WRITER

James A. Michener

1907 - 1997

Photo of James A. Michener

Icon of person James A. Michener

James Albert Michener ( or ; February 3, 1907 – October 16, 1997) was an American writer. He wrote more than 40 books, most of which were long, fictional family sagas covering the lives of many generations, set in particular geographic locales and incorporating detailed history. Many of his works were bestsellers and were chosen by the Book of the Month Club. Read more on Wikipedia

Since 2007, the English Wikipedia page of James A. Michener has received more than 1,780,775 page views. His biography is available in 35 different languages on Wikipedia. James A. Michener is the 3,732nd most popular writer (down from 2,821st in 2019), the 4,784th most popular biography from United States (down from 3,694th in 2019) and the 396th most popular American Writer.

Memorability Metrics

  • 1.8M

    Page Views (PV)

  • 50.99

    Historical Popularity Index (HPI)

  • 35

    Languages Editions (L)

  • 2.34

    Effective Languages (L*)

  • 4.76

    Coefficient of Variation (CV)

Notable Works

The Source
Fiction, Fiction in English, Jews
"The Source" chronicles the history of the middle east from early geologic time to the twentieth century. This spellbinding narrative brings to life the story of this part of the world as only Michener can.
Tales of the South Pacific
American War stories, Fiction, Large type books
Sayonara
Fiction, Fiction in English, Americans
From a great master of historical fiction comes a brilliant tale of love amid war. James A. Michener combines powerful storytelling with deep sensitivity in this novel of a U.S. Army man who, against all odds, falls for a fascinating Japanese woman
Caravans
Fiction in English, Fiction, Americans
Hawaii
Immigrants, Missionaries, Fiction in English
Michener gives us a broad scope of Hawaii, from the formation of the islands to modern day. I read this as a teen and am looking forward to reading it again, now many years later.Each chapter gives us a history of a different ethnic group, the Hawaiians, then the Chinese, Japanese ect, and how they contributed to the formation of something profoundly beautiful and profoundly sad, as the native Hawaiians don't stand a chance of hanging on to their paradise.The book has wonderful people, many based on real persons. The Calvanist missionaries who devote their lives to bringing the white man's God. Over the years the people I met in Hawaii have had a very real influence on me. But it also colored my understanding of big buisness, politicsand religion.
The Bridges at Toko-ri
Korean War, 1950-1953, Fiction, United States Navy

Among WRITERS

Among writers, James A. Michener ranks 3,732 out of 7,302Before him are Sunthorn Phu, Georgette Heyer, Wu Jingzi, Bruno Apitz, Innokenty Annensky, and Philippe Jaccottet. After him are José Emilio Pacheco, Margit Kaffka, Og Mandino, Franco Sacchetti, Ernst Jandl, and Jules Janin.

Most Popular Writers in Wikipedia

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Contemporaries

Among people born in 1907, James A. Michener ranks 199Before him are Günter Eich, Peggy Ashcroft, Martti Miettunen, Kenneth Nichols, George Raynor, and František Junek. After him are Georges Speicher, John G. Trump, Edmond Delfour, Luigi Beccali, Harold Scott MacDonald Coxeter, and Germán Suárez Flamerich. Among people deceased in 1997, James A. Michener ranks 166Before him are Baltazar, Edward Osóbka-Morawski, Salvador Artigas, Sanford Meisner, René Huyghe, and Georges Guétary. After him are Brian Connolly, Bengt Danielsson, Georgy Shonin, Robert Pinget, John Akii-Bua, and Myrtle Bachelder.

Others Born in 1907

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Others Deceased in 1997

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In United States

Among people born in United States, James A. Michener ranks 4,784 out of 20,380Before him are Mira Sorvino (1967), Lon L. Fuller (1902), Swoosie Kurtz (1944), John Mayer (1977), Huey P. Newton (1942), and Jon Hamm (1971). After him are Craig Mello (1960), Og Mandino (1923), Lauren German (1978), William Clark (1770), Gil Amelio (1943), and Dom DeLuise (1933).

Among WRITERS In United States

Among writers born in United States, James A. Michener ranks 396Before him are Marta Kauffman (1956), Helen Churchill Candee (1858), Thomas Friedman (1953), Robert Leckie (1920), Joe Haldeman (1943), and Janet Asimov (1926). After him are Og Mandino (1923), John Gray (1951), Hal Clement (1922), Marilyn French (1929), Brandon Sanderson (1975), and Gloria Vanderbilt (1924).