American novelist
Jeffrey M. "Jeff" Shaara (born February 21, 1952) is an American novelist and the son of Pulitzer Prize winner Michael Shaara.[1]
Biography
Jeffrey Shaara was born in New Brunswick, New Jersey, and grew up in Tallahassee, Florida. He graduated from Florida State University in 1974 with a degree in Criminology[2] and lives in Gettysburg.[3]
He wrote Gods and Generals and The Last Full Measure, which are the prequel and sequel, respectively, to his father Michael's award-winning novel The Killer Angels.[4] Jeff followed his father's footsteps upon the latter's death, writing historical fiction and documenting the American wars and their most historically relevant characters. In total, Jeff has written fifteen New York Times bestselling novels.[5]
Jeff delivered the commencement speech at University of Delaware's 2005 undergraduate ceremony. Jeff has deemed this "one of the most important moments in his life."[6]
He completed a trilogy in 2010 about World War II in the European and North African theaters. A fourth World War II novel, titled The Final Storm, covers the end of the war in the Pacific, and was released on May 17, 2011.[7]
Awards
Shaara has received the W.Y. Boyd Literary Award for Excellence in Military Fiction from the American Library Association in 2022 for The Eagle's Claw,[8] in 2018 for The Frozen Hours,[9] in 2005 for To The Last Man: A Novel of The First World War,[10] and in 1997 for Gods and Generals.[11] The American Library Association's Reference and Users Services Association recognized The Steel Wave as a 2009 Notable Book.[12]
He has also been awarded The Lincoln Forum's "Richard Nelson Current Award of Achievement",[13] New York Civil War Round Table's "Bell I. Wiley Award",[14] and Florida State University's "Artes Award" as a Distinguished Alumnus.[15] In 2011, Shaara was inducted into the FSU College of Criminology Hall of Fame and awarded FSU's first annual Distinguished Writer's Award.[16]
Film adaptations
In 2003, Warner Brothers made the major motion picture Gods and Generals, which was based upon his book of the same title.[17]
