Jonathan Raban (1942–2023)
Author of Bad Land: An American Romance
About the Author
Jonathan Raban, author of Passage to Juneau, brings eloquent intellect and wry wit to his exploration of the American scene. Written over the past two decades, roughly the span of Raban's residence in his adopted city of Seattle, these essays delve into what it means, as immigrant, to feel rooted show more in America. Driving Home charts a course through the Pacific Northwest, American history, and current events as witnessed by a keenly observant visitor who is able to glean meanings and patterns that have become invisible to the natives. Raban spends much time on, near, and in water, and his ruminations on sailing and the sea are a welcome thread. Whether the topic is other writers or various painters and explorers, or the patrons of a Montana bar, who have engaged with our mythical and actual landscape, Raban has a visitor s eye for the absurd, and his tone is intimate, never nostalgic, and always fresh. show less
Works by Jonathan Raban
Associated Works
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Canonical name
- Raban, Jonathan
- Birthdate
- 1942-06-14
- Date of death
- 2023-01-17
- Gender
- male
- Nationality
- UK
- Country (for map)
- England, UK
- Birthplace
- Norfolk, England
- Place of death
- Seattle, Washington, USA
- Places of residence
- Seattle, Washington, USA
- Education
- University of Hull (BA Hons.)
- Occupations
- lecturer (in English, University of Hull)
journalist
literary critic - Relationships
- Johnson, Bridget (wife, 1964, dissolved 1970s)
Cuthbert, Caroline (wife, 1985, dissolved 1990)
Lenihan, Jean (wife, 1992, dissolved 1997)
Raban, Julia (daughter) - Organizations
- University of Hull (Lecturer in English)
Lecturer, University of East Anglia. - Awards and honors
- The Stranger Genius Award (Literature ∙ 2006)
1981 Heinemann Award and Thomas Cook Travel Award for Old Glor
'90 Thomas Cook award for Hunting Mister Heartbreak.
Members
Reviews
Father and Son: A Memoir by Jonathan Raban
I liked it and I didn't like it. The writing is great, the author demonstrates his abilities and it is easy to see why he has won awards. The story is a bit odd, in that it follows two tracks in a bit of a random fashion. The first is the author's stroke and rehab when he is 69 years old, and the second is his father's journey into adulthood and into WW II, with the details drawn from his letters home to his wife and from unit histories that others have written. And a bit about Jonathan's early years while his father is away at war. But not much ties the two themes together. There is a sense of father and son not getting along very well for a long time, well into the author's adulthood, but nothing definitive, in my opinion. Glad I read it for the writing but I am not sure what the takeaway is here. The two themes are parallel, and in my opinion, rarely if ever intersect. So, probably 3.5 overall.… (more)
How could I not like this book? Much of it takes place in my home waters I read it while far from home. The musings on west coast natives and captain Vancouver are great, some very insightful. All of this woven through a sad personal story. Well worth the time.
A thoroughly average travel narrative. The plot was thoroughly post-modern, petering out instead of genuinely finishing, but Raban can sure capture the American spirit.
Lists
Booker Prize (1)
Awards
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Associated Authors
Statistics
- Works
- 29
- Also by
- 13
- Members
- 5,006
- Popularity
- #5,005
- Rating
- 3.8
- Reviews
- 99
- ISBNs
- 162
- Languages
- 7
- Favorited
- 23
