William Saroyan (/səˈrɔɪ.ən/; August 31, 1908 – May 18, 1981) was an Armenian-American dramatist and author. He was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1940, and in 1943 won the Academy Award for Best Story for the film adaptation of his novel The Human Comedy.An Armenian American, Saroyan wrote extensively about the Armenian immigrant life in California. Many of his stories and plays are set in his native Fresno. Some of his best-known works are The Time of Your Life, My Name Is Aram and My Heart's in the Highlands.He is recognized as "one of the most prominent literary figures of the mid-20th century." Stephen Fry describes Saroyan as "one of the most underrated writers of the [20th] century." Fry suggests that "he takes his place naturally alongside Hemingway, Steinbeck and Faulkner."
"So that's a Broadway show. For God's sake, I could write a better one than that in twenty-four hours!" To Random House publisher Bennett Cerf, after being taken to his first Broadway play, Ceiling Zero. He did it, too!
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Fact
1
Half of his ashes are buried in California, and the other half in Armenia.
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Cousin of Ross Bagdasarian, who sang the 1958 novelty song "Witch Doctor" and created Alvin and the Chipmunks.
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Had never been to the East Coast before 1934.
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Once brought a greasy bag of fried prawns into a high class bar in San Francisco. When he noticed that people were staring at him, he offered to share them with everybody.
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His play, "My Heart's in the Highlands", was written in twenty-four hours.
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Biography in: "The Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives". Volume One, 1981-1985, pages 701-703. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1998.
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The Best Writing, Original Story Academy Award he won for "The Human Comedy" (1943) was made out of plaster. Though he didn't attend the ceremony held at Graumann's Chinese Theatre on March 2, 1944, saying he "didn't want to bother carrying it around," he did eventually get the Oscar. The plaster award was exchanged for a metal one in 1946 after World War Two restrictions on metals were lifted. His sister Cosette, knowing he didn't want it, asked for it, and he gave it to her. Although thought missing after his death in 1981, it was in fact in her possession until she died in 1990.
8
The Academy Award statuette that he won for "The Human Comedy" (1943) briefly adorrned a pawn shop window in San Francisco. The Oscar has been in possession of Saroyan's sister, and after she died in 1990, someone hocked it at the Mission Jewelry & Loan Co. for $250. Pawn broker Darryl Kaplan donated it to the William Saroyan Society in Fresno, California, despite having numerous offers to buy it, including one for $20,000 from a literary figure. The Oscar eventually was transferred to the Fresno Metropolitan Museum. Fresno was Saroyan's hometown and the site where "The Human Comedy" takes place.
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Won 1940 Pulitzer Prize for his play "The Time Of Your Life"; he declined the award.
10
Divorced Carol Grace when he learned she was illegitimate and Jewish, but soon tried to get her to take him back. She divorced him within months of their second marriage.
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Children by Carol Grace: son Aram (b. 25 September 1943), daughter Lucy (b. 17 January 1946)
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Pictured on a 25¢ US commemorative postage stamp in the Literary Arts series, issued 22 May 1991. The Soviet Union also issued 1-ruble stamp with the same design on that date.
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Ex-wife Carol (nee Marcus) later married Walter Matthau.
$300,000
