Donald Heiney
Donald Heiney (
/ˈhaɪni/; September 7, 1921 - July 24, 1993) was a sailor and academic as well as a prolific and inventive writer using the pseudonym of MacDonald Harris for fiction.
Heiney was born in South Pasadena, California, and grew up in South Pasadena and San Gabriel.[1] He served in the Merchant Marine and the Navy during World War II and afterward earned a B.A. from University of Redlands. He joined the faculty of University of California, Irvine in 1965 and later co-founded UCI's writing program. One of his students was Michael Chabon, who later won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.
Publishers Weekly has described his work as "known for...metaphysics, hints of magic and the absurd, and a profound preoccupation with the duality of human nature,"[citation needed] and the Chicago Tribune Book World called him "a gifted craftsman, a meticulous writer whose powers as a story teller are as compelling as the sexual tensions he imagines."[citation needed]
His novel The Balloonist, published in 1976, tells the story of a polar expedition, similar to and possibly inspired by the real journey made by S. A. Andrée. The Balloonist was nominated for the National Book Award.
He received a 1982 Award in Literature from the American Academy of Arts and Sciences for his entire body of work. In 1985 his novel Tenth earned him a Special Achievement Award from the PEN Los Angeles Center.[1]
Heiney died in 1993, at age 71, at his home in Newport Beach, California.[1]
[edit] References
- ^ a b c McLellan, Dennis (August 01, 1993). "Donald Heiney; Author and Founder of UCI Writing Program (obituary)". Los Angeles Times. http://articles.latimes.com/1993-08-01/news/ga-19131_1_writing-program. Retrieved June 14, 2010.
[edit] External links
- MacDonald Harris/ Donald Heiney, an informational website maintained by Donald Heiney's son, Paul Heiney
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