About
William Saroyan was born in Fresno, California, to Armenian immigrant parents. After his father's death, he spent several years in an orphanage in Oakland. Self-taught, he left school at 15 and educated himself through reading at Fresno's public library. His career took off in 1933 with the short story 'The Daring Young Man on the Flying Trapeze.' He won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1940 for The Time of Your Life, which he declined, and the Academy Award for Best Story in 1943 for The Human Comedy. His collection My Name Is Aram (1940) was an international bestseller. He published over 60 books and left significant archives at Stanford University.
* 1908-08-28 — † 1981-05-18
Major works
- The Daring Young Man on the Flying Trapeze and Other Stories (1934)short story collection
- My Name Is Aram (1940)short story collection
- The Time of Your Life (1939)play
- The Human Comedy (1943)novel
- Births (1983)autobiography
Key milestones
- 1934Publication of his first collection, The Daring Young Man on the Flying Trapeze, which became a surprise bestseller.
- 1940Declined the Pulitzer Prize for The Time of Your Life, stating that commerce should not judge the arts.
- 1943Won the Academy Award for Best Story for The Human Comedy.
Themes
Childhood and youthArmenian-American identityOptimism and zest for lifeFamily and community tiesImmigrant experience
Sources: oac.cdlib.org · britannica.com · archivesspace.williams.edu