Fires of Spring

by James A. Michener

The main character of this novel, David Harper, is based on Michener as a young man. An orphan from a hard and violent life, David attends a college closely resembling Swarthmore, travels widely, and struggles in Greenwich Village to be a writer. This novel was rejected by Macmillan, where Michener worked as an editor, and ultimately published by Random House, and was the cornerstone of Michener's longstanding relationships with editors Bennett Cerf and Albert Erskine.

Editions of Fires of Spring

	ISBN 9780345483058	Binding/Format Paperback	Publisher Fawcett Books	Date 1987	Price $11.07	Good
	ISBN 9780449214701	Binding/Format Paperback	Publisher Ballantine Books	Date 1989	Price $1.00	Used, Good

Publisher Notes

"A warm-hearted, readable story, crammed with lively incident and remarkable characters."THE ATLANTICDavid Harper was an orphan, loney and impoverished. But his longing to embrace the world that abandoned him was stronger than the harsh realities. And even though he's a con man and petty thief at a carnival, he still dreams. For it was there that David learned about love and about women--all of whom taught him the riches of himself. Here is a rich segment of American life--a magic blend of longing and wisdom, saltiness, simplicity, and compassion.

Media Reviews

"It is a soft, rather sprawling story, but saved from the sentimental excess with which it constantly flirts by a certain discipline of prose and by Mr. Michener's over-arching belief that, while there may be an attractive abundance of life and love among the deformed and dispossessed, the proper goal of a young hero is in a place within, rather than outside, the normal social framework."

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