Biography

Evan S. Connell was born on August 17, 1924 in Kansas City, Missouri, USA. He was a writer, known for Big Man, Mr. & Mrs. Bridge (1990) and Son of the Morning Star (1991). He died on January 10, 2013 in Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA.

Grew up as the only son of a doctor in Kansas City, MO, graduated from the University of Kansas and then moved West.

American novelist, poet and short story writer, the son of a physician. A graduate from the University of Kansas in 1947, he became best known for his wry studies of suburban types, featured in "Mrs. Bridge" (1959) and "Mr. Bridge" (1969).

Connell pursued a literary career against the wishes of his father, who wanted him to inherit the family medical practice. He began writing while attending Dartmouth College. He left in 1943 to enlist in the Navy, becoming a pilot and flight instructor. After the war, he returned to college and graduated from the University of Kansas with a degree in English literature. He also studied creative writing at Stanford and Columbia.

Author of at least 18 books in various genres including collections of poetry and short stories, his best-selling "masterpiece" novel about Custer's last stand was entitled "Son of the Morning Star".

He wrote 19 novels in a career spanning six decades. His other works include two book-length poems, a biography of Spanish painter Francisco Goya, and a historical novel about the Crusades. Other subjects include alchemy, Antarctica, Nordic legends, Marco Polo, Mayan sculpture, and the quest for gold in the New World.