William Saroyan, a celebrated American author and playwright, was born in Fresno, California, on August 31, 1908, to Armenian immigrants Armenak and Takoohi Saroyan. His early life was marked by hardship, especially after his father's death in 1911, which led to a brief stint in an Oakland orphanage. Despite these challenges, Saroyan's childhood experiences in Fresno would profoundly shape his literary career, providing rich material for his stories and plays.

Early Life and Education

After the death of his father, young Saroyan and his siblings—Henry, Cosette, and Zabel—were placed in an orphanage. By 1915, they returned to Fresno, where Saroyan continued his education and worked various jobs, including a memorable position as a telegraph messenger boy. These early experiences, particularly his job as a messenger, later found their way into his writing, adding authenticity and depth to his fictional worlds.

Beginnings of a Writing Career

In 1926, Saroyan left Fresno without completing high school, driven more by his desire to explore the world rather than academic pursuits. He attempted life in Los Angeles, briefly joining the California National Guard, before moving to San Francisco. There, Saroyan worked as a telegraph operator, eventually rising to the position of manager at the Postal Telegraph Company. A trip to New York in 1928 cemented his resolve to pursue writing full-time, and though initial attempts were discouraging, he returned to San Francisco to hone his craft.

Breakthrough and Hollywood

Saroyan's talent was first recognized in 1934 when Story magazine published two pieces that later appeared in his collection The Daring Young Man on the Flying Trapeze, and Other Stories. His newfound success opened doors, allowing him to sell more of his writings. By 1936, Saroyan ventured to Hollywood as a screenwriter, balancing this with his passion for short stories and sketches that were published in various collections.

Theatrical Success

In 1939, Saroyan shifted focus to drama, creating My Heart’s in the Highlands, which debuted in New York with the Group Theatre. This was quickly followed by The Time of Your Life in the same year, a play that earned him both the New York Drama Critics Circle Award and the Pulitzer Prize—though Saroyan famously declined the latter. His frustration with traditional Broadway led him to self-produce plays like The Beautiful People and the one-acts Across the Board on Tomorrow Morning and Talking to You, showcasing his unique approach to theater.

Financial and Personal Struggles

Despite his success, Saroyan faced significant financial difficulties, partly due to his gambling addiction. The publication of My Name Is Aram in 1940, a series of sketches drawn from his childhood, was warmly received, yet his financial woes persisted. To alleviate them, he wrote a screenplay for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, producing The Human Comedy, a work he later adapted into a successful novel in 1943.

Challenges During and After World War II

With the onset of World War II, Saroyan was drafted into the Army in 1942. During this time, he married Carol Marcus, though their marriage would be turbulent, resulting in divorce, reconciliation, and another divorce. Post-war, Saroyan struggled to regain his earlier acclaim in theater and fiction, with works like The Adventures of Wesley Jackson facing critical backlash. His financial troubles were exacerbated by gambling losses, impacting both his personal and professional life.

Later Years and Autobiographical Works

After his second divorce, Saroyan lived in Malibu, California, from 1952 to 1958. During this period, he explored nonfiction with The Bicycle Rider in Beverly Hills and drew from his personal turmoil for the novel The Laughing Matter. His first play staged in New York in over a decade, The Cave Dwellers, marked another key achievement during this era.

Final Decades

In 1959, Saroyan declared himself a tax exile and relocated to Europe, where he continued to produce plays, particularly in London. Returning to academia, he taught at Purdue University in 1961 but found limited success in theater thereafter. Instead, Saroyan dedicated much of his later years to writing fiction and autobiographies, with significant works including Here Comes, There Goes, You Know Who and Boys and Girls Together. His autobiographical journey continued with works like Obituaries, nominated for the American Book Award in 1980, and My Name Is Saroyan, published posthumously in 1983 after his death from cancer.