John Oliver Killens

Harish Chander (Shaw University)

Ed. by Emory Elliott, University of California, Riverside
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 3.2.4: American (US) Writing and Culture: Postwar and Contemporary, 1945-present.
Vol. editors: Sofia Ahlberg (Uppsala University), Patrick Chura (University of Akron), Emory Elliott (University of California, Riverside), Dale Enggass (University of Utah), Christopher Hugh Gair (University of Glasgow), Matthew Hofer (University of New Mexico), Stephen E. Meats (Pittsburg State University), Kerry Myler (Birmingham Newman University), Justin Parks (UiT - The Arctic University of Norway), Nick Selby (University of East Anglia)

Dates

Born 14 Jan 1916
Died 27 Oct 1987
Activity 1954-1987

Places

Born in United States
Active in United States

Activities

Primary

Novelist

Resources

Killens' Works

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John Oliver Killens was born on January 14 1916, in Macon, Georgia. He was the second of the three sons of Charles Miles and Willie Lee Killens. Killens' parents nurtured his pride in his Black cultural heritage, and aroused his interest in African-American history, folklore, and literature. His paternal great-grandmother told him stories of African–American endurance during the dark days of slavery. His maternal great-grand mother was raped at the age of twelve by her Master's son, with the result that she gave birth to his maternal grandfather.

Early in life, Killens wanted to become a physician; during his adolescent years, he intended to become a lawyer; and after his war experiences, he decided to become a writer. He attended Pleasant Hill School, a segregated public elementary

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2294 words

Citation: Chander, Harish. "John Oliver Killens". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 24 January 2002 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=2492, accessed 23 November 2024.]