Judith Guest (born March 29, 1936) is an American

novelist A novelist is an author or writer of novels, though often novelists also write in other genres of both fiction and non-fiction. Some novelists are professional novelists, thus make a living writing novels and other fiction, while others asp ...

and screenwriter. She was born in

Detroit, Michigan Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at ...

and is the great-niece of

Poet Laureate A poet laureate (plural: poets laureate) is a poet officially appointed by a government or conferring institution, typically expected to compose poems for special events and occasions. Albertino Mussato of Padua and Francesco Petrarca (Petrarch ...

Edgar Guest Edgar Albert Guest (20 August 1881 – 5 August 1959) was a British-born American poet who became known as the People's Poet. His poems often had an inspirational and optimistic view of everyday life. Early life Guest was born in Birmingham ...

(1881–1959).Biography of Judith Guest (self-written)
She is a recipient of the

Janet Heidinger Kafka Prize The Janet Heidinger Kafka Prize is a literary award presented annually for the "best book-length work of prose fiction" by an American woman. The award has been given by the Susan B. Anthony Institute for Gender and Women's Studies and the Depar ...

Early life

Guest attended Detroit's

Mumford High School Samuel C. Mumford High School is a public high school located on the near-northwest side of Detroit, Michigan. It was operated by the Detroit Public Schools, and had been operated by the Education Achievement Authority of Michigan (EAA). DPS r ...

in 1951. When her family moved to

Royal Oak The Royal Oak is the English oak tree within which the future King Charles II of England hid to escape the Roundheads following the Battle of Worcester in 1651. The tree was in Boscobel Wood, which was part of the park of Boscobel House. C ...

, she transferred to

Royal Oak High School Royal Oak High School (ROHS) is a secondary educational facility located in Royal Oak, Michigan in Greater Detroit. The current principal is Sharida Lewis. It is a part of Royal Oak Neighborhood Schools. History ROHS is a 2006 consolidation o ...

; she graduated in 1954. Guest then studied English and

psychology Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Psychology includes the study of conscious and unconscious phenomena, including feelings and thoughts. It is an academic discipline of immense scope, crossing the boundaries between ...

at the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

. She was also a member of

Sigma Kappa Sigma Kappa (, also known as SK or Sig Kap) is a sorority founded on November 9, 1874 at Colby College in Waterville, Maine. In 1874, Sigma Kappa was founded by five women: Mary Caffrey Low Carver, Elizabeth Gorham Hoag, Ida Mabel Fuller Pie ...

sorority. Guest graduated with a BA in education.

Career

Guest taught at a public school for several years before deciding to work full-time completing a novel. Guest's first book, ''

Ordinary People ''Ordinary People'' is a 1980 American drama film directed by Robert Redford in his directorial debut. The screenplay by Alvin Sargent is based on the 1976 novel of the same name by Judith Guest. The film follows the disintegration of an upp ...

'', published in

1976 Events January * January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 11 – The 1976 ...

, was the basis of the 1980 film ''

'' that won the Academy Award for Best Picture. This novel and two others, '' Second Heaven'' (1982) and ''Errands'' (1997), are about

adolescents Adolescence () is a transitional stage of Developmental biology, physical and psychological Human development (biology), development that generally occurs during the period from puberty to adulthood (typically corresponding to the age of majo ...

forced to deal with crises in their families. Guest also wrote the screenplay for the 1987 film ''

Rachel River ''Rachel River'' is a 1987 comedy-drama film about a young journalist who returns to her Minnesota hometown to reexamine her life. The film was directed by Sandy Smolan, and stars Pamela Reed, Viveca Lindfors, Željko Ivanek, James Olson, and ...

''. Guest co-authored the mystery '' Killing Time in St. Cloud'' (1988) with novelist Rebecca Hill. Guest's most recent book, '' The Tarnished Eye'' (2004), is loosely based on a real unsolved crime in her native Michigan.

Personal life

Guest was married for nearly 50 years to her college sweetheart, businessman Larry LaVercombe (1936-2009). Guest, her three sons, and their families, reside in

Edina, Minnesota Edina ( ) is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States and a first-ring suburb of Minneapolis. The population was 53,494 at the 2020 census, making it the 18th most populous city in Minnesota. Edina began as a small farming and mil ...

Bibliography

*''

'' (1976) *'' Second Heaven'' (1982) *'' Killing Time in St. Cloud'' (with Rebecca Hill) (1988) *''The Mythic Family'' (essay) (1988) *''Errands'' (1997) *'' The Tarnished Eye'' (2004)

References

External links

Official website2004 Judith Guest interview
secretsofthecity.com *
Judith Guest is interviewed by Sharon Charles of Hennepin County Library
Northern Lights Minnesota Author Interview TV Series #32 (1988) {{DEFAULTSORT:Guest, Judith 1936 births Writers from Detroit 20th-century American novelists 21st-century American novelists American women novelists Living people Novelists from Michigan Novelists from Minnesota University of Michigan School of Education alumni American women screenwriters 20th-century American women writers 21st-century American women writers Screenwriters from Michigan Screenwriters from Minnesota Mumford High School alumni