Michael Mewshaw
Encyclopedia
Michael Mewshaw is an American
author
of 11 novels and 8 books of nonfiction, and works frequently as a travel writer, investigative reporter, book reviewer, and tennis reporter. His novel Year of the Gun was made into a film of the same name
by John Frankenheimer
in 1991. He is married with two sons.
Alan Cheuse
, National Public Radio's longtime "voice of books," has called him “the best novelist in America that nobody knows.”
, Mewshaw graduated Phi Beta Kappa
from the University of Maryland
(1965), then was granted a four-year fellowship to attend the graduate writing program at the University of Virginia
, where he attained his Masters (1966) and Doctorate (1970) degrees under the tutelage of George Garrett
. While studying at UVA, Mewshaw completed two unpublished novels, then embarked on a road trip across Mexico with his wife (at the urging of William Styron
, who was the subject of his masters thesis and doctoral dissertation); a journey which would form the basis of his first novel Man in Motion (1970), which he completed while on a Fulbright Fellowship in France.
at Amherst, and subsequently was named Director of Creative writing at the University of Texas at Austin
. Taking leaves of absence every other year from this post, Mewshaw based himself in Rome, Italy, and continued traveling throughout Europe and North Africa. While Mewshaw researched his third novel The Toll (1974) in Marrakesh, Morocco, his wife Linda was hired as Lindsay Wagner
’s stand-in on the set of Robert Wise
’s film Two People. Mewshaw’s experience of that shoot was the jumping-off point for his fifth novel Land Without Shadow (1979).
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
author
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....
of 11 novels and 8 books of nonfiction, and works frequently as a travel writer, investigative reporter, book reviewer, and tennis reporter. His novel Year of the Gun was made into a film of the same name
Year of the Gun (film)
Year of the Gun is a 1991 thriller film directed by John Frankenheimer and starred Andrew McCarthy, Sharon Stone and Valeria Golino.-Plot:...
by John Frankenheimer
John Frankenheimer
John Michael Frankenheimer was an American film and television director known for social dramas and action/suspense films...
in 1991. He is married with two sons.
Alan Cheuse
Alan Cheuse
Alan Cheuse is an American writer and critic, the son of a Russian immigrant father and a mother of Romanian descent. He graduated from Perth Amboy High School in 1957 and Rutgers University in 1961. After traveling abroad and working for several years at various writing and editing jobs, he...
, National Public Radio's longtime "voice of books," has called him “the best novelist in America that nobody knows.”
Early life and education
Born in Washington, DC, and raised in the suburb of Prince George's County, MarylandPrince George's County, Maryland
Prince George's County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maryland, immediately north, east, and south of Washington, DC. As of 2010, it has a population of 863,420 and is the wealthiest African-American majority county in the nation....
, Mewshaw graduated Phi Beta Kappa
Phi Beta Kappa Society
The Phi Beta Kappa Society is an academic honor society. Its mission is to "celebrate and advocate excellence in the liberal arts and sciences"; and induct "the most outstanding students of arts and sciences at America’s leading colleges and universities." Founded at The College of William and...
from the University of Maryland
University of Maryland, College Park
The University of Maryland, College Park is a top-ranked public research university located in the city of College Park in Prince George's County, Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C...
(1965), then was granted a four-year fellowship to attend the graduate writing program at the University of Virginia
University of Virginia
The University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...
, where he attained his Masters (1966) and Doctorate (1970) degrees under the tutelage of George Garrett
George Garrett (poet)
George Palmer Garrett. was an American poet and novelist. He was the Poet Laureate of Virginia from 2002 to 2006. His novels include The Finished Man, Double Vision, and the Elizabethan Trilogy, composed of Death of the Fox, The Succession, and Entered from the Sun...
. While studying at UVA, Mewshaw completed two unpublished novels, then embarked on a road trip across Mexico with his wife (at the urging of William Styron
William Styron
William Clark Styron, Jr. was an American novelist and essayist who won major literary awards for his work.For much of his career, Styron was best known for his novels, which included...
, who was the subject of his masters thesis and doctoral dissertation); a journey which would form the basis of his first novel Man in Motion (1970), which he completed while on a Fulbright Fellowship in France.
Early career
Mewshaw taught creative writing at the University of MassachusettsUniversity 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...
at Amherst, and subsequently was named Director of Creative writing at the University of Texas at Austin
University of Texas at Austin
The University of Texas at Austin is a state research university located in Austin, Texas, USA, and is the flagship institution of the The University of Texas System. Founded in 1883, its campus is located approximately from the Texas State Capitol in Austin...
. Taking leaves of absence every other year from this post, Mewshaw based himself in Rome, Italy, and continued traveling throughout Europe and North Africa. While Mewshaw researched his third novel The Toll (1974) in Marrakesh, Morocco, his wife Linda was hired as Lindsay Wagner
Lindsay Wagner
Lindsay Jean Wagner is an American actress. She is probably best known for her portrayal of Jaime Sommers in the 1970s television series The Bionic Woman , though she has maintained a lengthy career in a variety of other film and television productions since.-Early life:Wagner was born in Los...
’s stand-in on the set of Robert Wise
Robert Wise
Robert Earl Wise was an American sound effects editor, film editor, film producer and director...
’s film Two People. Mewshaw’s experience of that shoot was the jumping-off point for his fifth novel Land Without Shadow (1979).
Novels
- Man in Motion (1970)
- Waking Slow (1972)
- The Toll (1974)
- Earthly Bread (1976)
- Land Without Shadow (1979)
- Year of the Gun (1984)
- Blackballed (1986)
- True Crime (1991)
- Shelter from the Storm (2003)
- Island Tempest (2005)
- Lying with the Dead (2009)
Nonfiction
- Life for Death (1980)
- Short Circuit: Six Months on the Men's Professional Tennis Tour (1983)
- Money to Burn (1987)
- Playing Away (1988)
- Ladies of the Court: Grace And Disgrace On The Women's Tennis Tour (1993)
- Do I Owe You Something?: A Memoir of the Literary Life (2003)
- If You Could See Me Now: A Chronicle of Identity and Adoption (2006)
- Between Terror and Tourism: An Overland Trip Across North Africa (2010)
Honors
- Fulbright Fellow in Creative Writing to France, 1968-69.
- William Rainey Prize at Bread Loaf Writers' Conference, 1970.
- Wallace Stegner Fellowship, 1971.
- National Endowment for the Arts Grant, 1974.
- Visiting Artist at American Academy in Rome, 1975-76.
- Carr Collins Award for Best Non-Fiction Book of 1980
- Guggenheim Grant, 1981-82.
- Visiting Artist, American Academy in Rome, 1980-83.
- Carr Collins Award for Best Non-Fiction Book of 1983.
- Book of the Year, Tennis Week, 1993.
- Runner-up, William Hill Award, Best Sports Book of the Year in England, 1993.
- Investigative Journalist of the Year, Tennis Week, 1997.
External links
- WNYC radio interview with Mewshaw about Shelter from the Storm
- Archive of New York Times travel articles by Michael Mewshaw
- Bookbrowse's interview with Mewshaw
- Mewshaw's essay "Travel, Travel Writing, and the Literature of Travel" first presented as the plenary address at the 2004 South Central MLA Conference in New Orleans
- Mewshaw on "Gambling in Tennis" segment from Bryant Gumbel's Real Sports