Robert Edmund Cormier was a well-known columnist, author and reporter. He was born on January 17, 1925 in Leominster, Massachusetts to Irma and Lucien Cormier. He was the second of eight children and enjoyed spending time with his family. Family was always more important than fame or fortune to Cormier. Hard work and commitment led him to jobs that helped prepare him to be an excellent writer. Throughout his life he wrote many award winning books; two of his most well known books are The Chocolate War and Now and at the Hour. Used as an escape from the harsh truths of life, writing was Cormier’s favorite hobby (Smith).
During his childhood, his family moved many times within the French Hill area, but the family never left Leominster where his father, Lucien, supported the family by working at local factories. They moved frequently as the family grew in order to afford rent during the Depression (Hubbard). Cormier never felt a close bond with his father, since he was always busy working in order to provide for the family. Growing up his mother was always his biggest fan and encouraged him in everything he chose to do (Cormier). Although his mother was Irish the Cormier’s spoke English at home. Cormier always chose to write in English, but the characters in his stories had French-sounding names (Smith).
Cormier was a bookish child, and not particularly good at physical activities. He enjoyed reading all types of books and was happiest when he was at home with his family (Smith). Cormier attended St. Cecilia’s Parochial School, a private catholic school in the Leominster area. The experiences at the school greatly impacted his life and writing in several different ways. In sixth grade, a nun encouraged him to write; that was the f...
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...utlook. While he was a student, teachers always encouraged him to write short stories and poems. Young Cormier never imagined that he would one day be a writer; he believed writers only came from wealthy important families. He was not born into wealth or fame; he worked hard in order to obtain jobs that would one day make him a famous author. The legacy he created did not leave with him, it remains in each of his thrilling books.
Works Cited
Cormier, Robert. The Rag and Bone Shop . New York: Random House, Inc., 2003.
Hubbard, Michael LeBarron and Andrea. Robert Cormier. 2002. 9 April 2014 .
Rothman, Ellen K. Robert Cormier. 2014. 9 April 2014 .
Smith, Nick. Biography of Robert Cormier (1925-2000). 2000. 9 April 2014 .
...ction of Literary Biographies. Ed. Leonard Unger. Vol. 2: Ralph Waldo Emerson to Carson McCullers. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1974. 77-100. Literature Resources from Gale. Web. 14 Jan. 2014.
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Bain, Robert, Joseph M. Flora, and Louis D. Rubin, Jr., eds. Southern Writers: A Biographical Dictionary. Baton Rouge, LA: Louisiana State University Press, 1979.
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Baym, N. (2008). Cotton mather. In N. Baym (Ed.), The Norton Anthology of American Literature Volume 1 (p. 143). New York: W.W. Norton & Company.
Wright, Richard. "The Man Who Was Almost a Man." Literature and the Writing Process. Ed.
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