Location
Age
Area of FocusAbout Charles' Work
Charles Johnson is an innovative writer whose works address issues of culture and racial identity.
Johnson addresses fundamental, philosophical questions in his works and makes a serious effort to overcome and transcend the boundaries of class, ethnicity, and culture. The promise of American society looms large in his novels, as does the concept of our dependence on each other for survival. Johnson is the author of two cartoon collections: Black Humor (1970) and Half‑Past Nation‑Time (1972). His works of fiction include the novels Faith and the Good Thing (1974), Oxherding Tale (1982), Middle Passage (1990), and Dreamer (1998), as well as three volumes of short stories, The Sorcerer's Apprentice (1986), Soulcatcher and Other Stories (2001), and Dr. King’s Refrigerator and Other Bedtime Stories (2005). His nonfiction works include Being and Race: Black Writing Since 1970 (1988) and Turning the Wheel: Essays on Buddhism and Writing (2003). In addition to several co-authored books, he has also written numerous screenplays.
Biography
Johnson is the S. Wilson and Grace M. Pollock Professor of English at the University of Washington, Seattle, where he has been teaching since 1972.
Johnson received a B.A. (1971) and an M.A. (1973) from Southern Illinois University and a Ph.D. (1988) from the State University of New York, Stony Brook.
Last updated January 1, 2005
Published on July 1, 1998
