James Albert Michener was an American writer known for his sweeping multi-generational historical fiction sagas, usually focusing on and titled after a particular geographical region. He was born in Pennsylvania on February 3, 1907, and was raised by a Quaker woman. During World War II, he served with the U.S. Navy, an experience that inspired his first novel, Tales of the South Pacific, for which he won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1948.

Michener wrote more than 40 books, including Hawaii, The Drifters, Centennial, The Source, The Fires of Spring, Chesapeake, Caribbean, Caravans, Alaska, Texas, Space, Poland, and The Bridges at Toko-ri. His non-fiction works include Iberia, about his travels in Spain and Portugal, his memoir, The World Is My Home, and Sports in America. His book Presidential Lottery: The Reckless Gamble in Our Electoral System criticized the United States' Electoral College system.

Tales of the South Pacific was adapted into the popular Broadway musical South Pacific by Rodgers and Hammerstein, which was also made into films in 1958 and 2001. Many of his other works were adapted into films and TV series.

Near the end of his life, Michener founded the MFA program now named the Michener Center for Writers at the University of Texas at Austin and made significant contributions to the James A. Michener Art Museum in Doylestown, Pennsylvania.

James A. Michener lived with his wife in Austin, Texas, where he passed away on October 16, 1997.