John Jakes was an author best known for historical fiction including the “North and South” trilogy and the Kent Family Chronicles.
- Died: March 11, 2023 (Who else died on March 11?)
- Details of death: Died at a hospice facility in Sarasota, Florida at the age of 90.
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Writing career
Jakes got his start publishing science fiction and fantasy short stories in pulp magazines including Fantastic Adventures and Amazing Stories while he was still in school. While working in advertising, he began writing and publishing Western and sci-fi novels, including the Brak the Barbarian series, building a following of loyal readers. Jakes began winning wider fame with the 1974 publication of the first of the Kent Family Chronicles novels, “The Bastard.” The series began at the time of the American Revolution, and its eight books follow members of a family through the development of the United States. “North and South” followed the Kent Family Chronicles in 1982, a massive bestseller looking at the tensions in the years before the American Civil War. It was followed by “Love and War” and “Heaven and Hell.” Each of the books was adapted into a popular TV miniseries. Jakes’ later work included the Crown Family Saga and “In the Big Country.”
Notable quote
“Research is one of the best parts of doing what I do: I learn something new with every novel. I always begin by reading general studies about the period involved. When I find events or specific subjects that interest me, and a plot begins to shape itself in my mind, I research those specific events or subjects – cultivation of rice in the Carolinas is a good example from ‘North and South’ – and then weave many independent pieces of research into the final story.” —from a 2008 interview for Civil War Notebook
Tributes to John Jakes
Full obituary: The New York Times
