William Saroyan

American writer

Born: August 31, 1908 · Died: May 18, 1981

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Who was William Saroyan?

William Saroyan (; August 31, 1908 – May 18, 1981) was an American novelist, playwright, and short story writer of Armenian descent. He has been described in a Dickinson College news release as "one of the most prominent literary figures of the mid-20th century" and by Stephen Fry as "one of the most underrated writers of the [20th] century." Fry suggests that "he takes his place naturally alongside Hemingway, Steinbeck and Faulkner". When the studio rejected his original 240-page treatment, he turned it into a novel, The Human Comedy. 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.

Historical significance

He was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1940, and in 1943 won the Academy Award for Best Story for the film The Human Comedy. His two collections of short stories from the 1930s, Inhale Exhale (1936) and The Daring Young Man on the Flying Trapeze (1934), are regarded as among his major achievements and essential documents of the cultural history of the period on the West Coast of the United States.

Sources and further reading

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MLA

“William Saroyan.” thisDay, thisday.info/people/william-saroyan/. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

APA

William Saroyan. (n.d.). thisDay. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://thisday.info/people/william-saroyan/

Chicago

“William Saroyan.” thisDay. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://thisday.info/people/william-saroyan/.

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