1983. - ReubenReuben (novel)Reuben is a novel by the American writer John Edgar Wideman set in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania during the 1980s.The novel tells the story of Reuben, an aging African American who lives in an abandoned trailer, but is a lawyer and go-between on behalf of poor blacks in Homewood, a neighborhood of the...
, Henry Holt (New York, NY), 1987. - Philadelphia Fire, Henry Holt (New York, NY), 1990.
- The Cattle Killing, Houghton Mifflin (Boston, MA), 1996.
- Two Cities, Houghton Mifflin (Boston, MA), 1998.
- Fanon, Houghton Mifflin (2008)
Omnibus editions
- The Homewood Books (includes Damballah, Hiding Place and Sent for You Yesterday); University of Pittsburgh Press (Pittsburgh, PA), 1992; as The Homewood Trilogy, Avon (New York, NY), 1985.
- A Glance Away, Hurry Home, and The Lynchers: Three Early Novels by John Edgar Wideman, Henry Holt (New York, NY), 1994.
Collections
- Damballah, (short stories), Avon (New York, NY), 1981.
- Fever (short stories), Henry Holt (New York, NY), 1989.
- The Stories of John Edgar Wideman, Pantheon Books (New York, NY), 1992, published as All Stories Are True, Vintage Books (New York, NY), 1993.
- God's Gym (short stories), Houghton Mifflin (Boston, MA), 2005.
- Briefs (micro stories), Lulu Press (Raleigh, NC), 2010.
Memoirs and other
- Brothers and Keepers (memoir), Henry Holt (New York, NY), 1984.
- Fatheralong: A Meditation on Fathers and Sons, Race and Society, Pantheon (New York, NY), 1994.
- (With Bonnie TuSmith) Conversations with John Edgar Wideman, University Press of Mississippi (Jackson, MS), 1998.
- Hoop Roots: Basketball, Race, and Love (memoir), Houghton Mifflin (Boston, MA), 2001.
- (Editor) My Soul Has Grown Deep: Classics of Early African-American Literature, Running Press (Philadelphia, PA), 2001.
- (Editor) 20: The Best of the Drue Heinz Literature PrizeDrue Heinz Literature PrizeThe Drue Heinz Literature Prize is a major American literary award for short fiction in the English language.This prize of the University of Pittsburgh Press in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA was initiated in 1981 by Mrs. Drue Heinz and developed by Frederick A. Hetzel...
, University of Pittsburgh PressUniversity of Pittsburgh PressThe University of Pittsburgh Press is a scholarly publishing house and a major American university press, part of the University of Pittsburgh. The university and the press are located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in the United States....
(Pittsburgh, PA), 2001.
Reference Works about Wideman
- Jean-Pierre Richard, ",John Edgar Wideman: A Bibliography, Primary and Secondary Sources," Callaloo, Volume 22, Number 3, Summer 1999, The Johns Hopkins University Press, pp. 750-757. (E-ISSN: 1080-6512 Print ISSN: 0161-2492 DOI: 10.1353/cal.1999.0130
- James W. Coleman, Blackness and Modernism: The Literary Career of John Edgar Wideman, University Press of Mississippi, Jackson MI, 1989.
- Doreatha Drummond Mbalia, John Edgar Wideman: Reclaiming the African Personality, Susquehanna University Press, Selinsgrove; and London, Associated University Presses, 1995.
Sources
- Source: Contemporary Authors Online. The Gale Group, 2005.
- Source: Lulu Press Release. March, 2010.
External links
- "Salon Interview", LAURA MILLER
- "John Edgar Wideman", The New York Times
- "Featured Author: John Edgar Wideman", The New York Times
- John Edgar Wideman Literary Society