Praise for James A. Michener and "Tales of the South Pacific"
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Truly one of the most remarkable books to come out of [World War II] . . . Michener is a born storyteller. "The New York Times"
Riveting and emotional . . . Ever since James Michener wrote "Tales of the South Pacific, "the dreamers among us have been searching for our own Bali Ha i. "The Washington Post"
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Atmospheric . . . ["Tales of the South Pacific" marks] the beginning of Michener s long exploration of what happens when cultures connect, or fail to. "Los Angeles Times"
Few writers changed the face of American fiction as profoundly as did James Michener. "San Francisco Chronicle""
Praise for James A. Michener and Tales of the South Pacific "Truly one of the most remarkable books to come out of [World War II] . . . Michener is a born storyteller."
--The New York Times "Riveting and emotional . . . Ever since James Michener wrote
Tales of the South Pacific, the dreamers among us have been searching for our own Bali Ha'i."
--The Washington Post "Atmospheric . . . [
Tales of the South Pacific marks] the beginning of Michener's long exploration of what happens when cultures connect, or fail to."
--Los Angeles Times "Few writers changed the face of American fiction as profoundly as did James Michener."
--San Francisco Chronicle
JAMES A. MICHENER served in the Pacific during the war as a trouble shooter in aviation maintenance, and 1ater as Senior Historical Officer for the area from New Guinea to Tahiti. It is a strange fact that he had written most or the manuscript of his book before he was appointed to the job which almost exactly parallels the one held by the narrator of the book. Mr. Michener was born in New York in 1907, and received his A.B. degree from Swarthmore College and his M. A. from Colorado State College. He was awarded scholarships to study in Europe, and lived for two and a half years in Scotland. Ireland, England, Italy, Spain, Belgium, France and Holland. For a time he held papers as an able-bodied seaman in the British merchant navy and sailed in the Mediterranean, touching the North Coast of Africa, Sicily, and the Balearic Isles. He has also traveled in the Baltic, Russia, and Mexico. He has lived in sixteen of the forty-eight states and has traveled extensively in all forty-eight. When queried about his previous publications, Mr. Michener replied cryptically, “Professional educational books, with lots of footnotes."