BIOGRAPHY:

John Grisham, born February 8, 1955, in Jonesboro, Arkansas, worked as a lawyer and legislative staffer in Mississippi before becoming the author of popular novels including The Firm, The Pelican Case, and A Time to Kill. All of these works were adapted into successful films. Since then, Grisham has published a number of books, including “The Tribune” and “The Litigants,” and has also contributed to screenplays, as seen in the 2003 baseball film “Mickey.”
Author John Grisham attends Day 2 of Book Expo 2017 at the Jacob Javits Center on June 2, 2017 – New York, USA – Photo: Global Look Press

CHILDHOOD AND YOUTH:

John Grisham Jr. was born on February 8, 1955 in Jonesboro, PC. Arkansas. He was the second oldest among five siblings and was an avid reader since childhood. Due to his father’s work in construction, the Grisham family moved frequently until they settled in Southaven, NY. Mississippi. He initially dreamed of becoming a professional baseball player and held a number of jobs before entering college. Grisham then studied accounting at the University of Mississippi and law at the University of Alabama, graduating in 1981. Author John Grisham attends Day 2 of Book Expo 2017 at the Jacob Javits Center on June 2, 2017 – New York, USA – Photo: Global Look Press.

BOOKS:

For 10 years, Grisham worked as an attorney, representing citizens in criminal and personal injury cases. A successful legal career helped the American to be elected to the Mississippi House of Representatives in 1983. The annual salary was $8 thousand. In 1984, in a courtroom in Clinton, Mississippi, Grisham heard the testimony of victims of rape and beating: 12-year-old Marcy Scott and her 16-year-old sister Julie. The tragic story interested the lawyer, and he wondered what would have happened if the girls’ father had calmly dealt with the offenders with his own hands. This is how the idea for the first legal thriller, A Time to Kill, was born.

When bringing the idea to life, John was inspired by Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, so the key idea of ​​the novel is a racial clash: the father of a raped girl, an African-American, kills criminals – white guys. Members of the Ku Klux Klan are hunting Jake Brigance, a lawyer who stands up for a black man. It was difficult to find a publisher for the debut work. Grisham received 28 rejections until Wynwood Press agreed to print 5,000 copies in June 1989. Immediately after writing A Time to Kill, the American took on the novel The Firm (1991), about a lawyer who collects incriminating evidence on colleagues laundering money for the mafia. It turned out to be a triumph: the work stayed on The New York Times bestseller list for 47 weeks and sold 1.5 million copies in two years. The success of the novel convinced Grisham to abandon the practice of law. Only once, in 1996, did he defend the interests of the family of a railway worker who was killed at work.

In subsequent years, John continued to write legal thrillers: The Client (1993), The Camera (1994), The Verdict (1996), The Partner (1997), The Lawyer (1998). The series of similar works was interrupted by the novel “House Painted,” which told about the author’s childhood in Arkansas, filled with baseball, cotton picking and the constant struggle against poverty. Sports themes in Grisham’s work can be seen in the novels “Tribunes” (2003), “Last Chance” ( 2007), “Joe from Calico”. And “Grey Mountain” (2014) is the first work by an American in which the main character, a lawyer, is a woman.

In addition to individual novels, John’s bibliography includes collections. Thus, in 2010, the book “Crime without Punishment” was published. Theodore Boone – Little Lawyer” is about a boy who is raised by lawyers. Unwittingly, he witnesses a scene that can radically change the course of the trial. People refuse to accept the words of an inexperienced teenager, exposing the photo of his authorship, but Theodore believes that he is obliged to tell the world the truth, otherwise the crime will go unpunished.

Readers warmly received the new character, and Grisham wrote a second story about a small lawyer, entitled “Kidnapping” (2011), in which Theodore investigates the disappearance of a high school friend. In the story “The Accused” (2012), a teenager becomes a suspect in a crime he did not commit. He needs to justify himself.

In the story “The Activist” (2013), Boone makes legally savvy, inquisitive friends. Together they stand in the way of corrupt politicians. But the “rich” intend to achieve what they want, even if it means getting rid of teenagers using cruel means.

After a long break, in 2016, the sixth and currently last novel in the series “Theodore Boone: Scandal” was released. In it, a young detective faced falsification of exam results. Stories about Theodora appealed to young readers: Shea, Grisham’s daughter, a teacher, gave the books to schoolchildren to read, and many of them decided to connect their lives with jurisprudence.

Ideas for new works do not dry out in the author’s head. In 2017, John wrote The Scam, a novel about three teenagers caught up in a private law school foundation scam. The law is on the side of the scammers, so students dare to use not entirely legal methods. Other characters, also young lawyers, are the focus of the American’s latest novel, “Reckoning” (2018).

Films:

Books by John Grisham are actively being filmed by Hollywood producers, and the first film released is “The Firm” (1993), based on the bestseller of the same name. The main role was played by Tom Cruise. The famous actor’s attention to the American’s work not only convinced other filmmakers to take up the creation of video versions of Grisham’s works, but also attracted interest in reading novels.

Also in 1993, The Pelican Brief appeared with Julia Roberts and Denzel Washington, and a year later Susan Sarandon and Tommy Lee Jones starred in the film adaptation of The Client.

The debut novel, “Time to Kill”, received a film version 7 years after it was written – in 1996. Samuel L. Jackson appeared in the role of the inconsolable father who took revenge for his daughter’s injuries, and Matthew McConaughey played a lawyer. The cast also includes Sandra Bullock, Kevin Spacey, Kiefer and Donald Sutherland. The script adaptation brought Grisham $6 million.
Francis Ford Coppola took on the film adaptation of Golden Rain (1995), a novel about the persecution of an insurance company by a young lawyer. The film was called “The Benefactor” (1997), starring Danny DeVito and Matt Damon. In 2017, CBS announced the filming of a series based on this work. John Grisham serves as screenwriter.

After the film adaptation of “Christmas with the Losers” (2004), Hollywood ceased to be interested in the American’s work. Grisham tried to stay in the film industry and wrote the original script for the film “Mickey” about a 12-year-old talented baseball player. The film, however, did not impress viewers: box office receipts amounted to only $294 thousand against a budget of $6 million.

Personal life:

John Grisham’s personal life is no less successful than his literary career. On May 8, 1981, the writer married Renee Jones. The marriage produced two children: daughter Shia and son Tai. The boy inherited his father’s love of sports and plays baseball for the University of Virginia.

The family owns several houses, including a cottage on the best beach in the United States – in Destin, Florida. The house is located next to the properties of Britney Spears and Sheryl Crow.

John Grisham now In addition to writing books, Grisham is still a member of the board of directors of the Innocence Project, which campaigns for the release of wrongfully convicted people based on DNA testing. In support of the project, the former lawyer noted that in practice there are analyzes with defects, and it is necessary to re-check them.

“Firm”

During his 1984 trial, Grisham heard the horrifying details of a young girl’s account of her rape experience. This prompted the lawyer to begin writing a novel that examined the issue, focusing on the actions of a fictional father and lawyer. The finished book, A Time to Kill, was originally to be printed in an edition of 5,000 copies by Wynwood Press.

In 1990, after retiring from politics and closing his law practice, Grisham moved with his family to Oxford, Mississippi. There he concentrated entirely on his new calling. His next novel, The Firm, attracted the attention of Hollywood, and Paramount bought the film rights to one of the works for more than half a million dollars.

The book was published by Doubleday, and in 1991, The Firm hit the New York Times bestseller list, remaining there for nearly 50 weeks. It became the best-selling work of the year. In 1993, a film adaptation appeared on screens, starring Tom Cruise, Holly Hunter and Gene Hackman. Dell later released A Time to Kill in paperback, which also became a bestseller.

During his 1984 trial, Grisham heard the horrifying details of a young girl’s account of her rape experience. This prompted the lawyer to begin writing a novel that examined the issue, focusing on the actions of a fictional father and lawyer. The finished book, A Time to Kill, was originally to be printed in an edition of 5,000 copies by Wynwood Press.

In 1990, after retiring from politics and closing his law practice, Grisham moved with his family to Oxford, Mississippi. There he concentrated entirely on his new calling. His next novel, The Firm, attracted the attention of Hollywood, and Paramount bought the film rights to one of the works for more than half a million dollars.

The book was published by Doubleday, and in 1991, The Firm hit the New York Times bestseller list, remaining there for nearly 50 weeks. It became the best-selling work of the year. In 1993, a film adaptation appeared on screens, starring Tom Cruise, Holly Hunter and Gene Hackman. Dell later released A Time to Kill in paperback, which also became a bestseller.

A selection of bestsellers:

When starting work on the novel “The Pelican Brief,” Grisham decided to write a book a year, heeding the advice of the head of the publishing house. A short summary of “Pelican” was published in 1992 and topped the New York Times bestseller list. In subsequent years, he penned such works as “The Client” (1993), “Runaway Jury” (1996), “Tribunes” (2003), “Playing for Pizza” (2007) and “Litigants” (2011). ), among many others. Its sequel to A Time to Kill, Sycamore Tree Row, was released in 2013. Grisham’s more recent works include Gray Mountain (2014), The Crooked Lawyer (2015) and The Whistler (2016).

Grisham has worked in other literary genres besides the adult novel, as evidenced by his nonfiction An Innocent Man: Murder and Injustice in a Small Town (2006), the short story collection Ford County, and the teen series Theodore Boone.

Hit adaptations:

In addition to The Firm, many of Grisham’s other works have also been made into films, including The Pelican Brief (1993), The Client (1994), A Time to Kill (1996), Camera (1996), and The Benefactor (1997). ), “The Cash Verdict” (2003) and “Christmas with the Losers” (2004), based on Grisham’s 2001 novel “Skipping Christmas.” Due to changes in the film industry, Grisham began to turn more often to the world of television. In 2012, The Firm was adapted into a TV series on NBC.

Grisham continued to develop his love of baseball, overseeing the construction of several baseball fields near his home and becoming a Little League commissioner. He also provided financial support for the southern version of the Oxford American.

The writer opposes the death penalty and considers the prison terms provided for by the US justice system to be too cruel. As an example, he cited “difficult” teenagers who sell drugs to earn money for bread, and those who watch pornography. Grisham appealed to the fact that not all viewers of child porn are necessarily pedophiles. This point of view was criticized by society, and the writer later retracted his words in a Facebook post.

The American left baseball as a player, but continues to follow the sport. He spent $3.8 million to build a junior baseball school in Oxford in 1996 and also sponsors the Cavalier team in Coversville, Virginia.

Bibliography:

1989 – “Time to Kill”
1991 – “The Firm”
1993 – “Client”
1998 – “Lawyer”
2000 – “Blackmail”
2001 – “Painted House”
2004 – “The Last Juror”
2012 – “Racketeer”
2014 – “Gray Mountain”
2017 – “Camino Island”
2017 – “Scam”
2018 – “Reckoning”

Filmography:

1993 – “The Firm”
1993 – “The Case of the Pelicans”
1994 – “Client”
1996 – “A Time to Kill”
1996 – “Camera”
1997 – “Benefactor”
2003 – “Painted House”
2003 – “Verdict for the money”
2004 – “Mickey”
2004 – “Christmas with the Losers”