Former Mitte Chair Johnson wins National Book Award
Posted by Mark Hendricks
November 19, 2007
Denis Johnson, former holder of the Roy F. and Joann Cole Mitte Endowed Chair in Creative Writing at Texas State University-San Marcos, has won the National Book Award for fiction for his novel “Tree of Smoke.”
Johnson's novel, which he has said he first thought of in the early 1980s, has been widely praised since coming out this fall. It tells of spies, counterspies and others caught up in the blur and horror of
The author of "Jesus' Son" and other works earned praise for "Tree of Smoke's" recognizable story about the certainty of exploration and suffering and the hope for salvation.
"I'm very sorry to miss this one chance to dress up in a tuxedo in front of so many representatives from the world of literature, and say thank you," the author said in a statement read by his wife, Cindy.
Johnson is currently on writing assignment in
He held the Mitte Chair in Creative Writing in