From these associations he has created the imaginary region of Bayonne, Louisiana, where all his works are set. Like Faulkner's Yoknapatawpha County to which it is frequently compared, Bayonne is Gaines's own postage stamp of native soil.
In 1948, Gaines's mother moved with his merchant marine stepfather to Vallejo, California, where Ernest subsequently joined them. There Gaines finished high school and junior college after which he spent the two years from 1953 to 1955 in the army. Military service was followed by enrollment at San Francisco State College in 1955. On graduation with a B.A. degree in 1957, Gaines was awarded a Wallace Stegner Fellowship to study creative writing at Stanford University where he spent the 1958-1959 academic year. As early as 1956, Gaines had begun publishing his work in little magazines, and in 1959 his short story "Comeback" earned him the recognition of the Joseph Henry Jackson Award. Since leaving Stanford, Gaines has been single-mindedly devoted to his craft--or as he puts it, "writing five hours a day, five days a week." This dedication has resulted in a steadily growing reputation as Gaines establishes himself as a writer of some consequence.
This is a free page. This page contains 189 words. This
biography contains 3,187 words (approx. 11 pages at 300
words per page).
Read the rest of this Biography with our Ernest J(ames) Gaines Access Pass.
