George Rippey Stewart (May 31, 1895 – August 22, 1980) was an American historian,
toponymist
Toponymy, toponymics, or toponomastics is the study of ''toponyms'' (proper names of places, also known as place names and geographic names), including their origins, meanings, usage and types. Toponym is the general term for a proper name of ...
, novelist, and a professor of English at the
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant u ...
. His 1959 book, ''Pickett's Charge'', a detailed history of the final attack at
Gettysburg, was called "essential for an understanding of the
Battle of Gettysburg
The Battle of Gettysburg () was fought July 1–3, 1863, in and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, by Union and Confederate forces during the American Civil War. In the battle, Union Major General George Meade's Army of the Po ...
". His 1949
post-apocalyptic novel
Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction is a subgenre of speculative fiction in which the Earth's (or another planet's) civilization is collapsing or has collapsed. The apocalypse event may be climatic, such as runaway climate change; astr ...
''
Earth Abides
''Earth Abides'' is a 1949 American post-apocalyptic science fiction novel by George R. Stewart. The novel tells the story of the fall of civilization from deadly disease and the emergence of a new culture with simpler tools. Set in the 1940s in ...
'' won the first
International Fantasy Award
The International Fantasy Award was an annual literary award for the best science fiction or fantasy book and, in 1951-1953, the best non-fiction book of interest to science fiction and fantasy readers. The IFA was given by an international panel ...
in 1951.
Early life and university career
Born in
Sewickley, Pennsylvania
Sewickley is a Borough (Pennsylvania), borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, west northwest of Pittsburgh along the Ohio River. It is a residential suburb of Pittsburgh. The population was 3,827 according to the United States Census 2010, 20 ...
, George Rippey Stewart, Jr. was the son of engineer George Rippey Stewart Sr. (died 1937), who designed gasworks and electric railways and later became a citrus "rancher" in Southern California, and Ella Wilson Stewart (died 1937). The younger Stewart earned a bachelor's degree from
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private university, private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial Colleges, fourth-oldest ins ...
in 1917, an MA from the
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant u ...
, and his Ph.D. in English literature from
Columbia University
Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...
in 1922. He accepted a position in the English department at Berkeley in 1923. After his father died, he dropped the "Jr." from his name.
Stewart was a founding member of the
American Name Society
The American Name Society (ANS) is a non-profit organization founded in 1951 to promote onomastics, the study of names and naming practices, both in the United States and abroad. The organization investigates cultural insights, settlement history, ...
in 1956–57. He once served as an expert witness in a
murder
Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification (jurisprudence), justification or valid excuse (legal), excuse, especially the unlawful killing of another human with malice aforethought. ("The killing of another person wit ...
trial as a specialist in family names. His best-known academic work is ''Names on the Land: A Historical Account of Place-Naming in the United States'' (1945; reprinted, New York Review Books, 2008). He wrote three other books on names: ''A Concise Dictionary of American Place-Names'' (1970), ''Names on the Globe'' (1975), and ''American Given Names'' (1979). His scholarly works on the poetic meter of ballads (published under the name George R. Stewart, Jr.), beginning with his 1922 Ph.D. dissertation at Columbia, remain important in their field.
Works
As an author, Stewart's output was at once diverse, original, and important. ''Ordeal by Hunger'', ''Pickett's Charge'', and other works are examinations of American history, but are unusual in their probing of the interaction of human beings with their physical and social environments. His greatest achievement as a novelist, ''Earth Abides'', takes somewhat the same perspective, but in the context of a collapse of civilization, in which everything formerly taken for granted about civilization and the situation of human beings in their environment can no longer be assumed. This radically altered circumstance permitted Stewart to raise and examine issues rarely, if ever, tackled by other novelists. ''East of Giants'' is historical fiction. ''Man, An Autobiography'' is one of the very few works of speculative anthropology, in which he attempts to deduce how key developments in prehistorical civilization must have unfolded, and also offers a wealth of original and interesting insights into the character of early civilization. ''Good Lives'' provides a series of biographical sketches with the end in view of determining what it is that makes for a good life, an undertaking having much in common with, say, Aristotle's ''Nicomachean Ethics''. ''Not So Rich as You Think'' (1968) was a prescient early essay in environmentalism (Rachel Carson's ''Silent Spring'' had been published only a few years earlier, in 1962, and had a much narrower focus). ''Storm'' (1941) takes an immense storm as its protagonist, an extraordinary departure in itself, and again teases out the consequences for human beings of this large-scale environmental disruption. Other works, such as ''Names on the Land'' and ''American Ways of Life'' offer other unique insights and perspectives not found anywhere else. ''Years of the City'' is somewhat marred by relatively poor characterization, but is among his most ambitious books thematically, as it is concerned with the factors that lead to the rise and decline of civilizations – a topic only someone as well-versed in history as Stewart could successfully explore. A number of trends in contemporary America can be recognized as being among those leading to decline. Indeed, in a sense, ''The Years of the City'' is even more prescient and insightful than, say, Orwell's ''1984''.
Taken together, this enlightening body of work provides a breadth and depth of perspective found elsewhere only in authors like
Toynbee Toynbee is a surname. Notable people with the surname include:
* Arnold Toynbee (1852–1883), British economic historian
* Arnold Joseph Toynbee (1889–1975), British historian
* Geoffrey Toynbee (1885–1914), English cricketer
* Henry Toynb ...
, the
Durants
Durant (also Durance, Duroy) was a glazed woolen material of the 18th century. Durant was hot-pressed with a fold in the middle, leaving a crease in the fabric. Durant was manufactured in England.
Weave
Durant was a plain weave fabric, similar t ...
, and
Carroll Quigley
Carroll Quigley (; November 9, 1910 – January 3, 1977) was an American historian and theorist of the evolution of civilizations. He is remembered for his teaching work as a professor at Georgetown University, and for his writing about g ...
, but in a far more palatable and accessible form. Achievements of this stature might have earned Stewart a lasting reputation as one of America's greatest writers and men of letters. However, the significance of his output was largely overlooked during his lifetime, and is now almost forgotten.
Earth Abides
''Earth Abides'' is a 1949 American post-apocalyptic science fiction novel by George R. Stewart. The novel tells the story of the fall of civilization from deadly disease and the emergence of a new culture with simpler tools. Set in the 1940s in ...
was re-issued in 2020 with an introduction by
Kim Stanley Robinson
Kim Stanley Robinson (born March 23, 1952) is an American writer of science fiction. He has published twenty-two novels and numerous short stories and is best known for his ''Mars'' trilogy. His work has been translated into 24 languages. Many ...
.
He is today known primarily for his only science fiction novel ''
Earth Abides
''Earth Abides'' is a 1949 American post-apocalyptic science fiction novel by George R. Stewart. The novel tells the story of the fall of civilization from deadly disease and the emergence of a new culture with simpler tools. Set in the 1940s in ...
'' (1949), a
post-apocalyptic
Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction is a subgenre of speculative fiction in which the Earth's (or another planet's) civilization is collapsing or has collapsed. The apocalypse event may be climatic, such as runaway climate change; astro ...
novel, for which he won the inaugural
International Fantasy Award
The International Fantasy Award was an annual literary award for the best science fiction or fantasy book and, in 1951-1953, the best non-fiction book of interest to science fiction and fantasy readers. The IFA was given by an international panel ...
for fiction in 1951.
[ It was dramatized on radio's '']Escape
Escape or Escaping may refer to:
Computing
* Escape character, in computing and telecommunication, a character which signifies that what follows takes an alternative interpretation
** Escape sequence, a series of characters used to trigger some so ...
'' and served as an inspiration for Stephen King
Stephen Edwin King (born September 21, 1947) is an American author of horror, supernatural fiction, suspense, crime, science-fiction, and fantasy novels. Described as the "King of Horror", a play on his surname and a reference to his high s ...
's ''The Stand
''The Stand'' is a post-apocalyptic dark fantasy novel written by American author Stephen King and first published in 1978 by Doubleday. The plot centers on a deadly pandemic of weaponized influenza and its aftermath, in which the few surv ...
'', as King has stated. ''The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction'' calls it "one of the finest of all Post-Holocaust/Ruined Earth novels".[
His 1941 novel '']Storm
A storm is any disturbed state of the natural environment or the atmosphere
An atmosphere () is a layer of gas or layers of gases that envelop a planet, and is held in place by the gravity of the planetary body. A planet retains an atmos ...
'', featuring as its protagonist a Pacific storm called "Maria," which inspired Alan Jay Lerner
Alan Jay Lerner (August 31, 1918 – June 14, 1986) was an American lyricist and librettist. In collaboration with Frederick Loewe, and later Burton Lane, he created some of the world's most popular and enduring works of musical theatre bot ...
and Frederick Loewe
Frederick Loewe (, originally German Friedrich (Fritz) Löwe ; June 10, 1901 – February 14, 1988) was an Austrian-United States, American composer. He collaborated with lyricist Alan Jay Lerner on a series of Broadway musicals, including ''Br ...
to write the song "They Call the Wind Maria
"They Call the Wind Maria" is an American popular song with lyrics written by Alan J. Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe for their 1951 Broadway musical, '' Paint Your Wagon'', which is set in the California Gold Rush
The California Gol ...
" for their 1951 musical '' Paint Your Wagon''.
''Storm'' was dramatized as ''A Storm Called Maria'' on the November 2, 1959 episode of ABC's ''Walt Disney Presents''. Co-produced by Ken Nelson Productions, it blended newsreel footage of several different storms to represent the mega-storm in the novel and traced the storm from its origins in Japan to the coast of California. The cast included non-actors, among them the dam superintendent George Kritsky, the telephone lineman Walt Bowen, and the highway superintendent Leo Quinn.
Another novel, ''Fire'' (1948), and an historical work, ''Ordeal by Hunger'' (1936), also evoked environmental catastrophes.
Bibliography
*'' The Technique of English Verse'' (1930)
*''Bret Harte
Bret Harte (; born Francis Brett Hart; August 25, 1836 – May 5, 1902) was an American short story writer and poet best remembered for short fiction featuring miners, gamblers, and other romantic figures of the California Gold Rush.
In a caree ...
: Argonaut and Exile'' (1931)
*''English Composition, A Laboratory Course, '' (1936)
*''Ordeal by Hunger: The Story of the Donner Party'' (1936; rpt. 1992).
*''John Phoenix'' (1937)
*''East of the Giants'' (1938)
*''Doctor's Oral'' (1939)
*''Take your Bible in one hand;: The life of William Henry Thomes, author of A whaleman's adventures on land and sea, Lewey and I, The bushrangers, A gold hunter's adventures, etc.'', 1939
*''Storm
A storm is any disturbed state of the natural environment or the atmosphere
An atmosphere () is a layer of gas or layers of gases that envelop a planet, and is held in place by the gravity of the planetary body. A planet retains an atmos ...
'' (1941; rpt. 2003).
*''Names on the Land: an historical account of place-naming in the United States'' (1945; reprinted 1958, 1967 entry paperback 2008).
*''Man, An Autobiography'' (1946)
*''Fire'' (1948)
*''Earth Abides
''Earth Abides'' is a 1949 American post-apocalyptic science fiction novel by George R. Stewart. The novel tells the story of the fall of civilization from deadly disease and the emergence of a new culture with simpler tools. Set in the 1940s in ...
'' (1949; rpt. 2006).
*''The Year of the Oath'' (in collaboration) (1950)
*''Sheep Rock'' (1951)
*''The Opening of the California Trail: the story of the Stevens party by Moses Schallenberger
Moses hbo, מֹשֶׁה, Mōše; also known as Moshe or Moshe Rabbeinu (Mishnaic Hebrew: מֹשֶׁה רַבֵּינוּ, ); syr, ܡܘܫܐ, Mūše; ar, موسى, Mūsā; grc, Mωϋσῆς, Mōÿsēs () is considered the most important pro ...
, 1888''; edited 1953
*'' U.S. 40: Cross Section of the United States of America'' (1953)
*''American Ways of Life'' (1954)
*''These Men My Friends'' (1954)
*''To California by Covered Wagon'' (1954). Reprinted as ''Pioneers Go West'' (1987)
*''The Years of the City'' (1955)
*''N.A. 1: The North-South Continental Highway'' (1957)
*''Pickett's Charge: A Microhistory of the Final Attack at Gettysburg, July 3, 1863'', 1959
books.google.com
/ref> Revised in 1963.
*''The California Trail'' (1962)
*''Committee of Vigilance'' (1964)
*''Good Lives'' (1967)
*''Not So Rich as You Think'' (1968)
*''The Department of English at the University of California, Berkeley'' (1968)
*''A Concise Dictionary of American Place-Names'' (1970)
*''Names on the Globe'' (1975)
*''American Given Names'' (1979).
See also
* Tropical cyclone naming
Tropical cyclones and subtropical cyclones are named by various warning centers to simplify communication between forecasters and the general public regarding forecasts, watches and warnings. The names are intended to reduce confusion in the ...
* George R. Stewart Peak
George R. Stewart Peak is a 7,389-foot-elevation (2,252 meter) summit in Nevada County, California, Nevada County, California, United States.
Description
George R. Stewart Peak is located one-half mile northeast of Donner Pass, on land mana ...
References
Sources
*"Scott, Donald, ''The Life and Truth of George R. Stewart; A Literary Biography of the Author of EARTH ABIDES''"
*"George R. Stewart, toponymist", ''Names'', Volume 24, 1976, pp. 77–85.
Audio
OTR Network Library: ''Escape'': "Earth Abides", parts one and two
* Two short radio episodes from ''Storm
A storm is any disturbed state of the natural environment or the atmosphere
An atmosphere () is a layer of gas or layers of gases that envelop a planet, and is held in place by the gravity of the planetary body. A planet retains an atmos ...
'' (1941):
Valley Rain
and
. California Legacy Project
California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
.
External links
American Name Society biography of Stewart by William Bright
Tribute website GeorgeRStewart.com
Donald M. Scott's essay on George R. Stewart, on the U. S. Route 40 website
Extensive list of publications by and about George R. Stewart
U.C. Berkeley interviews with George R. Stewart on the writing process
Guide to the George Rippey Stewart Papers
at The Bancroft Library
The Bancroft Library in the center of the campus of the University of California, Berkeley, is the university's primary special-collections library. It was acquired from its founder, Hubert Howe Bancroft, in 1905, with the proviso that it retai ...
Stewart weblog by Stewart Biographer Donald M. Scott
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stewart, George R.
1895 births
1980 deaths
People from Sewickley, Pennsylvania
American academics of English literature
20th-century American novelists
American male novelists
American science fiction writers
Environmental fiction writers
Novelists from Pennsylvania
Toponymists
Writers from the San Francisco Bay Area
20th-century American male writers
20th-century American non-fiction writers
American male non-fiction writers
Princeton University alumni
University of California, Berkeley alumni
Columbia Graduate School of Arts and Sciences alumni