Evan Shelby Connell Jr. (August 17, 1924 – January 10, 2013) was a U.S. novelist, short-story writer, essayist and author of epic historical works. He also published under the name Evan S. Connell Jr. In 2009, Connell was nominated for the

Man Booker International Prize The International Booker Prize (formerly known as the Man Booker International Prize) is an international literary award hosted in the United Kingdom. The introduction of the International Prize to complement the Man Booker Prize, as the Boo ...

for lifetime achievement. On April 23, 2010, he won the Robert Kirsch Award from the ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...

'' for "a living author with a substantial connection to the American West, whose contribution to American letters deserves special recognition."

Background

Connell was born in

Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City, Missouri, abbreviated KC or KCMO, is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri by List of cities in Missouri, population and area. The city lies within Jackson County, Missouri, Jackson, Clay County, Missouri, Clay, and Pl ...

, the only son of Evan S. Connell, Sr. (1890–1974), a physician, and Ruth Elton Connell. He had a sister Barbara (Mrs. Matthew Zimmermann), to whom he dedicated his novel ''Mrs. Bridge'' (1959). Connell grew up in the upper middle-class Country Club District of Kansas City, Missouri, and graduated from Southwest High School in 1941. He entered

Dartmouth College Dartmouth College ( ) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. Established in 1769 by Eleazar Wheelock, Dartmouth is one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the America ...

in the fall of 1941, but left in 1943 to become a pilot in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

. After the end of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, he entered the

University of Kansas The University of Kansas (KU) is a public research university with its main campus in Lawrence, Kansas, United States. Two branch campuses are in the Kansas City metropolitan area on the Kansas side: the university's medical school and hospital ...

and graduated in 1947, with a B.A. in English. Connell studied creative writing at

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

in New York and

Stanford University Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth ...

in California. Connell never married. He lived and worked in San Francisco and Sausalito, California, from 1954 to 1989, and then moved to

Santa Fe, New Mexico Santa Fe ( ; , literal translation, lit. "Holy Faith") is the capital city, capital of the U.S. state of New Mexico, and the county seat of Santa Fe County. With over 89,000 residents, Santa Fe is the List of municipalities in New Mexico, fourt ...

, when he remained until his death. Connell died on January 10, 2013, at an assisted-living facility in Santa Fe.

Career

Connell's novels '' Mrs. Bridge'' (1959) and ''Mr. Bridge'' (1969) are bittersweet, gently satirical portraits of a conventional, unimaginative upper middle-class couple living in Kansas City from the 1920s to the 1940s. The couple tries to live up to societal expectations and to be good parents, but they are sadly incapable of bridging the emotional distance between themselves and their children and between each other. The pair of novels was adapted as a 1990 Merchant-Ivory motion picture, '' Mr. and Mrs. Bridge'', starring

Paul Newman Paul Leonard Newman (January 26, 1925 – September 26, 2008) was an American actor, film director, race car driver, philanthropist, and activist. He was the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Paul Newman, numerous awards ...

and

Joanne Woodward Joanne Gignilliat Trimmier Woodward (born February 27, 1930) is an American retired actress. She made her career breakthrough in the 1950s and earned esteem and respect playing complex women with a characteristic nuance and depth of character. ...

. Critics gave the film mostly positive reviews. Connell's 1960 novel ''The Patriot'' is the story of Melvin Isaacs, aged 17, and his experiences in naval aviation school during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. Melvin faces the terrifying reality of training and the likelihood of his "washing out" (failing). Melvin's attempts to communicate the realities of his experience to his father are rebuffed. The characters of Melvin and his father Jacob are similar in many respects to those of Douglas and Mr. Bridge. Though not well reviewed, ''The Patriot'' contains some rewarding social satire and impressive scenes of aviation. Connell's 1984 sweeping account of

George Armstrong Custer George Armstrong Custer (December 5, 1839 – June 25, 1876) was a United States Army officer and cavalry commander in the American Civil War and the American Indian Wars. Custer graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point ...

and the Battle of the Little Bighorn, '' Son of the Morning Star'', earned critical acclaim and was a bestseller. The book was adapted as a television miniseries in 1991 and won four

Emmy Awards The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award categor ...

Dorothy Parker Dorothy Parker (née Rothschild; August 22, 1893 – June 7, 1967) was an American poet and writer of fiction, plays and screenplays based in New York; she was known for her caustic wisecracks, and eye for 20th-century urban foibles. Parker ros ...

described Connell as "a writer of fine style and amazing variety".

Legacy and honors

* 1959, ''Mrs. Bridge'' was a finalist for the

National Book Award The National Book Awards (NBA) are a set of annual U.S. literary awards. At the final National Book Awards Ceremony every November, the National Book Foundation presents the National Book Awards and two lifetime achievement awards to authors. ...

in fiction. * 1974, ''Points for a Compass Rose'' was a finalist for the

in poetry. * 2009, he was nominated for the third

for lifetime achievement. * 2010, he received the ''

'' Book Prize: the Robert Kirsch Award.

Bibliography

Novels *'' Mrs. Bridge'' (1959) *''The Patriot'' (1960) *''The Diary of a Rapist'' (1966) *''Mr. Bridge'' (1969) *''The Connoisseur'' (1974) *''Double Honeymoon'' (1976) Short Fiction *"I'll Take You To Tennessee," in ''Stanford Short Stories Nineteen Forty-Nine.'' Edited by Wallace Stegner. (1949) *''The Anatomy Lesson'' (1957) *''At The Crossroads'' (1965) * "Here it is", in ''Why Work Series'', editor Gordon Lish (1966) *''Saint Augustine's Pigeon: The Selected Stories of Evan S. Connell'' (1982) *''The Collected Stories of Evan S. Connell'' (1995) *''Lost in Uttar Pradesh'' (2008, ) Non-Fiction *''A Long Desire: Essays'' (1979) *''White Lantern: Essays'' (1981) *'' Son of the Morning Star: Custer and the Little Bighorn'' (1985, ) *''The Alchymist's Journal'' (1991, republished in 2006 as ''Alchymic Journals'') *''Deus Lo Volt!: A Chronicle of the Crusades'' (2000, ) *''The Aztec Treasure House: New and Selected Essays'' (2001, )(non-fiction) *''Francisco Goya: A Life'' (2004, ) Poetry * ''Notes From A Bottle Found on the Beach at Carmel'' (1962) * ''Points for A Compass Rose'' (1973)

References

External links