JOHN GRISHAM
John Grisham was born in Jonesboro, Arkansas. His father, a cotton farmer and
itinerant construction worker moved the family frequently, from town to town
throughout the Deep South, settling in Southaven, Mississippi in 1967. Although
his parents lacked formal education, his mother encouraged him to read and
insisted that he prepare himself for college.
By his own account, he had no interest in writing until after he embarked on his
professional career. For his first two years in college, Grisham drifted,
attending three different colleges before earning a degree. After abandoning a
youthful dream of a professional baseball career, he settled down to study
accounting and prepare for a career as a tax lawyer. While in law school, his
interest shifted from tax law to criminal law and litigation. After graduating
from the University of Mississippi law school, he established a small private
legal practice in Southaven Mississippi. He was elected the to Mississippi House
of Representatives in 1983. By his second term he held the vice chairmanship of
the Apportionment and Elections Committee, as well as memberships on the
Insurance, Judiciary A, and Military Affairs Committee.
In Mississippi, attorneys in private practice are sometimes called upon to
appear as public defenders for indigent clients. In this way, Grisham received
invaluable experience of the criminal justice system. Inspired by a case he
observed in a Mississippi courthouse, Grisham decided to write a novel. For
years, he arrived at his office at five o'clock in the morning, six days a week,
to work on his first book, A Time To Kill. His manuscript was rejected by 28
publishers before he found an unknown publisher who was willing to print a short
run. Without the benefit of a major publisher's marketing apparatus, the novice
author went directly to booksellers, encouraging them to stock his book.
Although A Time to Kill sold a disappointing 5,000 copies, Grisham had already
begun work on a second novel The Firm. At the same time, bored with the routine
of the state capital and eager to spend more time with his family, he decided
not to seek re-election to the state legislature. He closed his law practice and
moved his family to Oxford, Mississippi, determined to concentrate on his
writing.
At age 36, his career as a novelist bloomed when movie rights to The Firm were
sold for a hefty price, even before the book had found a publisher. The Firm,
has sold more than seven million copies and spent 47 weeks on the New York Times
bestseller list. Grisham's next offering, The Pelican Brief, sold six million
copies. Within a few years, The Firm, The Pelican Brief, and his subsequent
effort, The Client, (1993) had all been made into successful films. His other
novels include The Chamber (1994), The Rainmaker (1995),The Runaway Jury (1996)
and The Partner (1997).
John Grisham was born in Jonesboro, Arkansas. His father, a cotton farmer and
itinerant construction worker moved the family frequently, from town to town
throughout the Deep South, settling in Southaven, Mississippi in 1967. Although
his parents lacked formal education, his mother encouraged him to read and
insisted that he prepare himself for college.
By his own account, he had no interest in writing until after he embarked on his
professional career. For his first two years in college, Grisham drifted,
attending three different colleges before earning a degree. After abandoning a
youthful dream of a professional baseball career, he settled down to study
accounting and prepare for a career as a tax lawyer. While in law school, his
interest shifted from tax law to criminal law and litigation. After graduating
from the University of Mississippi law school, he established a small private
legal practice in Southaven Mississippi. He was elected the to Mississippi House
of Representatives in 1983. By his second term he held the vice chairmanship of
the Apportionment and Elections Committee, as well as memberships on the
Insurance, Judiciary A, and Military Affairs Committee.
In Mississippi, attorneys in private practice are sometimes called upon to
appear as public defenders for indigent clients. In this way, Grisham received
invaluable experience of the criminal justice system. Inspired by a case he
observed in a Mississippi courthouse, Grisham decided to write a novel. For
years, he arrived at his office at five o'clock in the morning, six days a week,
to work on his first book, A Time To Kill. His manuscript was rejected by 28
publishers before he found an unknown publisher who was willing to print a short
run. Without the benefit of a major publisher's marketing apparatus, the novice
author went directly to booksellers, encouraging them to stock his book.
Although A Time to Kill sold a disappointing 5,000 copies, Grisham had already
begun work on a second novel The Firm. At the same time, bored with the routine
of the state capital and eager to spend more time with his family, he decided
not to seek re-election to the state legislature. He closed his law practice and
moved his family to Oxford, Mississippi, determined to concentrate on his
writing.
At age 36, his career as a novelist bloomed when movie rights to The Firm were
sold for a hefty price, even before the book had found a publisher. The Firm,
has sold more than seven million copies and spent 47 weeks on the New York Times
bestseller list. Grisham's next offering, The Pelican Brief, sold six million
copies. Within a few years, The Firm, The Pelican Brief, and his subsequent
effort, The Client, (1993) had all been made into successful films. His other
novels include The Chamber (1994), The Rainmaker (1995),The Runaway Jury (1996)
and The Partner (1997).