Wallace Stegner

Wallace Stegner, UI alumnus and former faculty member (as well as native Iowan), has often been considered the "The Dean of Western Writers." In a recent biography on his writing career and life, "Wallace Stegner and the American West" (Alfred A. Knopf, 2008), Philip L. Fradkin writes,

"As a student working toward a master's degree in an innovative writing program and as a professor with a doctorate in a recognized academic specialty (both degrees from The University of Iowa); as a teacher in the top writing programs in the country (Iowa, Bread Loaf, Harvard, and Stanford); and as a writer of volumes of commercially published fiction and nonfiction, Stegner not only bridged the gap between professor and professional writer but also constructed by example and teaching the tenuous structure that allowed many others to cross that same chasm."

In this New York Times book review of "Wallace Stegner and the American West," John Wilson highlights the book's insights into Stegner's hardscrabble childhood, his prodigious work ethic, and his relationships with his students, especially writer Ken Kesey. The article also provides a sample from the first chapter of Fradkin's biography and related links. Read the New York Times review here: 'That Stegner Fellow.'