Vance Bourjaily, 1922–2010

Vance Bourjaily was once compared to F. Scott Fitzgerald and Ernest Hemingway, who in his day called Bourjaily “the most talented writer under 50.” But with his novels out of print, Bourjaily’s reputation is based largely on his impact as a teacher. He helped found the prestigious Iowa Writers Workshop, where his students included John Irving and T. Coraghessan Boyle.

Born in Cleveland in 1922, Bourjaily attended Bowdoin College, but left it to enter World War II. His first novel, The End of My Life, was based on his war experiences, said the New Orleans Times-Picayune. One critic compared it to Hemingway’s A Farewell to Arms.

But Bourjaily’s subsequent novels failed to lead to “the top rank of recognition that was predicted for him,” said The New York Times. After moving to New York, Bourjaily wrote theater reviews and became a “serious literary socialite.” Esquire magazine later wrote that “everyone came to Bourjaily’s parties in the early 1950s,” including Norman Mailer, William Styron, and film star Montgomery Clift.

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In addition to writing 10 novels, Bourjaily, a jazz buff, played the cornet. But he made his mark teaching at the University of Iowa. “From 1957 to 1980, Bourjaily was a professor at the UI Writers Workshop, alongside Philip Roth and Kurt Vonnegut,” said the Iowa City Press Citizen.

Marvin Bell, who also taught at the Workshop, said Bourjaily would be fondly recalled “not only because he was a conscientious teacher and a productive writer, but because he hosted jam sessions, tennis matches, and pig roasts.”