Thomas Louis Berger (July 20, 1924 – July 13, 2014) was an American novelist. Probably best known for his picaresque novelLittle Big Man and the subsequent film by Arthur Penn, Berger explored and manipulated many genres of fiction throughout his career, including the crime novel, the hard-boiled detective story, science fiction, the utopian novel, plus re-workings of classical mythology, Arthurian legend, and the survival adventure.[1]
Thomas Berger
Berger in 1987
Born
Thomas Louis Berger (1924-07-20)July 20, 1924 Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S.
Berger's biting wit led many reviewers to refer to him as a satirist or "comic" novelist, descriptions he preferred to reject.[2] His admirers often bemoaned that his talent and achievement were underappreciated, in view of his versatility across many forms of fiction, his precise use of language, and his probing intelligence.
Born in Cincinnati, Ohio, Thomas Berger grew up in the nearby community of Lockland. He interrupted his college career to enlist in the United States Army in 1943. Berger served in Europe during World War II and was stationed with a medical unit in the first U.S. Occupation Forces in Berlin,[3] experiences which later provided him with background for his first novel, Crazy in Berlin, published in 1958. On his return, he studied at the University of Cincinnati, receiving a B.A. in 1948. He then pursued graduate work in English at Columbia University, leaving his thesis unfinished to enroll in the writer's workshop at the New School for Social Research. Here Berger met and married an artist, Jeanne Redpath, in 1950. He supported himself during this time by working as a librarian at the Rand School of Social Science, and was briefly on staff at the New York Times Index. Berger later became a copy editor at Popular Science Monthly, and performed freelance editing during the early years of his writing career.[1]
Eventually, Berger was able to devote himself to writing full-time, particularly after the notoriety gained by his third book, Little Big Man, in 1964. Although he would occasionally put his hand to a short story, play, or non-fiction article (including a stint as film critic for Esquire), Berger preferred the long narrative form of the novel, and produced a steady run of critically acclaimed books throughout his career. In 1984 his book The Feud was nominated by the Pulitzer committee for fiction for the Pulitzer Prize, but the Pulitzer board overrode their recommendation and instead chose William Kennedy's Ironweed.[4]
Berger resided in New York City from 1948 to 1953, and lived the next twelve years in a town on the Hudson River. In subsequent years, he lived in London, Malibu, California, New York City again, Long Island, and then Mount Desert Island in Maine, before once more returning to the banks of the Hudson.[6] He died on July 13, 2014, seven days before his 90th birthday.[7]
Awards and honors
Berger received a Dial fellowship in 1962. In 1965, he received a Richard and Hinda Rosenthal Award, National Institute of Arts and Letters, and a Western Heritage Award, both for Little Big Man. Reinhart's Women won Berger an Ohioana Book Award, and he was a 1984 Pulitzer Prize finalist for The Feud. Long Island University awarded Berger a Litt. D. in 1986.[5]
Trachtenberg, Stanley. "Berger and Barth: the Comedy of 'Decomposition'," in Comic Relief, University of Illinois Press, 1978. Edited by Sarah B. Cohen.
Turner, Frederick. "Melville and Thomas Berger: The Novelist as Cultural Anthropologist," Centennial Review, Winter 1969.
Turner, Frederick. "The Second Decade of 'Little Big Man'," The Nation, August 20, 1977.
Ward, Andrew. "Little Big Man's Man," interview in American Heritage, May/June 1999.
External links
Ohio Reading Road Trip | Thomas Berger Biography
Guardian UK | Overlooked classics of American Literature: The Feud by Thomas Berger
Ohio Center for the Book | Spotlight on Ohio Authors – Thomas Berger
Obituary - NY Times
Thomas Berger collection, scope notes, Contemporary Collections, Howard Gotlieb Archival Research Center, Boston University
January 24, 2023
thomas, berger, novelist, thomas, louis, berger, july, 1924, july, 2014, american, novelist, probably, best, known, picaresque, novel, little, subsequent, film, arthur, penn, berger, explored, manipulated, many, genres, fiction, throughout, career, including, . Thomas Louis Berger July 20 1924 July 13 2014 was an American novelist Probably best known for his picaresque novel Little Big Man and the subsequent film by Arthur Penn Berger explored and manipulated many genres of fiction throughout his career including the crime novel the hard boiled detective story science fiction the utopian novel plus re workings of classical mythology Arthurian legend and the survival adventure 1 Thomas BergerBerger in 1987BornThomas Louis Berger 1924 07 20 July 20 1924Cincinnati Ohio U S DiedJuly 13 2014 2014 07 13 aged 89 Nyack New York U S OccupationNovelistEducationUniversity of Cincinnati Columbia UniversityPeriod1958 2014GenreLiterary fictionSpouseJeanne Redpath m 1950 wbr Berger s biting wit led many reviewers to refer to him as a satirist or comic novelist descriptions he preferred to reject 2 His admirers often bemoaned that his talent and achievement were underappreciated in view of his versatility across many forms of fiction his precise use of language and his probing intelligence Contents 1 Biography 2 Awards and honors 3 Adaptations 4 Works 4 1 Novels 4 2 Stories 4 3 Plays 5 Notes 6 References 7 Further reading and critical studies 8 External linksBiography EditBorn in Cincinnati Ohio Thomas Berger grew up in the nearby community of Lockland He interrupted his college career to enlist in the United States Army in 1943 Berger served in Europe during World War II and was stationed with a medical unit in the first U S Occupation Forces in Berlin 3 experiences which later provided him with background for his first novel Crazy in Berlin published in 1958 On his return he studied at the University of Cincinnati receiving a B A in 1948 He then pursued graduate work in English at Columbia University leaving his thesis unfinished to enroll in the writer s workshop at the New School for Social Research Here Berger met and married an artist Jeanne Redpath in 1950 He supported himself during this time by working as a librarian at the Rand School of Social Science and was briefly on staff at the New York Times Index Berger later became a copy editor at Popular Science Monthly and performed freelance editing during the early years of his writing career 1 Eventually Berger was able to devote himself to writing full time particularly after the notoriety gained by his third book Little Big Man in 1964 Although he would occasionally put his hand to a short story play or non fiction article including a stint as film critic for Esquire Berger preferred the long narrative form of the novel and produced a steady run of critically acclaimed books throughout his career In 1984 his book The Feud was nominated by the Pulitzer committee for fiction for the Pulitzer Prize but the Pulitzer board overrode their recommendation and instead chose William Kennedy s Ironweed 4 In 1974 Berger was a writer in residence at the University of Kansas and a distinguished visiting professor at Southampton College in 1975 1976 He lectured at Yale University in 1981 and 1982 and was a Regents Lecturer at the University of California Davis in 1982 5 A collection of his papers is available at the Howard Gotlieb Archival Research Center at Boston University Berger resided in New York City from 1948 to 1953 and lived the next twelve years in a town on the Hudson River In subsequent years he lived in London Malibu California New York City again Long Island and then Mount Desert Island in Maine before once more returning to the banks of the Hudson 6 He died on July 13 2014 seven days before his 90th birthday 7 Awards and honors EditBerger received a Dial fellowship in 1962 In 1965 he received a Richard and Hinda Rosenthal Award National Institute of Arts and Letters and a Western Heritage Award both for Little Big Man Reinhart s Women won Berger an Ohioana Book Award and he was a 1984 Pulitzer Prize finalist for The Feud Long Island University awarded Berger a Litt D in 1986 5 Adaptations EditBerger may be best known for Little Big Man the movie made from his 1964 novel Released in 1970 it was directed by Arthur Penn and starred Dustin Hoffman and Faye Dunaway Neighbors with John Belushi Dan Aykroyd and Cathy Moriarty was released in 1981 Bill D Elia produced and directed a film adaptation of The Feud in 1989 8 A film version of the 1992 novel Meeting Evil starring Samuel L Jackson and Luke Wilson was filmed in 2011 and was released to theaters in the United States in May 2012 9 10 His play Other People was produced at the Berkshire Theatre Festival in 1970 Berger s radio play At the Dentist s was broadcast by Vermont Public Radio in 1981 11 Works EditNovels Edit Crazy in Berlin 1958 Carlo Reinhart 1 Reinhart in Love 1962 Carlo Reinhart 2 Little Big Man 1964 Jack Crabb 1 Killing Time 1967 Vital Parts 1970 Carlo Reinhart 3 Regiment of Women 1973 Sneaky People 1975 Who is Teddy Villanova 1977 Arthur Rex A Legendary Novel 1978 Neighbors 1980 Reinhart s Women 1981 Carlo Reinhart 4 The Feud 1983 Nowhere 1985 Being Invisible 1987 The Houseguest 1988 Changing the Past 1989 Orrie s Story 1990 Meeting Evil 1992 Robert Crews 1994 Suspects 1996 The Return of Little Big Man 1999 Jack Crabb 2 Best Friends 2003 Adventures of the Artificial Woman 2004 Stories Edit Granted Wishes Three Stories 1984 Previously uncollected short stories have appeared in magazines such as American Review Gentleman s Quarterly Saturday Evening Post Playboy and Harper s Abnormal Occurrences Short Stories e book published March 2013 Plays Edit Other People 1970 Rex Rita and Roger 1970 The Siamese Twins 1971 At the Dentist s radio play 1981 The Burglars 1988 Notes Edit a b CSLF 1983 p 250 Madden 1995 p 153 Landon 1989 p xv McDowell 1984 p C26 a b CANR 1996 p 52 Landon 1989 p 11 Associated Press in New York July 22 2014 Thomas Berger author of Little Big Man dies aged 89 The Guardian Retrieved July 24 2014 The Feud amp IMDB Meeting Evil amp IMDB Magnet Gotlieb References EditContemporary Authors New Revision Series vol 51 Gale 1996 ISBN 0 8103 9342 5 Madden David 1995 Critical Essays on Thomas Berger G K Hall ISBN 0 7838 0029 0 Critical Survey of Long Fiction vol 1 Salem 1983 ISBN 0 89356 360 9 The Feud IMDb May 4 1990 Retrieved February 3 2012 Landon Brooks 1989 Thomas Berger Boston Twayne ISBN 0 8057 7540 4 McDowell Edwin May 11 1984 Publishing Pulitzer Controversies The New York Times Meeting Evil IMDb Retrieved February 3 2012 Meeting Evil Official Movie Site Magnet Releasing Retrieved March 14 2012 Thomas Berger collection scope notes Contemporary Collections Gotlieb Center Boston University Retrieved December 2 2014 Further reading and critical studies EditBancroft Collette Thomas Berger Author of Little Big Man Had Distinctive Voice Tampa Bay Times July 28 2014 obituary Barra Allen Thomas Berger Author of Little Big Man Passes True West Magazine July 24 2014 obituary Giardina Henry Thomas Berger s Egoless Fictions The New Yorker July 30 2014 Landon Brooks A Secret Too Good to Keep and Thomas Berger Dedicated to the Novel World amp I October 2003 Landon Brooks The Radical Americanist The Nation August 20 1977 Landon Brooks Thomas Berger A Celebration Los Angeles Review of Books July 25 2014 Landon Brooks Understanding Thomas Berger University of South Carolina Press 2009 Lehmann Haupt Christopher and William McDonald Thomas Berger Little Big Man Author Is Dead at 89 The New York Times July 21 2014 obituary Lethem Jonathan Ambivalent Usurpations in The Ecstasy of Influence Doubleday 2011 Lethem Jonathan Fan Mail The New York Times Book Review April 8 2012 Malone Michael American Literature s Little Big Man The Nation May 3 1980 Ruud Jay Thomas Berger s Arthur Rex Galahad and Earthly Power Critique Winter 1984 Schickel Richard Bitter Comedy Commentary July 1970 Schickel Richard Interviewing Thomas Berger The New York Times Book Review April 6 1980 Trachtenberg Stanley Berger and Barth the Comedy of Decomposition in Comic Relief University of Illinois Press 1978 Edited by Sarah B Cohen Turner Frederick Melville and Thomas Berger The Novelist as Cultural Anthropologist Centennial Review Winter 1969 Turner Frederick The Second Decade of Little Big Man The Nation August 20 1977 Ward Andrew Little Big Man s Man interview in American Heritage May June 1999 External links EditOhio Reading Road Trip Thomas Berger Biography Guardian UK Overlooked classics of American Literature The Feud by Thomas Berger Reason com Return of Little Big Man Thomas Berger at IMDb Ohioana Authors Thomas Berger Ohio Center for the Book Spotlight on Ohio Authors Thomas Berger Obituary NY Times Thomas Berger collection scope notes Contemporary Collections Howard Gotlieb Archival Research Center Boston University Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Thomas Berger novelist amp oldid 1133213425, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
