James Alan McPherson
| James Alan McPherson | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
September 16, 1943 Savannah, Georgia, U.S. |
| Died | July 27, 2016 (aged 72) Iowa City, Iowa, U.S. |
| Nationality | United States of America |
| Ethnicity | African-American |
| Education |
Morgan State University Morris Brown College Harvard Law School University of Iowa |
| Period | 1968–2016 |
| Genre | Fiction |
| Notable works | Elbow Room |
| Notable awards |
Pulitzer Prize in Fiction MacArthur Fellowship Guggenheim Fellowship |
| Spouse | Sarah Lynn Charlton (div.) |
| Children | Rachel (daughter); Benjamin (son) |
James Alan McPherson (September 16, 1943 – July 27, 2016) was an American essayist and short-story writer. He was the first black writer to win the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, and was included among the first group of artists who received a MacArthur Fellowship. At the time of his death, McPherson was a member of the permanent faculty and a professor emeritus of fiction at the Iowa Writers' Workshop.
McPherson was born in Savannah, Georgia, on September 16, 1943, the second of four children. His father was a master electrician (the first African-American so recognized in Georgia), and his mother (born Mabel Small) was a maid. While growing up, McPherson's father struggled with alcohol and time in jail. In his essay "Going Up To Atlanta," McPherson describes the many odd jobs he took on during this time to help support his mother, brother, and sisters. But it was his discovery of the "colored branch" of the public library that changed his life. When he started reading books, McPherson learned that words, even without pictures, "gave up their secret meanings, spoke of other worlds, made me know that pain was a part of other people's lives."
He attended Morgan State University from 1963 to 1964 before receiving his undergraduate degree in History and English from Morris Brown College in 1965. In 1968, McPherson received a LL.B. from Harvard Law School, where he partially financed his studies by working as a janitor. But in 1971, he went on to get a M.F.A. in creative writing from the University of Iowa and studied briefly with the short-story writer and novelist Richard Yates. After this period in his life, McPherson decided not to practice law, but afterwards he would utilize this legal training in his various writings. In an essay he published in 1972, he exposed exploitative business practices against black homeowners.
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