Age, Biography and Wiki

John Oliver Killens was born on 14 January, 1916 in Macon, Georgia, US, is an American novelist (1916–1987). Discover John Oliver Killens's Biography, Age, Height, Physical Stats, Dating/Affairs, Family and career updates. Learn How rich is he in this year and how he spends money? Also learn how he earned most of networth at the age of 71 years old?

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Occupation Writer; an important figure in the Black Arts Movement; activist in the Civil Rights Movement; creator of the Black Writer’s Conference; university professor
Age 71 years old
Zodiac Sign Capricorn
Born 14 January, 1916
Birthday 14 January
Birthplace Macon, Georgia, US
Date of death 27 October, 1987
Died Place Brooklyn, New York, US
Nationality Georgia

We recommend you to check the complete list of Famous People born on 14 January. He is a member of famous novelist with the age 71 years old group.

John Oliver Killens Height, Weight & Measurements

At 71 years old, John Oliver Killens height not available right now. We will update John Oliver Killens's Height, weight, Body Measurements, Eye Color, Hair Color, Shoe & Dress size soon as possible.

Physical Status
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Dating & Relationship status

He is currently single. He is not dating anyone. We don't have much information about He's past relationship and any previous engaged. According to our Database, He has no children.

Family
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Children 2

John Oliver Killens Net Worth

His net worth has been growing significantly in 2023-2024. So, how much is John Oliver Killens worth at the age of 71 years old? John Oliver Killens’s income source is mostly from being a successful novelist. He is from Georgia. We have estimated John Oliver Killens's net worth, money, salary, income, and assets.

Net Worth in 2024 $1 Million - $5 Million
Salary in 2024 Under Review
Net Worth in 2023 Pending
Salary in 2023 Under Review
House Not Available
Cars Not Available
Source of Income novelist

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Timeline

1916

John Oliver Killens (January 14, 1916 – October 27, 1987) was an American fiction writer from Georgia.

His novels featured elements of African-American life.

1933

Killens graduated in 1933 from the Ballard Normal School in Macon, a private institution run by the American Missionary Association.

It was then one of the few secondary schools for blacks in Georgia, which had a segregated system of public schools and historically underfunded those for black students.

1934

Aspiring to become a lawyer, Killens attended several historically black colleges and universities between 1934 and 1936: Edward Waters College in Jacksonville, Florida; Morris Brown College in Atlanta, Georgia; Howard University in Washington, D.C.; and Robert H. Terrell Law School in Washington, D.C. He also studied creative writing at Columbia University in New York City.

1942

Killens enlisted in the United States Army during World War II, serving as a member of the Pacific Amphibious Forces from 1942 to 1945.

He spent more than two years in the South Pacific, and rose to the rank of master sergeant.

1943

On June 19, 1943, Killens married Grace Ward Jones.

1944

They had two children together: a son, Jon Charles (born 1944), and a daughter, Barbara (born 1947).

1948

In 1948, Killens moved to New York City, where he worked to establish a literary career.

He attended writing classes at Columbia University and at New York University.

He was an active member of many organizations, serving as a union representative to a local chapter of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) and joining the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO).

1950

Around 1950, Killens co-founded with Rosa Guy and others a writers' group that became the Harlem Writers Guild (HWG).

1954

In his debut novel, Youngblood (1954), Killens coined the phrase "kicking ass and taking names".

He also wrote plays, short stories and essays, and published articles in a range of outlets.

Killens was born in Macon, Georgia, to Charles Myles Killens Sr. and Willie Lee Killens.

His father encouraged him to read Langston Hughes' writings, and his mother, who was president of the Dunbar Literary Club, introduced him to poetry.

Killens was an enthusiastic reader as a child and was inspired by writers such as Hughes and Richard Wright.

His great-grandmother’s tales of slavery were another important factor in learning traditional black mythology and folklore, which he later incorporated into his writings.

His first novel, Youngblood (1954), dealing with a black Georgia family in the early 1900s, was read and developed at HWG meetings in members' homes.

In his book, he first coined the expression "kicking ass and taking names".

Killens became friends with actor Harry Belafonte, who after establishing his production company HarBel wanted to adapt William P. McGivern's crime novel Odds Against Tomorrow as a film.

Belafonte picked Abraham Polonsky as the screenwriter, but since Polonsky had been blacklisted by the House Un-American Activities Committee, Killens agreed to act as his front and was credited with the screenplay for the film.

1962

Killen's second novel, And Then We Heard the Thunder (1962), was about the treatment of the black soldiers in the military during World War II, when the armed forces were still segregated.

Critic Noel Perrin ranked it as one of five major works of fiction of World War II.

1964

According to Kira Alexander, "On June 7, 1964, Killens reached his largest audience when his essay 'Explanation of the "Black Psyche"' was published in the New York Times Sunday Magazine."

1965

He produced five further articles, which were published in his 1965 collection Black Man's Burden.

Killens taught creative-writing programs at Fisk University, Howard University, Columbia University, and Medgar Evers College.

1967

Killens's third novel, Sippi (1967), focused on the voting rights struggles of African Americans during the civil rights movement of the 1960s.

1969

Slaves (1969), a historical novel by Killens, was developed from the screenplay for the film of the same name, intended to accompany its release.

1971

In The Cotillion; or, One Good Bull Is Half the Herd (1971), Killens explored upper-class African-American society.

In addition to novels, Killens also wrote plays, screenplays, and many articles and short stories.

He published these works in a range of media, including The Black Scholar, The New York Times, Ebony, Redbook, Negro Digest and Black World.

1986

In 1986, he founded the National Black Writers Conference at Medgar Evers College.

Named in the author's honor, The Killens Review of Arts & Letters is published twice a year by the Center.

1987

In 1987, Killens died of cancer, aged 71, at the Metropolitan Jewish Geriatric Center in Brooklyn, New York.

He was living in Crown Heights.

1996

In 1996, the Writers Guild of America restored credit to Polonsky for the film under his own name.