Thomas Williams (writer)
Encyclopedia
Thomas Williams was an American
writer
and a National Book Award
winning novelist. Williams was twice nominated for the National Book Award. His first nomination was for Town Burning, published in 1959. He received the award in 1975 for the novel The Hair of Harold Roux (1974), an honor shared with the co-recipient for that year, Robert Stone's Dog Soldiers. Williams' last published novel, Moon Pinnace (1986), was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award
.
Born in Duluth, Minnesota in 1926, Williams' family moved to New Hampshire
when he was a child, and he spent most of his life working and writing in that state, although he attended the Iowa Writers' Workshop
, the University of Chicago
, and studied briefly in Paris. For most of his career he taught at the University of New Hampshire
, and published eight novels during his lifetime. One of the students Williams tutored during his long tenure at New Hampshire was the novelist John Irving
, who wrote an introduction to a posthumous collection of Williams's collected stories, Leah, New Hampshire (1992).
Williams' profile appeared in the book Gun People (Doubleday Books, 1st Edition, 1985. ISBN 978-0385191937). In the profile, Williams discusses his interest in hunting and its relevance to his writings.
Williams lived in Durham, NH and died of lung cancer
at a hospital in Dover, NH when he was 63. In 2011, The Hair of Harold Roux was reissued, sparking a renewed interest in his work. Williams is the father of writer and novelist Ann Joslin Williams who is the author of a collection of linked stories called The Woman in the Woods, which won the 2005 Spokane Prize. Joslin Williams' first novel Down From Cascom Mountain, was published in 2011. Like her father, she attended the Iowa Writers’ Workshop and (as of 2011) is a Professor at the University of New Hampshire.
Posthumous publications
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....
and a 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...
winning novelist. Williams was twice nominated for the National Book Award. His first nomination was for Town Burning, published in 1959. He received the award in 1975 for the novel The Hair of Harold Roux (1974), an honor shared with the co-recipient for that year, Robert Stone's Dog Soldiers. Williams' last published novel, Moon Pinnace (1986), was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award
National Book Critics Circle Award
The National Book Critics Circle Award is an annual award given by the National Book Critics Circle to promote the finest books and reviews published in English....
.
Born in Duluth, Minnesota in 1926, Williams' family moved to New Hampshire
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
when he was a child, and he spent most of his life working and writing in that state, although he attended 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...
, the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
, and studied briefly in Paris. For most of his career he taught at the University of New Hampshire
University of New Hampshire
The University of New Hampshire is a public university in the University System of New Hampshire , United States. The main campus is in Durham, New Hampshire. An additional campus is located in Manchester. With over 15,000 students, UNH is the largest university in New Hampshire. The university is...
, and published eight novels during his lifetime. One of the students Williams tutored during his long tenure at New Hampshire was the novelist John Irving
John Irving
John Winslow Irving is an American novelist and Academy Award-winning screenwriter.Irving achieved critical and popular acclaim after the international success of The World According to Garp in 1978...
, who wrote an introduction to a posthumous collection of Williams's collected stories, Leah, New Hampshire (1992).
Williams' profile appeared in the book Gun People (Doubleday Books, 1st Edition, 1985. ISBN 978-0385191937). In the profile, Williams discusses his interest in hunting and its relevance to his writings.
Williams lived in Durham, NH and died of lung cancer
Lung cancer
Lung cancer is a disease characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. If left untreated, this growth can spread beyond the lung in a process called metastasis into nearby tissue and, eventually, into other parts of the body. Most cancers that start in lung, known as primary...
at a hospital in Dover, NH when he was 63. In 2011, The Hair of Harold Roux was reissued, sparking a renewed interest in his work. Williams is the father of writer and novelist Ann Joslin Williams who is the author of a collection of linked stories called The Woman in the Woods, which won the 2005 Spokane Prize. Joslin Williams' first novel Down From Cascom Mountain, was published in 2011. Like her father, she attended the Iowa Writers’ Workshop and (as of 2011) is a Professor at the University of New Hampshire.
Selected bibliography
Fiction- Ceremony of Love. Indianapolis: Bobbs-Merrill (1955)
- Town Burning. New York: Macmillan (1959)
- (reissue: paperback). Anchor Books, 1988. ISBN 978-0-385-24250-9
- The Night of Trees. New York: Macmillan (1961)
- (reissue: paperback). Ampersand Press & Small Press Distribution (1989). Introduction by John Irving. ISBN 978-0-935-33109-7
- A High New House. New York: Dial Press (1963) – Williams received the "Dial Press Fellowship Award for Fiction" for this collection of short stories
- Whipple's Castle: An American Novel. New York: Random House (1969)
- (reissue: paperback). Anchor Books, 1988. ISBN 978-0-385-24249-3
- The Hair of Harold Roux. New York: Random House (1974)
- Tsuga's Children. New York: Random House (1977) ISBN 0-394-49731-7
- The Followed Man. New York, NY: Richard Marek (1978) ISBN 978-0-399-90025-9
- Moon Pinnace. Garden City, NY: Doubleday & Company (1986)
- (reissue: paperback). Anchor Books, 1988. ISBN 978-0-385-24247-9
Posthumous publications
- Leah, New Hampshire: The Collected Stories of Thomas Williams. New York: William Morrow and Company (1992)
- (Trade Paperback). Graywolf Press, 1993. Introduction by John Irving.
- The Hair of Harold Roux. Bloomsbury USA (2011; reissue) with an Introduction by Andre Dubus IIIAndre Dubus IIIAndre Dubus III is an American novelist and writer of short stories. He is a member of the faculty at the University of Massachusetts Lowell.-Early life and career:...
, Afterword by Ann Joslin Williams. ISBN 978-1-608-19583-1