William Saroyan was born of Armenian-American parents in Fresno in 1908, and grew up among Japanese, Irish, German, Assyrian, Chinese, and Armenian working class immigrants in that town. He came on the literary scene as a short story writer, but had his first big hit with the play The Time of Your Life, which won the Pulitzer Prize in 1940 and made him a household name to an entire generation. His output was prolific, including short story collections such as My Name is Aram, and novels such as The Human Comedy, often featuring Armenian uncles and aunts, cousins and siblings, and set in the Fresno of the 1920s and '30s. His writing is animated by an appealing defiance, idealism, and unabashed sentimentality, which is captured in this advice he offered young writers:
"Try to learn to breathe deeply, really to taste food when you eat; and when you sleep, really to sleep. Try as much as possible to be wholly alive with all your might, and when you laugh, laugh like hell. And when you get angry, get good and angry. Try to be alive. You will be dead soon enough."
Please join us for a celebration of Saroyan's life and work, featuring dramatic readings and performances of several of his stories directed by Professor Rush Rehm, and a special tribute from celebrated Armenian-American poet and novelist David Kherdian.
This event is co-sponsored by Stanford University Libraries (where Saroyan's archive is housed), the Stanford Drama Department, and the Stanford Storytelling Project.