John Gardner Biography: 'Literary Outlaw'

Published February 22, 2004 at 12:00 AM EST

'John Gardner: Literary Outlaw' looks at the life and work of the controversial novelist.

During the 1970s best-selling author John Gardner was at the center of American literature, and his sometimes controversial writings created debate on what fiction is and what it ought to be.

Gardner was the best selling author of a half-dozen novels including Nickel Mountain, Grendel, The Sunlight Dialogues and October Light -- as well as a scholar of Medieval literature, and a teacher and critic of contemporary fiction. He died in 1982 in a motorcycle accident.

NPR's Tom Vitale reports on the first biography of Gardner.

Federal funding is gone.

Congress has eliminated all funding for public media.

That means $2.1 million per year that Connecticut Public relied on to deliver you news, information, and entertainment programs you enjoyed is gone.

The future of public media is in your hands.

All donations are appreciated, but we ask in this moment you consider starting a monthly gift as a Sustainer to help replace what’s been lost.

Donate

SOMOS CONNECTICUT is an initiative from Connecticut Public, the state’s local NPR and PBS station, to elevate Latino stories and expand programming that uplifts and informs our Latino communities. Visit CTPublic.org/latino for more stories and resources. For updates, sign up for the SOMOS CONNECTICUT newsletter at ctpublic.org/newsletters.

SOMOS CONNECTICUT es una iniciativa de Connecticut Public, la emisora local de NPR y PBS del estado, que busca elevar nuestras historias latinas y expandir programación que alza y informa nuestras comunidades latinas locales. Visita CTPublic.org/latino para más reportajes y recursos. Para noticias, suscríbase a nuestro boletín informativo en ctpublic.org/newsletters.

Federal funding is gone.

Donate