James Michener

[donroc]

I forget if I posted this here or on another site.

In 1968, I was approached by an intermediary to write for Irving Stone (who coincidentally graduated from my high school and university), which I refused to do because I had no guarantee my novel would be published for doing so despite a veiled promise. As a result, I was told by the intermediary I had no humility.

Shortly after that, a story made the rounds that a manuscript disappeared for about six weeks belonging to a professor who was working on a biography of John and Abigail Adams, then mysteriously reappeared. After that Those Who Love by Irving Stone was published.

Also, during the days before Patterson gave credit to his writers, a certain lady in Key West ( friend of a friend) was writing novels for another major best selling author.

We should not be surprised, for Dumas is known to have been doing the same.

How many writers here would accept such a gig?

[sweetpotatoboy]

I'm not quite sure why but there's a nice little article on Michener in the Investor's Business Daily.

http://news.investors.com/management-le ... detail.htm

[traveldog]

There is another thread around somewhere about scathing book reviews and I once read one about a Michener book that always stuck in my mind. I don't recall the book, not a major one - in fact, something thin (esp. for Michener!) and patriotic. It may have been published around the Bicentennial or some such event.

The review was written as an outraged chastisement of some of Michener's "assistants" or perhaps a thief who broke into his office one night in grabbing together random notes and thoughts Michener had left lying about the office and pretending that, mashed awkwardly together, they constituted something intelligible! And then worsening their crime by convincing some publisher to publish it as an actual book written by Michener! It ended with something to the effect of "an accomplished and respected author of so many good books would never intentionally allow this piece of trash to appear in print above his name."

For the record, I decided to take a pass on the book after reading that review.....

[Prof.Hirata]

I have only read The Covenant and it fascinated me. I became JM's admirer. Of course, I also noticed the tedious passages and did not read in one gulp and was going through by intermittent sessions but now that I think of it I'm more positive about his method. The point is that he treats one and the same event, person or idea several times from various points of view, described by different heroes etc. and in that way you remember them better! I feel a number of things about South Africa stuck in my mind not just as episodes but as notions thoroughly understood. And the mighty talent of JM is responsible for that.
I never tried Rutherfurd but I have a collection of all his books and another 10 of JM and anticipate the pleasure that probably awaits me