Williams, John Alfred, 1925-....

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John Alfred Williams, African-American author, journalist and academic, was born December 5, 1925, in Jackson, Mississippi. He served in the U.S. Naval Reserves as a pharmacist’s mate in the Pacific from 1943-1946, and earned degrees in English and journalism from Syracuse University. In 1960 he published his first novel, The Angry Ones ; this and subsequent novels including the best-selling The Man Who Cried I Am, explore the experiences of being a black man in America.

Over his career Williams worked as a journalist for CBS, Ebony, Jet, and Newsweek, among others. He taught at many colleges and universities, including the College of the Virgin Islands, City University of New York, Sarah Lawrence College, University of California at Santa Barbara, La Guardia Community College, the University of Hawaii, Boston University, and Rutgers University, where in 1990 he was named the Paul Robeson Professor of English. He is a member of the National Institute of Arts and Letters.

In 1970 Williams received the Syracuse University Centennial Medal for Outstanding Achievement, and in 1998 his Safari West won the American Book Award. He retired from Rutgers in 1994.

From the guide to the John A. Williams Papers, 1960-1968, (Special Collections Research Center, Syracuse University Libraries)

Archival Resources
Role Title Holding Repository
referencedIn Inventory to the Records of the Conference on Literature and Urban Experience (CLUE), Rutgers University Newark, April 17-19, 1980, 1978-1983 Rutgers Special Collections and University Archives
creatorOf Williams, John T. fl. 1925. John T. Williams family letters [manuscript], 1814-1839. Oregon Historical Society Research Library
referencedIn Records, 1964-1982. Harvard Theater Collection, Houghton Library, Harvard College Library, Harvard University
referencedIn United States Sanitary Commission records. Army and Navy Claim Agency archives, 1861-1870 New York Public Library. Manuscripts and Archives Division
creatorOf John A. Williams Papers, 1960-1968 Syracuse University. Library. Special Collections Research Center
referencedIn James A. Emanuel Papers, 1922-1995, (bulk 1960-1995) Library of Congress. Manuscript Division
referencedIn Records of the Bureau of Indian Affairs. 1793 - 1999. Record Of Applications Under The Act Of 1896. 1896 - 1897. 1896 Citizenship Application for John A. Williams National Archives at Fort Worth
referencedIn J. W. Johnson Papers, 1863-2000 (bulk 1933-1988) Water Resources Collections and Archives
referencedIn Haydn, Hiram Collins, 1907-1973,. Creative writing questionnaires for writing class at University of Pennsylvania, 1970-1972. Stanford University. Department of Special Collections and University Archives
creatorOf Van Peebles, Melvin, 1932-. The sophisticated gents, a teleplay : typescript / by Melvin Van Peebles, 1980. UC Berkeley Libraries
creatorOf Williams, John A. [Early American tune book] Yale University, Music Library
referencedIn Letters to Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, 1761-1904 (inclusive), 1820-1888 (bulk) Houghton Library
creatorOf Danska, Herbert. "Sweet love, bitter" film collection, 1962-1972 bulk 1967. New York Public Library System, NYPL
referencedIn J. T. (John Townsend) Trowbridge papers, 1855-1939. Houghton Library
referencedIn Floyd B. McKissick Papers, 1940s-1980s University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Library. Southern Historical Collection
Role Title Holding Repository
Relation Name
correspondedWith Emanuel, James A. person
associatedWith Haydn, Hiram Collins, 1907-1973, person
associatedWith Johnson, J. W. (Joe William), b. 1908 person
correspondedWith Longfellow, Henry Wadsworth, 1807-1882 person
associatedWith Matthews, John, fl. 1838. person
correspondedWith McKissick, Floyd B. (Floyd Bixler), 1922- person
associatedWith People's Theatre (Cambridge, Mass.). person
associatedWith Rogers, William, fl. 1822-1823. person
associatedWith The Conference on Literature and Urban Experience (CLUE), Rutgers University Newark corporateBody
correspondedWith Trowbridge, J. T. (John Townsend), 1827-1916 person
associatedWith United States Sanitary Commission corporateBody
associatedWith Van Peebles, Melvin, 1932- person
associatedWith Williams family family
associatedWith Williams, John T. person
associatedWith Williams, Mary Ann Rogers. person
associatedWith Williams, Sarah Ball. person
Place Name Admin Code Country
Boston (Mass.)
Subject
American literature
American literature
African American novelists
African American poets
African Americans
African Americans
Authors, American
American poetry
Literature
Literature
Occupation
Authors
Novelists
Poets
Activity

Person

Birth 1925-12-05

Americans

English

Information

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