Trivia

Divorced Carol Grace when he learned she was illegitimate and Jewish, but soon tried to get her to take him back. She divorced him within months of their second marriage.

The Academy Award statuette that he won for "The Human Comedy" (1943) briefly adorrned a pawn shop window in San Francisco. The Oscar has been in possession of Saroyan's sister, and after she died in 1990, someone hocked it at the Mission Jewelry & Loan Co. for $250. Pawn broker Darryl Kaplan donated it to the William Saroyan Society in Fresno, California, despite having numerous offers to buy it, including one for $20,000 from a literary figure. The Oscar eventually was transferred to the Fresno Metropolitan Museum. Fresno was Saroyan's hometown and the site where "The Human Comedy" takes place.

Won 1940 Pulitzer Prize for his play "The Time Of Your Life"; he declined the award.

His play, "My Heart's in the Highlands", was written in twenty-four hours.

The Best Writing, Original Story Academy Award he won for "The Human Comedy" (1943) was made out of plaster. Though he didn't attend the ceremony held at Graumann's Chinese Theatre on March 2, 1944, saying he "didn't want to bother carrying it around," he did eventually get the Oscar. The plaster award was exchanged for a metal one in 1946 after World War Two restrictions on metals were lifted. His sister Cosette, knowing he didn't want it, asked for it, and he gave it to her. Although thought missing after his death in 1981, it was in fact in her possession until she died in 1990.

Half of his ashes are buried in California, and the other half in Armenia.

Once brought a greasy bag of fried prawns into a high class bar in San Francisco. When he noticed that people were staring at him, he offered to share them with everybody.

Pictured on a 25¢ US commemorative postage stamp in the Literary Arts series, issued 22 May 1991. The Soviet Union also issued 1-ruble stamp with the same design on that date.

Had never been to the East Coast before 1934.

Biography in: "The Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives". Volume One, 1981-1985, pages 701-703. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1998.

WIlliam Saroyan delivered a screenplay (really a descriptive narrative) for the film "A Human Comedy: that would have reportedly made the film run five hours. MGM Studio head Louis B. Mayer assigned experienced screenwriter Howard Esterbrook to rework Saroyan's submission into an acceptable length. Saroyan had his scenario published as a novel, giving him two bangs for his buck. As the published book shows, Esterbrook mostly cut Saroyan's work down to an acceptable length. Esterbrook received the screenwriting credit. Saroyan was credited for story, nominated for the best story Academy Award, and won.