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William Saroyan (August 31, 1908 - May 18, 1981) was an American dramatist and author. He is recognized as "one of the most prominent literary figures of the mid-20th century. An Armenian American, Saroyan wrote extensively about the Armenian immigrant life in California. Many of his stories and plays are set in his native Fresno. His stories celebrated optimism in the midst of the trials and tribulations of the Depression. His advice to a young writer was: "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." Saroyan endeavored to create a prose style full of zest for life and seemingly impressionistic, that came to be called "Saroyanesque". He was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1940, and in 1943 won the Academy Award for Best Story for the film adaptation of his novel The Human Comedy. Interest in Saroyan's novels declined after the war, when he was criticized for sentimentality. Freedom, brotherly love, and universal benevolence were for him basic values, but his idealism was considered out of step with the times. He died in 1981 of prostate cancer at the age of 72. Photographed by Al Aumuller for New York World Telegram & Sun, 1940.
