Jones, James, 1921-1977
<p>James Ramon Jones, known more commonly as James Jones (November 6, 1921 – May 9, 1977), was an American novelist known for his explorations of World War II and its aftermath. He won the 1952 National Book Award for his first published novel, From Here to Eternity, which was adapted for the big screen immediately and made into a television series a generation later.</p>
<p>James Jones was born and raised in Robinson, Illinois, the son of Ramon and Ada M. (née Blessing) Jones. He enlisted in the United States Army in 1939 at the age of 17 and served in the 25th Infantry Division, 27th Infantry Regiment before and during World War II, first in Hawaii at Schofield Barracks on Oahu, then in combat on Guadalcanal at the Battle of Mount Austen, the Galloping Horse, and the Sea Horse, where he was wounded in his ankle. He returned to the US and was discharged in July 1944. He also worked as a journalist covering the Vietnam War.</p>
<p>His wartime experiences inspired some of his most famous works, the so-called war trilogy. He witnessed the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, which led to his first published novel, From Here to Eternity (1951). The Thin Red Line (1962) reflected his combat experiences on Guadalcanal and Whistle (posthumous, 1978) was based on his hospital stay in Memphis, Tennessee, recovering from surgery on an ankle he had reinjured on the island.</p>
<p>Jones was the father of two children including Kaylie Jones, an author best known for A Soldier's Daughter Never Cries, a thinly veiled memoir of the Joneses' life in Paris during the 1960s. (The son Jamie Jones was adopted in France.) Kaylie Jones' novel was made into a film starring Kris Kristofferson, Barbara Hershey and Leelee Sobieski in 1998. The release of this film, along with the 1998 release of a new film version of The Thin Red Line, directed by Terrence Malick and produced by Robert Michael Geisler and John Roberdeau, sparked a revival of interest in James Jones' life and works. In 2011, Ms. Jones was instrumental in publishing an uncensored edition of James Jones' From Here to Eternity.</p>
<p>Jones assisted in the 1950 formation of the Handy Writers' Colony in Marshall, Illinois, by his then-lover Lowney Handy and her husband Harry Handy. It was funded partly by Harry and, after the financial success of From Here To Eternity, partly by Jones. Originally conceived as a Utopian commune where budding artists could focus exclusively on their writing projects, the colony dissolved after only a few years, because James Jones relocated to France following his marriage to Gloria Mosolino after a fight with Lowney, leaving the colony back in a financially compromised situation in 1957.</p>
<p>Jones died in Southampton, New York, of congestive heart failure and is buried in Poxabogue-Evergreen Cemetery, Bridgehampton, New York. His papers are now held at the Harry Ransom Center at the University of Texas at Austin. His widow, Gloria, died on June 9, 2006. Many of James Jones's books are still available in digital format including excerpts from They Shall Inherit the Laughter, published as To the End of the War.</p>
Citations
Date: 1921-11-06 (Birth) - 1977-05-09 (Death)
BiogHist
Place: Illinois
Place: Southampton
<p>James Jones, the writer whose first novel, “From Here to Eternity,” made him world famous, died of heart failure last evening in Southampton, L.I., Hospital. He was 55 years old and resided at Sagaponack, L.I.</p>
<p>The tough‐faced American author, who fought as a welterweight in the Army and in Golden Gloves tournaments. punched his way to the top of the postwar literary scene with the publication of “From Here to Eternity” in 1951. One of its memorable characters, Prewitt, also used his fists to make a mark and rise above the ordinary in nondescript uniform.</p>
<p>“I write about war,” James Jones said in his middle years, “because it's the only metier I've ever had.”</p>
<p>“From Here to Eternity” won the National Book Award for fiction, a feat Mr. Jones never again matched in the counterpunching world of literary criticism. His success continued financially and so did his reputation as an author who could command advances and attention as a celebrity from Paris to Long Island. Dauntlessly, he kept turning out books and living as a public figure.</p>
Citations
Date: 1921-11-06 (Birth) - 1977-05-09 (Death)
BiogHist
Place: Illinois
Place: Southampton
Unknown Source
Citations
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