William Saroyan
1908 – 1981

William Saroyan

Armenian-American novelist, playwright, and short story writer (1908-1981)

novelistsongwriterplaywrightpoetwriter
Born
1908-08-31, Fresno
Died
1981-05-18
Birthplace state
California

Biography

William Saroyan was an American novelist, playwright, and short story writer of Armenian descent. 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. When the studio rejected his original 240-page treatment, he turned it into a novel, The Human Comedy.

Occupation

William Saroyan is recorded as a novelist, a songwriter, a playwright, a poet, a writer and a screenwriter, born in California (1908–1981).

Connections to California

William Saroyan was born in Fresno, California in 1908. Explore other notable figures from California, historic sites connected to this era, and the full colonial and statehood history of the state using the links below.

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Geology
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Conflict & War
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The Civil War
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The Soldiers
The men who marched from here in the Civil War, named and traced where the record allows.
Native Heritage
The Native nations who held this land, mapped across time from before European contact to today.
Settlement
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The Community
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Rivers & Rail
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Notable People
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Historical Maps
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Finds & Access
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Literature
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Frequently asked about William Saroyan

Who was William Saroyan?
William Saroyan was Armenian-American novelist, playwright, and short story writer (1908-1981), born in California (1908 – 1981).
When and where was William Saroyan born?
William Saroyan was born on 1908-08-31 in Fresno.
When did William Saroyan die?
William died on 1981-05-18.
What was William Saroyan known for?
William Saroyan is recorded as a novelist, a songwriter, a playwright, a poet, a writer and a screenwriter.
Source

Biographical content adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Source: Wikipedia.

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