William Wharton (author)
Encyclopedia
William Wharton the pen name
of the author Albert William Du Aime , was an American
-born author
best known for his first novel Birdy
, which was also successful as a film
.
. He graduated from Upper Darby High School
in 1943, and was inducted into the school's Wall of Fame in 1997. During World War II
, Wharton volunteered to serve in the United States Army
and was first assigned to serve in an engineering unit. He ended up being assigned to serve in the infantry and was severely wounded in the Battle of the Bulge
. After his discharge, he attended the University of California, Los Angeles
, where he received an undergraduate degree in art and a doctorate in psychology, later teaching art in the Los Angeles Unified School District
.
His first novel
Birdy
was published in 1978 when he was more than 50 years old. Birdy was a critical and popular success, and Alan Parker
directed a film version
starring Nicolas Cage
and Matthew Modine
. After the publication of Birdy and through the early 1990s, Du Aime published eight novels, including Dad and A Midnight Clear, both of which were also filmed, the former starring Jack Lemmon
.
Many of the protagonists of Wharton's novels, despite having different names and backgrounds, have similar experiences, attitudes, and traits that lead one to presume that they are partly autobiographical . There is precious little certifiable biography available about Wharton / Du Aime. Based on the novels, one can surmise that he served in France and Germany
in World War II
in the 87th Infantry Division, was a painter, spent part of his adult life living on a houseboat
as an artist
in France
, raised four children, was a reasonably skilled carpenter and handyman, and suffered from profound gastrointestinal problems.
In 1988, Wharton's daughter, Kate; his son-in-law, Bill; and their two children, two-year-old Dayiel and eight-month-old Mia, were killed in a horrific 23-car motor vehicle accident near Albany
, Oregon
, that was caused by the smoke generated by grass-burning on nearby farmland. In 1995, Wharton wrote a (mostly) non-fiction book, Ever After: A Father's True Story, in which he recounts the incidents leading up to the accident, his family's subsequent grief, and the three years he devoted to pursuing redress in the Oregon court system for the field-burning that caused the accident. Houseboat on Seine, a memoir
, was published in 1996, about Wharton's purchase and renovation of a houseboat.
It is worth noting that he gained an enormous and unusual popularity in Poland
, where many extra editions as well as visits followed and eventually some works were prepared and published only in Polish (see the Bibliography).
Wharton died on October 29, 2008 of an infection he contracted while being hospitalized for blood-pressure problems.
The following titles only published in Polish - includes English translation of title
"Beyond the Closet" was also published in Bulgarian with the title "Отвъд килера" (2007)
"Shrapnel" was also published in Hungarian with the title "Srapnel" (2011)
Pen name
A pen name, nom de plume, or literary double, is a pseudonym adopted by an author. A pen name may be used to make the author's name more distinctive, to disguise his or her gender, to distance an author from some or all of his or her works, to protect the author from retribution for his or her...
of the author Albert William Du Aime , was an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
-born author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
best known for his first novel Birdy
Birdy (novel)
Birdy is a 1978 novel by William Wharton.It was Wharton's first published novel, and was published when he was more than 50 years old. It won the National Book Award for first novel, and was made into a film, directed by Alan Parker and starring Matthew Modine and Nicolas Cage.Naomi Wallace, a poet...
, which was also successful as a film
Birdy (film)
Birdy is a 1984 American film directed by Alan Parker and starring Matthew Modine and Nicolas Cage. It is based on the novel of the same name by William Wharton.- Synopsis :...
.
Biography
Wharton was born in Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaPennsylvania
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...
. He graduated from Upper Darby High School
Upper Darby High School
Upper Darby High School is a four-year public high school located in Upper Darby Township, Pennsylvania, United States, as part of the Upper Darby School District. UDHS is also the oldest high school in Delaware County, PA, having been established in 1895...
in 1943, and was inducted into the school's Wall of Fame in 1997. During 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...
, Wharton volunteered to serve in the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
and was first assigned to serve in an engineering unit. He ended up being assigned to serve in the infantry and was severely wounded in the Battle of the Bulge
Battle of the Bulge
The Battle of the Bulge was a major German offensive , launched toward the end of World War II through the densely forested Ardennes mountain region of Wallonia in Belgium, hence its French name , and France and...
. After his discharge, he attended the University of California, Los Angeles
University of California, Los Angeles
The University of California, Los Angeles is a public research university located in the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, USA. It was founded in 1919 as the "Southern Branch" of the University of California and is the second oldest of the ten campuses...
, where he received an undergraduate degree in art and a doctorate in psychology, later teaching art in the Los Angeles Unified School District
Los Angeles Unified School District
Los Angeles Unified School District is the largest public school system in California. It is the 2nd largest public school district in the United States. Only the New York City Department of Education has a larger student population...
.
His first 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....
Birdy
Birdy (novel)
Birdy is a 1978 novel by William Wharton.It was Wharton's first published novel, and was published when he was more than 50 years old. It won the National Book Award for first novel, and was made into a film, directed by Alan Parker and starring Matthew Modine and Nicolas Cage.Naomi Wallace, a poet...
was published in 1978 when he was more than 50 years old. Birdy was a critical and popular success, and Alan Parker
Alan Parker
Sir Alan William Parker, CBE is an English film director, producer, writer and actor. He has been active in both the British cinema and American cinema and was a founding member of the Directors Guild of Great Britain.-Life and career:...
directed a film version
Birdy (film)
Birdy is a 1984 American film directed by Alan Parker and starring Matthew Modine and Nicolas Cage. It is based on the novel of the same name by William Wharton.- Synopsis :...
starring Nicolas Cage
Nicolas Cage
Nicolas Cage is an American actor, producer and director, having appeared in over 60 films including Raising Arizona , The Rock , Face/Off , Gone in 60 Seconds , Adaptation , National Treasure , Ghost Rider , Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans , and...
and Matthew Modine
Matthew Modine
Matthew Avery Modine is an award-winning American actor. His film roles include Private Joker in Stanley Kubrick's Full Metal Jacket, the title character in Alan Parker's Birdy, high school wrestler Louden Swain in Vision Quest, football star turned spy Alec McCall in Funky Monkey and the...
. After the publication of Birdy and through the early 1990s, Du Aime published eight novels, including Dad and A Midnight Clear, both of which were also filmed, the former starring Jack Lemmon
Jack Lemmon
John Uhler "Jack" Lemmon III was an American actor and musician. He starred in more than 60 films including Some Like It Hot, The Apartment, Mister Roberts , Days of Wine and Roses, The Great Race, Irma la Douce, The Odd Couple, Save the Tiger John Uhler "Jack" Lemmon III (February 8, 1925June...
.
Many of the protagonists of Wharton's novels, despite having different names and backgrounds, have similar experiences, attitudes, and traits that lead one to presume that they are partly autobiographical . There is precious little certifiable biography available about Wharton / Du Aime. Based on the novels, one can surmise that he served in France and Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
in 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 87th Infantry Division, was a painter, spent part of his adult life living on a houseboat
Houseboat
A houseboat is a boat that has been designed or modified to be used primarily as a human dwelling. Some houseboats are not motorized, because they are usually moored, kept stationary at a fixed point and often tethered to land to provide utilities...
as an artist
Artist
An artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse is a practitioner in the visual arts only...
in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, raised four children, was a reasonably skilled carpenter and handyman, and suffered from profound gastrointestinal problems.
In 1988, Wharton's daughter, Kate; his son-in-law, Bill; and their two children, two-year-old Dayiel and eight-month-old Mia, were killed in a horrific 23-car motor vehicle accident near Albany
Albany, Oregon
Albany is the eleventh largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon, and is the county seat of Linn County. It is located in the Willamette Valley at the confluence of the Calapooia River and the Willamette River in both Linn and Benton counties, just east of Corvallis and south of Salem. It is...
, Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
, that was caused by the smoke generated by grass-burning on nearby farmland. In 1995, Wharton wrote a (mostly) non-fiction book, Ever After: A Father's True Story, in which he recounts the incidents leading up to the accident, his family's subsequent grief, and the three years he devoted to pursuing redress in the Oregon court system for the field-burning that caused the accident. Houseboat on Seine, a 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...
, was published in 1996, about Wharton's purchase and renovation of a houseboat.
It is worth noting that he gained an enormous and unusual popularity in Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
, where many extra editions as well as visits followed and eventually some works were prepared and published only in Polish (see the Bibliography).
Wharton died on October 29, 2008 of an infection he contracted while being hospitalized for blood-pressure problems.
Novels
- 1978 • BirdyBirdy (novel)Birdy is a 1978 novel by William Wharton.It was Wharton's first published novel, and was published when he was more than 50 years old. It won the National Book Award for first novel, and was made into a film, directed by Alan Parker and starring Matthew Modine and Nicolas Cage.Naomi Wallace, a poet...
- 1981 • Dad
- 1982 • A Midnight Clear
- 1984 • Scumbler
- 1985 • Pride
- 1987 • Tidings
- 1989 • Franky Furbo
- 1991 • Last Lovers
- 1994 • Wrongful Deaths (memoir)
- 1996 • Houseboat on Seine (memoir)
The following titles only published in Polish - includes English translation of title
- 1998 • Historie rodzinne - Say Uncle
- 1999 • Al (sequel to Birdy) - Al (subtitle) Worth Trying (?)
- 1999 • William Wharton - Album (reproductions of paintings)
- 1999 • Opowieści z Moulin du Bruit - Tales of the Moulin Du Bruit
- 1999 • Szrapnel - Shrapnel
- 2000 • Tam, gdzie spotykają się wszystkie światy - Beyond the Closet
- 2001 • Niedobre miejsce - A Hard Place
- 2001 • Nigdy, nigdy mnie nie złapiecie - Nyah, Nyah, You Can't Catch Me
- 2002 • Nie ustawaj w biegu - Run, Run, Run
- 2003 • Rubio - (roughly 'fair-haired' or blonde - from Spanish)
"Beyond the Closet" was also published in Bulgarian with the title "Отвъд килера" (2007)
"Shrapnel" was also published in Hungarian with the title "Srapnel" (2011)
Movies based on Wharton's books
- Birdy (1984)
- DadDad (film)Dad is a 1989 comedy-drama film based on William Wharton's novel of the same name. The film stars Jack Lemmon, Ted Danson, Olympia Dukakis, Kevin Spacey and Ethan Hawke, and was written and directed by Gary David Goldberg. The original music score was composed by James Horner...
(1989) - A Midnight ClearA Midnight ClearA Midnight Clear is a 1992 American war film directed by former actor Keith Gordon with an ensemble cast featuring Ethan Hawke, Gary Sinise, Peter Berg, Kevin Dillon, and Arye Gross...
(1992)