The Man Who Wrote Grendel

John Gardner was born on July 21, 1933 in Batavia, New York. His parents were of humble backgrounds. His father was a preacher and dairy farmer, and his mother a local English schoolteacher. Gardner occasionally worked on his father’s farm, and at the age of twelve, experienced a traumatic shock that many say impacted his works. Gardner was driving a tractor when his younger brother, Gilbert, was killed in an accident involving a cultipacker (equipment used to compact dirt for cultivation). Gardner is said to have suffered from nightmares and flashbacks for the remainder of his life. Critics often claim that Gilbert’s death strongly influenced the perception of meaning, death, and purpose in Gardner’s works.

Gardner entered DePauw University in 1951 first intending on becoming a chemistry major. However, he had a change of heart and instead decided to become a writer. He soon left DePauw (in 1953) and went on to marry his first wife, Joan Louise Patterson. He then returned to college, this time at Washington State, from which he graduated in 1955. He later obtained his M. A. and Ph.D. from Iowa State University in 1956 and 1958 respectively. Many ideas for his works came to him in college. Gardner was awarded the Woodrow Wilson Fellowship. His professional career began with his teachings of creative writing and medieval literature. His radical ways of teaching meant Gardner had to move often and teach at numerous colleges. His first novel was The Resurrection, which told the story of a professor dying of leukemia, focusing on mortality. Critics claim that many of the themes presented in the novel reflected Gardner’s perceptions of life following the death of his brother. In 1969, Gardner received a grant to work on Grendel. His third novel was the first to show a distinctive style of writing, as it was the first to truly make use of poetry in its structure. Grendel was received warmly by critics and was praised as one of the greatest fiction novels of the time. Once again, the themes of existence and mortality most likely drew their source from Gardner’s traumatic experience with his brother. Gardner often thought of himself as a lone poet in a purposeless world. This strongly resembles the role of the Shaper who, in the work, gives the world purpose by “maintaining that nothing is in vain.” Grendel launched Gardner into literary fame and success. His later novels earned him many praises. He was awarded the Danforth and the Guggenheim Fellowships. The Guggenheim grant allowed Gardner to retire from teaching without worrying about providing for his family. Soon after starting his last work, a translation of Gilgamesh, Gardner was diagnosed with colon cancer. He spent over a month at John Hopkins Hospital undergoing treatment from which he survived. He divorced his first wife and married a woman by the name of Liz Rosenberg. Two years later, Gardner left Rosenberg and chose to marry Susan Shreve (a writer). Soon after their marriage, however, Gardner was killed in a motorcycle accident in Pennsylvania at the age of 49.

Works Cited

"John C. Gardner." John C. Gardner. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Nov. 2013. <http://pabook.libraries.psu.edu/palitmap/bios/Gardner__John.html>.

"John Gardner (American Author)." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d. Web. 12 Nov. 2013. <http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/225924/John-Gardner>.