William McPherson (critic)
Encyclopedia
William McPherson is an American
editor and literary critic who is most famous for his editorial work at publications such as the Washington Post as well as his various novels. McPherson was the recipient of the Pulitzer Prize
for Distinguished Criticism in 1977.
. He was the second born of the three sons of Harold McPherson, chemical engineer and founder of Union Carbide International, and of his wife Ruth. Bill McPherson attended the University of Michigan
from 1951 to 1955, Michigan State University
from 1956 to 1958, and George Washington University
from 1960 to 1962. In 1959, McPherson married Elizabeth Mosher, whom he would eventually divorce in 1979. Together they had one child, a daughter Jane McPherson.
McPherson is well known and active in the gay
community of Washington, D.C.
.
. McPherson returned to the Washington Post in 1969 where he served as the daily book editor. McPherson has also edited Book World
as has served as a columnist, university professor, and lecturer.
McPherson wrote his first novel, Testing the Current, in 1984. The book followed the story of a young boy caught in a series of moving childhood events. The novel proved challenging to write for McPherson who worked on the book for more than five years. Critics from The New York Times Book Review
, Newsweek
magazine, and the Detroit News hailed the novel as a solid piece of fiction in the tradition of Mark Twain
's Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
.
McPherson is also the author of To the Sargasso Sea which was published in 1987. McPherson's second novel continued the story of his first. Tommy, the young boy seen in Testing the Current is portrayed as an aging sailor. The novel follows Tommy's personal growth and internal struggle.
Bill McPheron has spent much of the first seven years after the execution of communist dicator Ceausescu (December 25, 1989) exploring and writing about Romania.
McPherson also contributed to periodicals such as American Spectator, Booklist
, the Chicago Tribune
, Publishers Weekly
, and TIME
magazine among others.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
editor and literary critic who is most famous for his editorial work at publications such as the Washington Post as well as his various novels. McPherson was the recipient of the Pulitzer Prize
Pulitzer Prize
The Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City...
for Distinguished Criticism in 1977.
Life
William Alexander McPherson was born in Sault Sainte Marie, Michigan in the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. He was the second born of the three sons of Harold McPherson, chemical engineer and founder of Union Carbide International, and of his wife Ruth. Bill McPherson attended the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
from 1951 to 1955, Michigan State University
Michigan State University
Michigan State University is a public research university in East Lansing, Michigan, USA. Founded in 1855, it was the pioneer land-grant institution and served as a model for future land-grant colleges in the United States under the 1862 Morrill Act.MSU pioneered the studies of packaging,...
from 1956 to 1958, and George Washington University
George Washington University
The George Washington University is a private, coeducational comprehensive university located in Washington, D.C. in the United States...
from 1960 to 1962. In 1959, McPherson married Elizabeth Mosher, whom he would eventually divorce in 1979. Together they had one child, a daughter Jane McPherson.
McPherson is well known and active in the gay
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
community of Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
.
Career
McPherson worked as a copy editor for the Washington Post beginning in 1958. From 1959 to 1966, he served as a staff writer and editor at that newspaper. McPherson also served as the senior editor at William Morrow & Co. during the late 1960s1960s
The 1960s was the decade that started on January 1, 1960, and ended on December 31, 1969. It was the seventh decade of the 20th century.The 1960s term also refers to an era more often called The Sixties, denoting the complex of inter-related cultural and political trends across the globe...
. McPherson returned to the Washington Post in 1969 where he served as the daily book editor. McPherson has also edited Book World
Book World
Book World or Bookworld may refer to:* "Book World", a defunct Chicago Tribune entertainment section* "Book World", a Washington Post entertainment section established in 1972* B.C...
as has served as a columnist, university professor, and lecturer.
McPherson wrote his first novel, Testing the Current, in 1984. The book followed the story of a young boy caught in a series of moving childhood events. The novel proved challenging to write for McPherson who worked on the book for more than five years. Critics from The New York Times Book Review
The New York Times Book Review
The New York Times Book Review is a weekly paper-magazine supplement to The New York Times in which current non-fiction and fiction books are reviewed. It is one of the most influential and widely read book review publications in the industry. The offices are located near Times Square in New York...
, Newsweek
Newsweek
Newsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
magazine, and the Detroit News hailed the novel as a solid piece of fiction in the tradition of Mark Twain
Mark Twain
Samuel Langhorne Clemens , better known by his pen name Mark Twain, was an American author and humorist...
's Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a novel by Mark Twain, first published in England in December 1884 and in the United States in February 1885. Commonly named among the Great American Novels, the work is among the first in major American literature to be written in the vernacular, characterized by...
.
McPherson is also the author of To the Sargasso Sea which was published in 1987. McPherson's second novel continued the story of his first. Tommy, the young boy seen in Testing the Current is portrayed as an aging sailor. The novel follows Tommy's personal growth and internal struggle.
Bill McPheron has spent much of the first seven years after the execution of communist dicator Ceausescu (December 25, 1989) exploring and writing about Romania.
Selected bibliography
- Testing the Current (1984)
- To the Sargasso Sea (1987)
McPherson also contributed to periodicals such as American Spectator, Booklist
Booklist
Booklist is a publication of the American Library Association that provides critical reviews of books and audiovisual materials for all ages. It is geared toward libraries and booksellers and is available in print or online...
, the Chicago Tribune
Chicago Tribune
The Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company. Formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" , it remains the most read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region and is...
, Publishers Weekly
Publishers Weekly
Publishers Weekly, aka PW, is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers and literary agents...
, and TIME
Time
Time is a part of the measuring system used to sequence events, to compare the durations of events and the intervals between them, and to quantify rates of change such as the motions of objects....
magazine among others.
External links
- Review of To the Sargasso Sea at The New York TimesThe New York TimesThe New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
- William McPherson at the Biography Resource Center
- William McPherson Electronic Diary Entries at SlateSlate (magazine)Slate is a US-based English language online current affairs and culture magazine created in 1996 by former New Republic editor Michael Kinsley, initially under the ownership of Microsoft as part of MSN. On 21 December 2004 it was purchased by the Washington Post Company...