William Goyen
| William Goyen | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Born | Charles William Goyen April 24, 1915 Trinity, Texas, U.S. |
| Died | August 30, 1983 (aged 68) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Occupation | Novelist, short story writer, poet, playwright, editor, teacher |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater |
Rice Institute, University of Iowa (Ph.D.) |
| Period | Modernism |
| Notable works | The House of Breath, A Book of Jesus, Arcadio |
| Spouse | Doris Roberts (1963-83; his death) |
Charles William Goyen (April 24, 1915 – August 30, 1983) was an American novelist, short story writer, playwright, poet, editor, and teacher. Born in a small town in East Texas, these roots would influence his work for his entire life.
In World War II he served as an officer aboard an aircraft carrier in the South Pacific, where he began work on one of his most important and critically acclaimed books, The House of Breath. After the war and through the 1950s he published short stories, collections of stories, other novels, and plays. He never achieved commercial success in America, but his translated work was highly regarded in Europe. During his life he could not completely support himself through his writing, so at various times he took work as an editor and teacher at several prominent universities. At one point he did not write fiction for several years, calling it a "relief" to not have to worry about his writing.
Major themes in his work include home and family, place, time, sexuality, isolation, and memory. His style of writing is not easily categorized, and he eschewed labels of genre placed on his works.
In 1963, he married Doris Roberts, the actress perhaps best known for her work in Everybody Loves Raymond; they remained together until his death in 1983.
Goyen was born in the small town of Trinity, Texas, on April 24, 1915, to Charles Provine and Mary Inez (née Trow) Goyen. His father worked at the local sawmill, and his mother's family ran the post office.
He was the oldest of three children and thought to be epileptic; he "was subject to sudden and prolonged spells of crying." In 1923 he moved with his family to Houston. He resided in the Woodland Heights neighborhood, where he attended Travis Elementary School and Hogg Middle School. In 1932 he graduated from Sam Houston High School. He attended Rice Institute (now University), where he earned a BA in literature (1937) and an MA in comparative literature (1939). He briefly pursued a Ph.D. at the University of Iowa.
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