James Salter Biography

Fast Facts

• Served as a fighter pilot in the U․S․ Air Force from 1945 to 1957
• Won the PEN/Faulkner Award for his short story collection "Dusk and Other Stories․"
• Was among the first to receive the Windham Campbell Prize in 2013
• Published his first novel "The Hunters," which he wrote while serving in the Air Force, in 1956
• Quote: "[on taking inspiration from real life] "I had three lives, one during the day, one at night, and the last in a drawer in my room in a small book of notes․""
• Best known as the author of "A Sport and a Pastime" and "Light Years" who also wrote the screenplay for the 1969 Robert Redford film "Downhill Racer․"
• In addition to "Downhill Racer," he also wrote the screenplays for "Solo Faces," "Threshold" and "Three," the last of which he also directed