Michael Jenkins Kernan Jr. (April 29, 1927 – May 4, 2005) was an American author and journalist.
[
]
Background
Kernan was born in
Utica, New York and grew up outside
Clinton, Oneida County, New York. His father,
Michael J. Kernan (1884–1953), was a
stockbroker and member of the
New York State Senate.
His great-grandfather
Francis Kernan (1816–1892) was a
U.S. Senator (D-NY). Kernan graduated from
Harvard University
Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...
in 1949.
Career
Kernan worked for the ''
Watertown Daily Times'' from 1949 until 1953. From 1953 to 1966 he was an editor and reporter for the ''
Redwood City Tribune'', a paper in California.
[
In 1967, Kernan began work at The '']Washington Post
''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...
''. In 1969, he became one of the founding journalists of the new ''Posts Style section. He would remain at the Post in the Style section for the rest of his primary career, writing articles on a wide variety of subjects, including about his speech impediment of stuttering. Kernan's final story as a staff writer was on June 18, 1989.[
Benjamin C. Bradlee, executive editor of The Post, described Kernan as a "poet in newspaperman's clothing." Mary Hadar, former editor of the Post's Style section, said "He was a glorious writer who could make anything interesting."][ The Post published a special appreciation for Kernan.
]
Works
Kernan published a work of non-fiction ''The Violet Dots'' (1978) about a British soldier who fought in the Battle of the Somme in World War I
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
and the novels ''The Lost Diaries of Frans Hals'' (1994) and ''Before''(2001) (a prequel to Robert Louis Stevenson
Robert Louis Stevenson (born Robert Lewis Balfour Stevenson; 13 November 1850 – 3 December 1894) was a Scottish novelist, essayist, poet and travel writer. He is best known for works such as ''Treasure Island'', ''Strange Case of Dr Jekyll ...
's Treasure Island .[
Some of his articles for the Washington Post include:
* "A Literary Skirmish Over Hiss" (review of ''Perjury'' by Allen Weinstein)
* "War Casualty" (Review of Let There Be Light by John Huston, republished in 2012 from 1981)
* "Mortal Thoughts" (Review of ''Enter Sandman'' by Stephanie Williams)][
]
References
External links
Works by Michael Kernan
at ''The Washington Post''
Works by Michael Kernan
at ''Smithsonian Magazine''
* Washington Pos
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kernan, Michael
1927 births
2005 deaths
Harvard University alumni
The Washington Post journalists