J. F. Powers | |
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| Born | James Farl Powers (1917-07-08)July 8, 1917 Jacksonville, Illinois, U.S. |
| Died | June 12, 1999(1999-06-12) (aged 81) Collegeville,Minnesota, U.S. |
| Occupation | Novelist, short story writer |
| Notable awards | National Book Award for Fiction, 1963[1] |
James Farl Powers (July 8, 1917 – June 12, 1999) was an Americannovelist andshort story writer who often drew his inspiration from developments in theCatholic Church, and was known for his studies of Catholic priests in the Midwest. Although not a priest himself, he is known for having captured a "clerical idiom" in postwar North America. His first novel,Morte d'Urban, won the 1963National Book Award for Fiction.[1]
Powers was born inJacksonville, Illinois to a devout Catholic family. He graduated from Quincy College Academy, a Franciscan high school. He took English and philosophy courses atWright Junior College and atNorthwestern University in Chicago, but did not earn a degree. He had various jobs, such as insurance salesman, sales clerk, editor and bookstore clerk.
Powers was aconscientious objector duringWorld War II, and went to prison for it. Later he worked as a hospital orderly.[2] His first writing experiment began as a spiritual exercise during a religious retreat.
His work has long been admired for its gentle satire and its astonishing ability to recreate with a few words the insular but gradually changing world of post-World War II American Catholicism.Evelyn Waugh,Flannery O'Connor, andWalker Percy praised his work, andFrank O'Connor spoke of him as "among the greatest living storytellers".[3]
Prince of Darkness and Other Stories appeared in 1947. His story "The Valiant Woman" received the O. Henry Award in 1947.[4]The Presence of Grace (1956) was also a collection of short stories. His first novel wasMorte d'Urban (1962), which won the 1963National Book Award for Fiction.[1]Look How the Fish Live appeared in 1975 andWheat that Springeth Green in 1988.
Powers lived in Ireland for thirteen years. After moving back and forth from Ireland, he settled with his family in Collegeville, Minnesota, where he taughtcreative writing andEnglish literature atSaint John's University.[5]
Following his death in 1999, theNew York Review reissued his novels and publishedThe Stories of J. F. Powers in 2000. The Southern Illinois University Special Collections Research Center has collected the records or Manuscript Collections Created by Powers.[4]
Powers met and marriedBetty Wahl after reviewing a sample of Wahl's fiction. SisterMariella Gable, OSB, a member of theCollege of Saint Benedict English faculty, sent him the sample and Powers asked to meet the writer. Powers and Wahl were married in 1946 after Wahl's graduation. They had five children,[6] including the artistsMary and Jane.[7]
