John Knowles (; September 16, 1926November 29, 2001) was an American novelist best known for ''

A Separate Peace ''A Separate Peace'' is a Bildungsroman, coming-of-age novel by John Knowles, published in 1959. Based on his earlier short story "Phineas", published in the May 1956 issue of ''Cosmopolitan (magazine), Cosmopolitan'', it was Knowles's first p ...

'' (1959).

Biography

Knowles was born on September 16, 1926, in

Fairmont, West Virginia Fairmont is a city in Marion County, West Virginia, United States, and its county seat. The population was 18,313 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of municipalities in West Virginia, eighth-most populous city in ...

, the son of James M. Knowles, a purchasing agent from

Lowell, Massachusetts Lowell () is a city in Massachusetts, United States. Alongside Cambridge, Massachusetts, Cambridge, it is one of two traditional county seat, seats of Middlesex County, Massachusetts, Middlesex County. With an estimated population of 115,554 in ...

, and Mary Beatrice Shea Knowles from

Concord, New Hampshire Concord () is the capital city of the U.S. state of New Hampshire and the county seat, seat of Merrimack County, New Hampshire, Merrimack County. As of the 2020 United States census the population was 43,976, making it the List of municipalities ...

. His father was a coal company executive, which earned an income that afforded the family a comfortable living. As a youth, Knowles would remark that he could write just as well as the stories from ''

The Saturday Evening Post ''The Saturday Evening Post'' is an American magazine published six times a year. It was published weekly from 1897 until 1963, and then every other week until 1969. From the 1920s to the 1960s, it was one of the most widely circulated and influ ...

''. Knowles attended St. Peter's High School in Fairmont from 1938 to 1940, before he continued at

Phillips Exeter Academy Phillips Exeter Academy (often called Exeter or PEA) is an Independent school, independent, co-educational, college-preparatory school in Exeter, New Hampshire. Established in 1781, it is America's sixth-oldest boarding school and educates an es ...

Exeter, New Hampshire Exeter is a New England town, town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. Its population was 16,049 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, up from 14,306 at the 2010 census. Exeter was the county seat until 1997, when county ...

, and graduated in 1945. Following his time at Phillips Exeter, Knowles spent eight months serving in the US Army Air Forces at 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 ...

. Knowles graduated from

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...

as a member of the class of 1949. At Yale, Knowles contributed stories to campus humor magazine '' The Yale Record'' and served on the board of the ''

Yale Daily News The ''Yale Daily News'' is an independent student newspaper published by Yale University students in New Haven, Connecticut, since January 28, 1878. Description Financially and editorially independent of Yale University since its founding, th ...

'' during his sophomore, junior, and senior years, notably as editorial secretary during his senior year. He was a record-holding varsity swimmer during his sophomore year. Early in his career, Knowles wrote for the ''

Hartford Courant The ''Hartford Courant'' is the largest daily newspaper in the U.S. state of Connecticut, and is advertised as the oldest continuously published newspaper in the United States. A morning newspaper serving most of the state north of New Haven and ...

'' and was assistant editor for ''

Holiday A holiday is a day or other period of time set aside for festivals or recreation. ''Public holidays'' are set by public authorities and vary by state or region. Religious holidays are set by religious organisations for their members and are often ...

'' magazine. With encouragement from

Thornton Wilder Thornton Niven Wilder (April 17, 1897 – December 7, 1975) was an American playwright and novelist. He won three Pulitzer Prizes, for the novel ''The Bridge of San Luis Rey'' and for the plays ''Our Town'' and ''The Skin of Our Teeth'', and a U. ...

, he concurrently began writing novels. Knowles died on November 29, 2001, near

Fort Lauderdale, Florida Fort Lauderdale ( ) is a coastal city located in the U.S. state of Florida, north of Miami along the Atlantic Ocean. It is the county seat of and most populous city in Broward County, Florida, Broward County with a population of 182,760 at the ...

''A Separate Peace''

'' was first published in London by Secker and Warburg in 1959. Published in New York in 1960 by Macmillan, it is his most celebrated work. The novel is based upon Knowles's experiences at

. The Devon School, the book's setting, is a thinly-veiled fictionalization of Exeter, with both campus and town easily recognizable. Although the plot is not autobiographical, elements of the novel stem from personal experience, including Knowles's membership in a

secret society A secret society is an organization about which the activities, events, inner functioning, or membership are concealed. The society may or may not attempt to conceal its existence. The term usually excludes covert groups, such as intelligence ag ...

and his suffering a foot injury while he jumped from a tree during society exercises. In his essay "A Special Time, A Special Place," Knowles wrote, "The only elements in ''A Separate Peace'' which were not in that summer were anger, violence, and hatred. There was only friendship, athleticism, and loyalty." The secondary character Finny (Phineas) is the friend of the main character Gene. Knowles has stated that he modeled Finny on

David Hackett David Low Hackett (November 12, 1926 – April 23, 2011) was an American official. Biography Born in Dedham, Massachusetts, Hackett was appointed by President John F. Kennedy to head the President's Committee on Juvenile Delinquency and Yo ...

from

Milton Academy Milton Academy (informally referred to as Milton) is a coeducational, co-educational, Independent school, independent, and College-preparatory school, college-preparatory boarding and day school in Milton, Massachusetts, educating students in g ...

, whom he met when both attended a summer session at Phillips Exeter Academy. Hackett was a friend of Robert F. Kennedy under whom he later served in the

US Justice Department The United States Department of Justice (DOJ), also known as the Justice Department, is a federal executive department of the U.S. government that oversees the domestic enforcement of federal laws and the administration of justice. It is equi ...

. A student, Phineas Sprague, lived in the same dormitory as Knowles during the summer session of 1943 and may have inspired the character's name. In his memoir ''Palimpsest'',

Gore Vidal Eugene Luther Gore Vidal ( ; born Eugene Louis Vidal, October 3, 1925 – July 31, 2012) was an American writer and public intellectual known for his acerbic epigrammatic wit. His novels and essays interrogated the Social norm, social and sexual ...

acknowledged that he and Knowles simultaneously attended Phillips Exeter Academy, though Vidal was two years ahead of Knowles. Vidal stated that Knowles told him the character Brinker was based on him. "We have been friends for many years now," Vidal said, "and I admire the novel that he based on our school days, ''A Separate Peace''."

Awards

Knowles won the

PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction The PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction is awarded annually by the PEN/Faulkner Foundation to the authors of the year's best works of fiction by living Americans, Green Card holders or permanent residents. The winner receives US$15,000 and each of ...

and the Rosenthal Award of the

National Institute of Arts and Letters The American Academy of Arts and Letters is a 300-member honor society whose goal is to "foster, assist, and sustain excellence" in American literature, music, and art. Its fixed number membership is elected for lifetime appointments. Its headqua ...

Selected works

* "A Turn with the Sun" (short story), '' Story: The Magazine of the Short Story'', Number 4, 1953 * "Phineas" (short story), ''

Cosmopolitan Cosmopolitan may refer to: Internationalism * World citizen, one who eschews traditional geopolitical divisions derived from national citizenship * Cosmopolitanism, the idea that all of humanity belongs to a single moral community * Cosmopolitan ...

'', May, 1956 * ''

'' (novel), London, Secker & Warburg, 1959; New York, Macmillan Co., 1960 * ''Morning in Antibes'' (novel), New York, Macmillan, 1962 * ''Double Vision; American Thoughts Abroad'', New York, Macmillan, 1964 * ''Indian Summer'', New York, Random House, 1966 * ''Phineas. Six Stories'', New York, Random House, 1968 * ''The Paragon'' (novel), New York, Random House, 1971 * "Rapture of the Deep" (short story), 1972 * ''Spreading Fires'', New York, Random House, 1974 * ''A Vein of Riches'', Boston, Little Brown, 1978 * ''

Peace Breaks Out ''Peace Breaks Out'' (1981) is a novel by American author John Knowles, better known for ''A Separate Peace'' (1959). Both books share the setting of the The Devon School, Devon preparatory school. Plot The book follows the story of Pete Hallam ...

'' (novel), New York, Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1981 * ''A Stolen Past'', New York, Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1983 * ''The Private Life of Axie Reed'', New York : John Knowles, 1986 * ''A Special Time, A Special Place'', ''Exeter Bulletin'', 1995 (autobiographical note on internet)

References

External links

* John Knowles Papers. Yale Collection of American Literature, Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library. {{DEFAULTSORT:Knowles, John 1926 births 2001 deaths United States Army Air Forces personnel of World War II 20th-century American novelists People from Fairmont, West Virginia People from Southampton (town), New York Phillips Exeter Academy alumni United States Army Air Forces soldiers Novelists from New York (state) Yale University alumni Military personnel from West Virginia American postmodern writers American male novelists American male journalists 20th-century American journalists Hartford Courant people Journalists from West Virginia Novelists from West Virginia PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction winners 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American non-fiction writers